Selling gift cards in your salon: extra revenue in the festive months

It is mid-December. A client pays for her treatment and asks: “Do you actually sell gift cards? My sister has been wanting to come here for ages.” Two days later, someone calls with the same question. And on Sunday evening, when the salon is closed, someone searches your website for a last-minute present.

Gift cards are one of the easiest ways to earn extra revenue. In this article you will read why they work so well, when to promote them, and how to sell them without extra work.

Why gift cards work so well

• Money up front. You receive the amount straight away, often in a quiet period, while the treatment comes later.
• New clients. The person who receives the card has often never been to your salon. A gift card lowers the threshold, and happy clients come back.
• A present that always fits. No worrying about sizes or taste: a treatment at the salon makes almost everyone happy.
• Free advertising. Every card that is given away introduces your salon, with the recommendation of someone the recipient trusts.

The best moments for gift cards

Gift cards sell all year round, but some moments are extra busy:

• Christmas: the busiest period, with lots of last-minute buyers.
• Valentine’s Day: a treat for a partner.
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day: a classic for children who do not know what to give.
• Birthdays and anniversaries: all year round.
• Companies: as a thank-you for staff or customers.

Put your gift cards in the spotlight a few weeks before such a moment: on your website, on social media and with a small card at the desk.

A gift card is a new client who has already paid.

How to make it a success

• Choose a few fixed amounts, for example 25, 50 and 75, and leave room for an amount of the buyer’s choice.
• Sell online. Many presents are bought in the evening or at the last moment. With gift cards for sale online, you sell even when the salon is closed.
• Deliver straight away. A card that arrives by email right away can be forwarded or printed. Perfect for anyone who forgot to buy a present.
• Keep the balance. Does the recipient not spend everything at once? Keep the rest on the card. It feels fair, and it brings the client back once more.
• Mind the validity. Choose a clear period and check the rules in your country: some countries require gift cards to be valid for a minimum period.

How to do this with ChairIt

In ChairIt Pro you add the Gift card block to a page on your website. Clients choose one of your amounts or their own amount between a minimum and a maximum, pay online through your own Mollie or Stripe account, and receive the gift card by email straight away. They can also have it sent directly to the recipient, with a personal message.

Selling a gift card at the desk? Then you create it in the admin: the client pays at the salon and ChairIt makes the code. The recipient enters the code when booking online, in the same field as a discount code, and whatever is left stays on the card. Online, that works for treatments with a fixed price; at the salon you deduct an amount yourself.

You can look up a gift card by its code, name or email address. You can change the expiry date, send the card again or cancel it. You decide how long gift cards stay valid.

Gift cards are part of ChairIt Pro (€69 per year), together with online payments, the message centre and discount codes. Online booking, the team agenda and confirmation emails are free.

ChairIt is a WordPress plugin, so you need your own WordPress website. You install ChairIt there for free via the Plugins menu.

Start in good time

The holidays come sooner than you think. Put your gift card on your website this week, link to it in your newsletter and on social media, and place a small card at the desk. Then you are ready when the first client asks.