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SEARCHWith shoppers looking to gift experiences rather than consumables this holiday, now is the time for salons to ready their online gift card capabilities and Shortcuts is ready to help.
Relatives living overseas or friends in distant cities can now treat their loved ones to the perfect beauty-lover present from anywhere and on any device. The most recent enhancement of the popular Shortcuts gift card, unveiled this month, promises even greater opportunity for salons to boost revenue by enabling buyers from cities far away to purchase a salon gift card online and simply email it to their friend or family member.
"Experiences rather than consumables have become the new must-have gift for friends and family, and who better to deliver a gorgeous experience than a nearby beauty salon?" says Jo Burgess, founder of Shortcuts Software, which is rolling out its new online gift cards just in time for the holiday season. "Daughters can show mothers how loved they are with a spa package while sisters can treat one another to the latest color trends simply by purchasing a Shortcuts gift card, which is then delivered online instantly with a personal message. It all pushes additional sales for the salon.’
Sales of gift cards continue to grow, with market research groups* suggesting sales are up by more than $30 billion since 2014 to $160 billion. At the same time, sales of experiences compared to consumables have witnessed a tectonic shift, with the older generation following the younger in choosing to gift experiences over expendables. The Shortcuts gift card pioneering move means salons and spas can take advantage of that trend by creating greater opportunity for them to sell experiences to an extended audience.
Beauty businesses can offer the new Shortcuts online gift cards via their website, and support sales with in-salon and cross-media promotions, including on the Shortcuts customizable salon app, pushing traffic back to the salon’s website. The cards are redeemed in salon for services or products, creating opportunities for further sales and repeat business. Multi-sites can enable redemption across all sites, with liability sitting with head office or the individual site, depending on business needs.
Key benefits include:
Boosts sales
Customers can purchase gift cards from any device at any time
Instant digital delivery
Reduces or eliminates costs associated with design, purchase and shipping of physical gift cards
Promotes brand awareness organically
Eliminates bulky cards from your customers’ wallets
Multi-site capable
Simple, clean, familiar interface
*Statista Research Department Aug 2019
About Shortcuts Software: ShortcutsSoftware provides intuitive technology solutions to over 14,000 clients in the hair and grooming industries worldwide. As well as their stylish point of sale systems, Shortcutssets itself apart by offering a complete online marketing solution built in to the system, and personalized client support 24/7. Constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of the market, Shortcutsis powered by the largest research and development team in the industry. Founded in 1994, Shortcutstechnologies are now used in 45 countries around the globe. Click here for more information on Shortcuts' online gift cards.
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