Top Ten Salon Christmas Promotion Ideas for Seasonal Sales

With prepping for parties and new clients introduced to your business via gift cards, Christmas is often the most lucrative season for salons. Marketing during the festive season can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, but capturing attention with great salon Christmas promotion ideas now can set you up for success for the rest of the year.

Following a difficult year of COVID-19 restrictions, you can expect people to really celebrate this year. Now is the perfect time to grab attention with great salon Christmas ideas – promotions and sales have never been more important as businesses look to bounce back from the pandemic and boost their sales. 

According to our recent consumer survey, around one-third of Australian customers plan to give an experience or personal care type gift this Christmas season, so why not read on to find out about our 10 salon Christmas marketing ideas that’ll help you get customers booked in.

1. Create a Salon Selfie Station

Social media is the best free tool to use, so amp up the excitement in your salon with a selfie station. Clients can pose with Christmas-themed props in pics they can post to their social media channels. Some ideas might include a giant picture frame for clients to pose inside, or a selection of tiaras to top a new hairdo. Tastefully include your salon name, logo and associated hashtags on any selfie backdrops to ensure they show up in pictures that clients post on their own pages. This can also be used throughout the year, with different props to suit different holidays: add hearts for Valentine’s Day and pumpkins for Halloween.

2. Send Festive Offers

Whether it’s via email, text or post, sending a festive offer to clients is a great Christmas promotion idea for a salon and can entice customers back into the salon chair. You can add festive lingo such as “You’ve made it on to the nice list this year, enjoy 10% off your next booking!”. If you want to attract new customers, you can add a post or two to your social media pages – remember, not everyone who follows you will have visited your salon.

3. Pamper Your Customers

Whether someone has been visiting your salon for years, or it’s their first time, you’ll want to ensure they book to return. So, make them feel valued and pampered. When someone walks through the door on a cold winter’s day, consider offering them a complimentary hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and a side of gingerbread. It’s an inexpensive way to make a lasting impression with your salon Christmas ideas.

4. Make Christmas Gift Baskets and Packages

During the Christmas season, everyone is on the lookout for easy gifts. Pre-package retail items with a gift card and wrap them up in a pretty package for clients to give to loved ones. Packages containing a selection of your best sellers encourage clients to pick up a set for themselves, as well as getting a few gifts for friends. Remember to include gift sets and baskets for men, too. Many people get stumped trying to figure out what to get for the guys in their lives, so providing an easy solution can improve your bottom line and keep clients happy.

5. Encourage Impulse Buying with Counter Displays

Most salons are booked well in advance for those final weeks of the year, so increasing profits can come down to selling more retail items. Attractive counter displays remind people to buy. Put a selection of smaller inexpensive retail items on the counter with a sign saying “Stocking fillers!” to remind clients to pick up a few filler items. Reminding customers that gift cards also make great stocking fillers is another way to increase your overall profits during the Christmas season.

6. Decorate for Attention

Turn your salon into a winter wonderland. Get out the tinsel and tree and adorn your salon in festive seasonal colors to get your clients in the mood for a joyful experience from the minute they walk in. Go beyond basic seasonal decor with carefully constructed merchandise displays that attract attention to your front window or the retail section in your salon. Stunning gingerbread houses, themed dioramas or moving displays encourage customers to come in and take a closer look. This gives you an extra opportunity to promote your services or point out products they might want to consider.

7. Focus on Mini-Offers

People are often rushed during the Christmas season , so prepare some mini-packages to simplify clients’ lives. A 20-minute styling session or a quick and simple cut package might encourage time-crunched customers to book a service between other Christmas-related  tasks.

You might also want to use mini-offers as add-on services during a longer appointment. Mention during booking or the appointment itself you can add on a quick paraffin dip to a manicure, include a lip treatment with a facial, or incorporate another luxury treatment into an existing service.

8. Expand Your Online Presence

Websites and social media are commanding an ever-increasing amount of attention and are a great way to have free salon advertising. The Christmas season are a good time to ramp up your online messaging. Consider posting about hair care during the winter months or cold weather skin care trends to help clients look their best. A balanced mix of at-home tips and information about professional services you can do at the salon gives followers a reason to keep visiting your site as well as a reason to book an appointment.

Live broadcasts through Facebook or Instagram can make a big impression during the Christmas season. Broadcasting a hair or makeup tutorial online encourages clients to tune in so they can learn how to create amazing Christmas looks at home. Showcase your in-salon brands on the video to encourage people to come in and pick up the retail products they need to recreate the look.

9. Establish Local Partnerships

Pairing up with other local businesses during the Christmas season can help increase your salon Christmas marketing reach without a lot of extra expense. Creating gift baskets and packages that include products from a few local companies introduces new clients to all your businesses at once.

Another way to leverage local partnerships during the Christmas season is by reaching out to performance organisations and offering a discount on group services for their events. Establish yourself as the official salon of a local theater group or dance troupe as a way to get your name out to every person that attends their seasonal performances.

10. Offer Special Christmas Salon Deals for the New Year

Our recent consumer survey found that more than 1/3 of Australian customers would like to receive an experience or personal care gift this Christmas season, so why not encourage clients with special deals that get them ready for the new year. Coupons redeemable in January and February encourage salon clients to book now for services in those months, and discounted monthly cut or color packages paid upfront for a full year make great gifts and help keep you busy during slower periods.

One way to encourage repeat visits is to offer a service-specific gift card along with any gift card or retail purchase over a certain amount. As an example, give a gift card for a manicure along with any purchase over $30 so the client purchasing the card has a reason to come back after Christmas…

Implement Your Best Salon Christmas Promotion Ideas

Keep in mind that the goal of salon Christmas promotion ideas isn’t just to boost your profits now, but to also set you up for success throughout the next year. Whether you’re establishing yourself as an authority in specific hair styles or trying to fill your calendar with pre-booked appointments, effective Christmas salon promotion ideas can help you meet your goals.

Make your Christmas even brighter with salon marketing solutions from Groupon Merchant Services. From online bookings to email campaigns that capture local consumer attention, your customised marketing plan from Groupon integrates easily with your in-salon promotions to grow your business during the busy Christmas season. Contact us today to find out how to use Groupon Merchant Services to increase seasonal sales or check out Groupon Merchant’s blog for more tips.