Your clients are about to spend more money than at any other time of year, and most of it is going to someone else.
Every year, November and December account for about 19% of all U.S. retail sales, according to the National Retail Federation. Salons and spas feel this too. Phorest’s study of more than 6,000 salons (2019) found that total retail revenue, products plus gift cards, more than doubled in December compared with the rest of the year. Product revenue alone rose 27%, and gift card revenue rose 508%.
Most treatment rooms aren’t set up to catch that spending. In a Spa Business survey of 400 U.S. spa directors (2017), about one-third said retail made up less than 10% of their total sales, and the largest group sat at 11–15%. Your clients trust your recommendations more than any store clerk. The holidays are when that trust becomes the easiest sale you’ll make all year.
Here’s how to be ready, and why the work has to start in October.
Why October, Not December
Holiday shopping starts earlier every year, and Black Friday (November 27 this year) is when many clients start crossing names off their lists. To be ready for it, your shelf needs to be stocked, priced and displayed by mid-November. Working backward:
- Early October: decide what you’ll sell and place your order.
- Late October: products arrive. Build gift sets, price them, and set up your display.
- Early November: start telling clients (in the treatment room, on social media and by email).
- Black Friday through December: sell, and restock bestsellers.
If you’re adding your own private-label line, production takes 2–3 weeks. Order by October 23 to have it on your shelf by mid-November.
What You Could Earn: A Simple Example
Here’s how the numbers can add up. This is an example only. Adjust it to your own client count and pricing.
Say you see 60 clients a month and price retail at a standard 2x (keystone) markup over wholesale.
- 1 in 4 clients buys a $60 gift set: 15 sets × $60 = $900 in retail sales a month, about $450 profit.
- Over November and December: about $1,800 in sales and $900 profit, from clients who were already on your books.
- Add holiday gift cards, which many clients buy for friends and family. Each one is paid upfront and often brings a new client through your door in January.
That’s money you earn without adding a single appointment.
Build Gift Sets Clients Want to Give
Gift buyers want something that looks finished and needs no explaining. Bundle full-size products into sets of three or four, wrap them, and give each one a clear name and purpose:
- “The Hydration Gift” — the Hydration Set already pairs HA Forte with Peptides Serum, HA Forte Intense Hydrating Mask, Phyto Nourish Face Oil and Eye Renewal Serum. It’s a ready-made dry-winter gift.
- “The Glow Set” — pair Total C Complex (10% vitamin C), Bright Radiance (kojic acid and niacinamide) and Emerge Night Serum.
- “The Eye Lift” stocking stuffer — Eye Renewal Serum on its own, at an easy price for a coworker or teacher gift.
The Clinical Back Bar retail set includes ten full-size products. That gives you enough to build several different gift sets from one order.
Stocking Stuffers Sell at Checkout
Small, lower-priced items are the impulse buys of the holiday season. Keep a basket near your checkout with minis and single products under $30. Checkout our mineral makeup and request private label travel size information.
Make Your Display Do the Selling
A gift display only works if clients see it. Put it where they wait, check in or pay. Label each set with what it does and who it’s for (“For the friend who’s always dry,” “For the mom who never treats herself”). A simple custom acrylic sign with your logo and “Holiday Gift Shop” makes the corner look planned instead of improvised. Note that signs take 10–15 days to deliver, so order with your products.
Your Own Line Makes the Best Gift
A gift set with your spa’s name on it does two things: it earns retail margin, and it puts your brand in another person’s home all winter. The Private Label Starter Set starts at $99. With a 2 week turnaround, order by October 23 for holiday shelves.
Mention It in Every Appointment
You don’t need a sales pitch. Try one line at the end of each service: “I put together a few gift sets this year. Let me know if anyone on your list would love a facial at home.” Then let the display do the rest.
Start This Week
The spas that do best in December are the ones that ordered in October. Pick your gift sets, place your order, and you’ll be ready when your clients start shopping.
For more on organizing your shelf, read our guide to building a retail shelf that sells without the hard push.
Learn more about Private Labeling>>
Sources: National Retail Federation, Winter Holiday FAQs; Phorest Salon Software, December retail study (2019); Spa Business magazine, “Research: Spa Retail” (2017, Contento Marketing survey).