Year-Round Holiday Sales: 5 Spa Retail Tips You Can't Afford to Miss

No matter the season—spring, summer, fall, or winter—holidays give guests a natural reason to celebrate and treat the people they love. With a thoughtful approach, your spa can make retail feel like an easy, meaningful part of their gifting experience while growing steady revenue all year. Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations, birthdays, or year-end celebrations, each occasion offers an opportunity to create a memorable and shoppable experience for your guests.

Table of Contents

  1. Review Last Year’s Numbers Like a Retail Buyer
  2. Curate Giftable Retail That Aligns With Your Most Popular Services
  3. Train Your Team to Recommend Retail Naturally During Treatments
  4. Create Displays That Encourage Guests to Stop and Explore
  5. Turn Holiday Shoppers Into Year-Round Retail Clients

1. Review Last Year’s Numbers Like a Retail Buyer

Before you prepare for any holiday rush, take time to review past retail performance. Instead of simply noting what sold well, dig deeper into:

  • Sell-through rate – Which items reached 80–100% sell-through?
  • Velocity – What moved quickly once displayed, regardless of season?
  • Service attachment rate – Which items were most often purchased after specific treatments?
  • Missed opportunities – Which testers saw high engagement but low sales?

This type of analysis strengthens planning for any holiday throughout the year—not just winter gifting.

What to Consider

  • How much inventory should I order?
    Stock 4–6 weeks of projected demand for the upcoming holiday.
  • When should planning begin?
    Begin 6–10 weeks ahead of each holiday.

2. Curate Giftable Retail That Aligns With Your Most Popular Services

Guests often want meaningful, spa-inspired gifts for holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, anniversaries, birthdays, or seasonal celebrations. When bundles are tied to your top services, gifting becomes simple and intuitive.

Examples include:

  • Glow Facial Kit for spring
  • Relax & Restore Massage Set for wellness-themed holidays
  • Clear Skin Starter Set for back-to-school or graduation
  • Self-Care Ritual Bundle for Mother’s or Father’s Day
  • Suncare Essentials Duo for summer holidays

Always include a usage card to help gift-givers feel confident.

What to Consider

  • Price points that perform well: $25–$50 for “easy gifts,” with a premium $75–$110 option.
  • Bundle ideas:
    • Massage: wellness oils, recovery tools, aromatherapy
    • Esthetics: exfoliation + mask duos, hydration sets
    • Medspa: treatment-supportive homecare regimens
    • Holistic: botanical and ritual-inspired kits

3. Train Your Team to Recommend Retail Naturally During Treatments

Guests trust the professionals who treat them. When product recommendations are framed as education—not sales—they feel helpful and appropriate for any holiday or occasion.

Support your team with simple, natural phrasing like:

  • “I’m choosing this serum because it targets the concern you mentioned.”
  • “If you like how this feels, I can show you how to use it at home.”
  • “If you’re shopping for an upcoming holiday, I can show you a few thoughtful options.”

What to Consider

  • Incentivize without pressure:
    Offer bonuses for education and effort, not just sales totals.
  • Help hesitant team members:
    Reframe retail as part of continuing care—not selling.

4. Create Displays That Encourage Guests to Stop and Explore

A guest’s interest is captured within seconds. Make your retail displays visually appealing and themed appropriately for each holiday—whether it's spring pastels, summer brights, fall neutrals, or classic winter warmth.

Use merchandising elements like:

  • A strong centerpiece
  • Clear height variation
  • Easy-to-read pricing
  • A tester area
  • Bundles grouped by theme, season, or skin goal
  • Lighting that highlights labels and textures

What to Consider

  • Use a “Good / Better / Best” gift structure year-round:
    • Good: $20–$35
    • Better: $45–$75
    • Best: $95–$150

This works equally well for Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, birthdays, or winter gifting.

5. Turn Holiday Shoppers Into Year-Round Retail Clients

Every holiday—big or small—is an opportunity to bring shoppers into your retail ecosystem. The goal is to extend that momentum long after the celebration ends.

During the holiday:

  • Add retail buyers to email or loyalty lists
  • Tag shoppers in your POS for future campaigns
  • Capture gift recipient info when appropriate
  • Offer bounce-back incentives for the next holiday or season

After the holiday:

  • Send restock reminders
  • Launch seasonal self-care themes (e.g., spring renewal, summer hydration, fall recovery)
  • Offer evergreen gift sets for birthdays, teacher gifts, anniversaries, and year-round celebrations

What to Consider

  • Holiday retail benchmarks: Many spas see 20–30% of revenue from retail during peak holiday periods (not only winter).
  • January/February, summer, and fall opportunities: Highlight replenishment, hydration repair, sun recovery, stress reduction, or seasonal skin resets.

Final Thoughts

Retail doesn’t have to be a once-a-year focus. With thoughtful planning, seasonal themes, strong team communication, and guest-friendly displays, every holiday—large or small—can become a profitable moment for your spa. These strategies help you create retail experiences that feel meaningful to guests and sustainable for your business all year long.

 

 

Universal Companies is proud to have a team of experienced spa advisors on staff and welcomes you to consult with our professionals about spa products and supplies, including ingredients, equipment, and retail. Dedicated to the success of spa professionals everywhere, we're grateful to be recognized with multiple industry awards (thank you!) and proud to support the spa industry through mentorship and sponsorship.

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