believe discounting can be used the right way. The key is
“ I viewing it simply as a marketing strategy. Determining the right parameters and boundaries is essential. It is a way to showcase‘ specials’ and should not dilute the key services or exhaust the staff. As an industry, we have talked for a long time about how we can utilize downtime … this is a fantastic solution.”
KRISTI KONIECZNY FOUNDER • THE SPA BUZZ • DENVER, COLORADO
t is a smart marketing strategy and if executed correctly, it
“ I will work in your favor. The key is selecting the website that offers the right deal for your needs, then selecting the right activity to promote and discount. It should be an activity that drives additional sales and encourages guests to [ keep ] coming back for more. Pairing the spa offering with the hotel offering is always a better idea because it ensures the capture audience is at a higher income level; therefore, the additional spending potential is there and can be captured with in-house marketing strategies.”
MARIA MICU SPA DIRECTOR • JW MARRIOTT THE ROSSEAU MUSKOKA RESORT & SPA • MINETT, ONTARIO, CANADA
t may not be the ideal strategy for treatments, but for
“ I products, I think it could be a nice way to bring in extra cash flow without [ necessarily ] discounting on treatments. It still brings in new customers, which is the main goal of using these websites, without compromising [ the spa’ s ] image.”
NATHALIE ROY VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT • SPA EASTMAN • MAGOG, QUEBEC, CANADA
here are pros and cons to it and should be analyzed dif- for each business. A big risk is brand erosion and
“ Tferently for existing clients [ to wait ] to come in until your next promotion. Spas can run their own deals in-house if they have a large enough database with loyal clients. Either way, my number one concern with [ using deal-a-day websites ] is that spa owners and managers are not managing them properly. In order to effectively manage such a deal, managers should implement a strategy.”
SCOTT VAZINSKI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR • THE SPA AT YELLOW CREEK • AKRON, OHIO
What do Spa-goers Think About Spas That Offer Discounts?
According to the newly released Spa Consumer Snapshot Initiative( Vol. 2), more than half of surveyed spa-goers do not associate discounting to decrease in brand value. A glance at the survey shows:
58 % Discounting increases the spa’ s brand value
4 % Discounting
decreases the spa’ s brand value
38 % Discounting
neither increases nor decreases the spa’ s brand value
For a complete look at the new Spa Consumer Snapshot Initiative, download this ISPA member-exclusive resource on experienceispa. com.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE STRATEGIES to employ to help to get the most return on investment from deal-a-day promotions? Scott Vazinski offers some great easy-to-follow advice. Visit digital Pulse on experienceispa. com
August 2012 ■ PULSE 33