The Ultimate Guide to Spa Retailing: 10 Tips & Best Practices

By Luciana Dabit

 

From Sephora kids to viral TikTok products, it’s clear that skincare is in. The global skincare market is predicted to reach $273.3 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2022.

As the owner of a medical spa or beauty spa, you already have two of the most challenging elements to put in place as a new boutique owner: a physical location and a client base. All that’s missing is the right products and retail strategy.

When you master the art of spa retailing, you not only have a chance to boost your revenue by anywhere from 10 to 20%, but you also enhance the client experience—deepening your relationship with clients and helping them see you as their premier destination for all things beauty and wellness. Done right, retail products aren’t just an add-on, they’re part of a comprehensive approach to take excellent care of your clients. If you miss the mark, you risk losing clients to nearby spas with a better overall experience.

But don’t worry, we’ll show you how to win at retail so you can grow client loyalty and spa revenue.

What’s in this guide:

1. Choose products that enhance the guest experience
2. Curate the ambiance of your retail space
3. Use an integrated inventory management system
4. Promote products with targeted email marketing campaigns
5. Train your staff in upselling and cross-selling
6. Grow product sales through social media
7. Allow clients to buy products online and pick them up
8. Setup a rewards program that encourages loyalty
9. Utilize consumer psychology to your advantage
10. Track retail sales and adjust your strategy

1. Choose products that enhance the guest experience

When selecting products for your spa, it’s important to choose items that don’t encourage at-home treatments or compete with your high-quality treatments—but rather enhance the overall experience. You might sell pre-care items, post-care items, or things that are complementary.

Consider these products:

• Aromatherapy diffusers
• Scented candles
• Herbal teas
• Luxury bath salts
• Skincare serums
• Moisturizing lotions
• Silk eye masks
• Relaxation CDs or playlists
• Essential oil rollers
• Plush spa robes

2. Curate the ambiance of your retail space

Creating the right ambiance in your retail space is crucial to making customers feel welcome and encouraging them to explore your products. Start with a thoughtful layout that guides customers smoothly through the space, highlighting key products at eye level and placing seasonal items near the entrance to draw attention.

Enhance the atmosphere with appealing displays that group products by theme or category to create focal points. Also, try soft, warm lighting to make the space feel more inviting.

3. Use an integrated inventory management system

You’ll need an inventory management system to keep track of products, prices, and stock. But we don’t recommend just finding any system and adding it to your existing tech stack. Instead, you should seek out an end-to-end spa management platform like WellnessLiving that includes inventory management features.

This way, you can fully integrate retail into the rest of your business. You’ll be able to keep track of client purchases, send marketing campaigns based on behavior, and run holistic revenue reports. An all-in-one solution is crucial for implementing many of the other tips on this list.

4. Promote products with targeted email and SMS marketing campaigns

Time to monitor your spa retailing marketing. When you keep track of clients, products, and promotions all in one place, you can run highly effective marketing campaigns.

Try targeting clients based on their purchase behavior. Here are some ideas:

• When you add a new product from a popular line, notify clients who’ve previously purchased products from that line.
• Send a 20% discount on products to clients who haven’t visited your spa in over 6 months to give them a reason to come back in.
• Invite your most loyal shoppers to a spa party or special event.

5. Train your staff in upselling and cross-selling

Your spa staff are key when it comes to boosting retail revenue. Train them in recommending the right products to clients based on their spa treatments, age, and concerns.

Effective upselling involves suggesting premium versions of products clients are already considering, while cross-selling introduces complementary items that enhance their overall experience.

Instead of role-playing (which feels awkward), simply ask spa staff what products they might recommend in different scenarios and provide feedback.

6. Grow product sales through social media

Use your social media accounts to let everyone know about your in-spa boutique. You can create behind-the-scenes content where you try out products on clients and staff and discuss their benefits.

Or do top-3-style posts where you recommend the best products for different beauty concerns. By focusing on products, you can drive not only retail sales but visibility for your overall brand.

7. Allow clients to buy products online and pick them up

To really step up your spa retailing game, consider allowing clients to shop online and pick up items in store. If you’re using WellnessLiving, this is easy to configure. Clients can shop from your website and a no-code mobile app that’s custom branded to your business.

Along with your appointment reminders, you can include a link to your online store so clients can purchase items ahead of time—without worrying about their favorite items being out of stock.

8. Setup a rewards program that encourages loyalty

While you might offer discounts sometimes, you’ll likely need to sell products at MSRP to make it worthwhile. So, if clients can get similar products elsewhere, why would they shop with you?

Take a page out of Sephora’s book by creating your own loyalty program. You can use WellnessLiving’s built-in rewards features to create a program that runs all on its own. Just set up your rewards tiers and prizes (like free products, free services, or discounts). Then, let clients rake up rewards for purchasing products, booking services, and referring friends. You’ll give clients a reason to shop from your spa while increasing engagement.

9. Utilize consumer psychology to your advantage

Shopping is an enjoyable hobby. You want clients to linger a while—not rush out the door. To increase sales, engage more of shoppers’ senses.

Subtle, pleasing scents that aren’t overpowering or too complex can enhance the customer experience. When shoppers have a positive visit, they may link the pleasant aromas with good memories, fostering brand loyalty. Try to use a diffuser or room spray with a single scent note, like orange, vanilla, or rosemary.

You should also incorporate touch. Be sure to offer product samples so clients can test out your skincare products firsthand. In addition to samples, you should also have tactile products that feel good, like silk eye masks, soft robes, or fluffy slippers.

10. Track retail sales and adjust your strategy

Spa retailing needs to be tracked! Make sure to track your sales so you can learn which products resonate with your clients and which strategies are driving revenue. Regularly review sales data to identify trends, such as best-selling items or seasonal fluctuations. You can also keep track of where your sales are coming from, such as your website, mobile app, and physical location.

Use this information to adjust your product offerings and marketing efforts. By continuously refining your approach based on sales performance, you can create a better overall experience while boosting revenue.

Effortlessly manage spa retailing with WellnessLiving

Technology is an essential part of the puzzle. The right software makes it easy to keep track of products, sales, clients, promotions, and rewards.

With WellnessLiving, you get all of the features you need to grow your spa revenue with retail products—and manage every aspect of your business.

 

Schedule a demo to see how our software can help you boost client satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue.