Spa Gift Certificates

Earlier this summer we mentioned a new feature we've been working on to let your clients get a little nudge when they have recently bought an Instant Gift Certificate or used SpaBoom to request an appointment and haven't yet left a review.

We call it "Review Reminders" and it works like this:

• If your client has not submitted a review in the last year, and they've requested an appointment OR redeemed a gift certificate in the last 3 days, we will send them a quick little email to see if they'd like to submit a review.
• We will NOT send them a "Request Review" email if they've received one in the last three months.

The setting is in the Marketing Tab, under Marketing Settings, and we'll be turning it on August 9th — no need to do anything to enable the reminders.

Posted in Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features • Comment »

Estrellas Moroccan Spa is a luxury day spa in the heart of historic downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. The beautiful high desert landscape goes hand in hand with this elegant spa, a true oasis of luxury and harmony. The spa has mastered the art of detail; every element is considered, setting a high standard for each individual spa experience from start to finish. Estrellas Moroccan Spa’s fabulous atmosphere is exotic and peaceful, setting the tone for magical spa treatments.

Estrellas Moroccan Spa challenged SpaBoom with building a website that would help their business generate more traffic and deliver more sales. The spa’s old website was difficult to find online, a challenge to navigate and was not generating the traffic the spa intuitively knew they should be getting.

The new Estrellas Moroccan Spa website establishes a heightened presence and it’s online marketing capability will continue to generate more traffic and revenue over time. The spa’s new website includes easy management of their website content and graphics, online booking, email marketing, social media, SEO, online menus, branded Instant Gift Certificates, and special events, all within a single login.

SpaBoom’s events feature allows Estrellas to consistently add new, rich web content that can instantly post to Facebook and Twitter. Each new event the spa regularly adds to the homepage is relevant information for visitors, optimized for search to enhance their search rank and increases the spa’s visibility and sales online. SpaBoom’s booking with confirmations has increased the spa’s appointments and the increased traffic has substantially increased instant gift certificate sales since going live in March.

Because this website is now integrated, it has streamlined the spas entire marketing process, which means they can put even more energy and focus on creating a unique spa experience for their clients. Their passion for the healing work of massage and their tailored approach make them a special destination spa.

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Social Media, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, Spa Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Spa Technology, Spa Website Design, SpaBoom Dynamic Websites, SpaBoom Online Booking • Comment »

Artesia Day Spa and Salon, a luxurious and relaxing retreat in the heart of San Diego’s historic Gas Lamp District, offers clients the perfect setting to unwind and relax in a beautiful spa environment. “The long-term connection we have with our clients and community are critical to Artesia's success. Our goal is to provide clients with the highest quality service and we accomplish that by having a staff that strives to be their best each day. We want clients to have a great spa experience and keep coming back,” says spa director Brittany Brown.

What is amazing about Artesia Day Spa and Salon is the deep loyalty clients feel for the salon, spa and the staff. Reviews consistently focus on their exceptional service, beautiful location, the quality of the cut and style, and the fact that their devoted clients look forward to their appointment as an opportunity to unwind and enjoy their salon and spa experiences.

Artesia Day Spa and Salon has launched their new website using SpaBooms integrated online marketing platform, it is packed with online marketing capability that generates revenue instantly. The salon and spa’s new website includes easy management of their website content and graphics, online booking, email marketing, social media, SEO, online menus, branded Instant Gift Certificates, and special events, all within a single login.

Because this website is now integrated, it has streamlined their entire marketing process, which means they can put more focus and attention on their clients and running the spa and salon. The new website also empowers online visitors with valuable, relevant information about the spa and previews the exceptional experience Artesia Day Spa and Salon offers to clients. Artesia Day Spa and Salon has an extensive menu of services including hair styling, color, airbrush tanning, massage therapies, facials, body treatments, pedicures and manicures.

Artesia supports many local community events and uses Spaboom’s automatic social media integration to encourage their clients to participate via Facebook and Twitter. “It is their consistent commitment to the local community that make these events a win-win for all, downtown San Diego and their growing set of loyal clients,” says Kelly Stone, Strategic Implementation Specialist at SpaBoom. The new website takes the Artesia Day Spa and Salon to a new level and extends their relationship with customers online.

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Social Media, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, Spa Technology, Spa Website Design, SpaBoom Dynamic Websites • Comment »

When Bob Maconi approached SpaBoom to build and launch a new website we were all a little excited. Bob is a creative force at HARMS Software and also happens to own the cutting edge and well established Elysium Salon and Spa in New Jersey. We respect Bob’s innate business sense and appreciate that he has always been a loyal champion of SpaBoom.

Elysium’s previous website was beautiful and Flash intensive which made it difficult to update and a challenge from an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) perspective. With Elysium’s salon and spa businesses growing they needed an online marketing suite that could handle their significant and real-time needs and live up to their sophisticated brand presence.

Elysium’s new, integrated website streamlines online traffic generation, shares their brand message locally, nationally and virally, sells instantly and online, builds repeat clientele, and captures more bookings via Harms Software integration.

SpaBoom built Elysium’s online marketing suite to include easy management of the salon and spa’s website content and graphics, email marketing, social media, SEO, online spa menus, branded Instant Gift Certificates, and special events, all within a single login.

With one entry Elysium’s spa menu is updated, website content is added, special events are activated, email campaigns are created, Facebook and Twitter messages are generated. It can handle all of Elysium’s important online marketing functions simply, saving considerable time and effort for their business.

Now Elysium Salon and Spa is using their new website’s integrated capability to leverage their traditional marketing efforts to drive revenue, connect with clients and facilitate Instant Gift Certificate sales 24/7.

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Social Media, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, Spa Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Spa Technology • Comment »

Instant Gift Certificates alone are not enough anymore. Your full online marketing suite must comprise a perpetually up-to-date website, revenue generation, social media, email marketing and online booking.

Join us for a Webinar on Wednesday, July 7th, as Janell demonstrates the tools you need to be effective in the highly competitive modern marketing environment.

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar Seat Now!

Title: The New SpaBoom — Your Online Marketing Edge
Date: Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Time: 1:00 pm — 2:00 pm EDT

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, Spa Website Design, SpaBoom New Features, SpaBoom Webinars • 4 Comments »

I confess, I almost always forget to leave reviews for purchases from individual sellers on Amazon, for hotel stays, even *gasp* spa visits. Usually I'm a little rushed when I complete my purchase or am on my way out of the business, so I figure I will take care of it later.

Sound familiar?

But later on, I get that tiny nudge in the form of an email, and usually at that point I can find the time to do the review.  I know my input can be helpful for other consumers, and it gives the business good feedback.  But I need the reminder — most times.

Now, SpaBoom can remind your clients, too.  If you use reviews as a means to track how you're doing, this is a perfect chance to gather more from your clients.

Because your IGC purchasers are already asked, when they complete their transaction, if they'd like to review the experience, we're taking that hint just one step further.  Here's what will happen (only if you have email marketing turned on):  if your client has not submitted a review in the last year, and they've requested an appointment OR redeemed a gift certificate in the last 3 days, we will send them a quick little email to see if they'd like to submit a review.

So that they'll not feel bombarded, we will NOT send them a "Request Review" email if they've received one in the last three months — you won't catch Amazon being that unobtrusive!

To simplify:  has your client interacted with you in the last 3 days via gift certificate or appointment?  If yes, have we emailed them in the last 3 months?  If no, have they submitted a review in the last year?  If no, we send them that review reminder.  Simple, easy.

The setting is in the Marketing Tab, under Marketing Settings, if you need to disable it in the future.

Posted in Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom New Features, SpaBoom Online Booking • 2 Comments »

Reviews influence client purchases and provide potential customers with a yardstick to measure quality and customer satisfaction.

Each time a client writes a review from the Instant Gift Certificate page of your website, they collect and show up in your SpaBoom account on the “today page” and you can see them when you log into SpaBoom.  Additionally, the SpaBoom reviews report will allow you to monitor reviews over time and provide you with analysis and information for your business.

You can easily add these reviews to your dynamic website, they will be displayed in the events column in order, beginning with highlighted reviews, followed by highest rated reviews with the most recent first.  Adding reviews to your website is easy, for step-by-step instructions go to SpaBoom Help.  If you have more questions, call us at and we would be happy to walk you through it.

You can also hide all reviews at once by disabling the Reviews check box in your website Settings.  When you do this, both the Events sidebar reviews will go away, as well as the Navigation button. This does not delete your reviews, you can always see them in Reports, Reviews, and your clients can continue to leave them when they purchase an Instant Gift Certificate.

Posted in General, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • Comment »

Unless you have a process for managing leads and aligning them with your advertising, relationship marketing and customer service efforts you are most certainly letting some get away. It has never been more important to address every lead available to increase your customer base and reach revenue goals.

Often, relationships with customers start online, long before they enter your spa. Giving online visitors control, speed and multiple routes of communication with your spa will result in more leads and opportunities to make them clients.

Create a structure, template, for handling leads with a goal to make them long-term clients. Capture as much SpaBoom Instant Gift Certificate and online booking statistics about your customers from the beginning. Your contact list is gold, critical to the success of your spa.

SpaBoom’s free online booking allows clients to book when it is convenient for them, 24/7. It records important client information and presents an opportunity for your spa to follow up with them regarding their appointment. Online booking can be an important lead generator for your spa but you must set up employee training and protocol to maximize results.

Instant Gift Certificates are an important solution for gift givers who may never enter your spa, ever. That said, they are extremely important and should be engaged and nurtured as valuable customers.

Make sure you are managing the gift-givers online experience with your spa. Consistently create holiday specials, like BOGO, and promotions that might lead to additional gift purchases. These customers will benefit from email communications, last minute gift ideas and will respond to package offers.

Customers are increasingly using social media, Facebook and Twitter, as vehicles for technical support, search and spa information. These customers use technology to make their lives easier and demand information the way they want it, online.

It is important to use social media to build and manage client interactions. SpaBoom has streamlined the process with automated event posting from your SpaBoom account to both Twitter and Facebook.

Customer interactions with your spa are critical and provide information that can customize their spa experiences, make your spa more responsive and improve your spa’s overall performance.

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Social Media, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, SpaBoom Online Booking • 1 Comment »

Mother's Day is a great weekend not only because I love my mom and wife, but I get to see all the love being expressed via spa gift certificates across the country. As usual, the last minute flurry of Instant Gift Certificate sales was intense. Everyone still waits until the last minute with the big peak in Instant Gift Certificates on Saturday.

SpaBoomers sold $4.35M for Mother's Day. Our average day spa increased online sales 12% over last year, with just under $2,500 in sales. Our top 10 sellers averaged over $37,000. Go to the Reports tab in SpaBoom and look at the GC Sales graph to see how you did in comparison to your peers.

The love didn't stop there: hundreds of moms shared their gift certificates on Facebook, showing their friends how lucky they are and to which spa they're going.

Good work SpaBoomers!

P.S. Want your sales to go higher? We've worked closely with our top sellers, and know exactly what you should do. Call us at 800/940-0458!

Posted in Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • Comment »

Nadine is a classic entrepreneur. When I met her at IECSC in New York she was so enthusiastic, she is the driven owner of C.B.N.’s Mobile Day Spa. I only spoke with her briefly, but it took very little time to see that she was insightful, decisive and really good at running her spa business.

Nadine takes advantage of every possible SpaBoom marketing tool to make her business more successful. As a result, her business is thriving. She is always willing to try, to see how a tool will improve her business processes and help increase her revenue. She is just not wired to sit back, so there is no hesitation, she brims with confidence about her spa business because she runs it so effectively and intuitively.

Nadine was an early adopter of Facebook and Twitter; she has regularly posted events, specials and inspiring information to benefit her online clients. SpaBoom’s new automated Twitter and Facebook tool allows Nadine to automatically post events quickly and efficiently, it is a huge timesaver because it streamlines the whole social media process for the spa.

C.B.N.’s Mobile Day Spa is a Joy of Spa Member, she is listed in the directory and her Mother’s Day specials are easily accessible because she knows how it can help her business. She has added the Joy of Spa badge to her website so each time a client clicks on it to purchase an Instant Gift Certificate she benefits, even if it is not to her spa!

Nadine inspires immediate trust, an obvious cornerstone for running a successful business but rare to be so apparent in a young entrepreneur. She experiences true satisfaction from being part of her spa clients' lives. To her, it is an opportunity to share in her clients' happiest moments and she derives immense satisfaction from it.

Nadine’s success has evolved from a lifetime of hard work and dedication to a dream, to own her own business. Starting in her early 20s, has owned a series of small businesses, each evolving into something bigger and ultimately it led to opening C.B.N’s Mobile Day Spa.

Nadine’s Business Strategies:

• Use every possible tool to your business’s advantage.
• Always be on the lookout for new opportunities for your spa business. Once you see an opportunity, seize it and let it grow.
• Nadine’s businesses grew by word of mouth. Be willing to get out there and promote your business, one client at a time.
• Use all your resources. SpaBoom Instant Gift Certificates have been a major part of Nadine’s business; it is useful because clients can send a gift when it is convenient for them.
• SpaBoom online booking offers a personal touch, it gives clients the control they want to book online. It is easy and fast for them and streamlines the booking process.

Nadine’s advice: Be creative; do not rest on your laurels. Once your day spa is self-sustaining you must keep going, improving and not become stale. Always be willing to take your business to the next level. Try something new or add something to the business that will differentiate your spa from the competition.

Posted in Blogroll, Creating Customers, General, Joy of Spa, Joy of Spa Gift Certificates, Social Media, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Online Booking • Comment »

My analytical mindset always gets excited when we expand the capabilities of our built-in Reports.

As you build up your momentum for the spring holidays, you can ponder your previous sales peaks and valleys and manage your online bookings with ease.  Here's a roundup of our changes:

1. All reports now have "remember" ability – the last view you had of any report is the view you'll come back to.  I like to group my IGCs by Month for the current year, so that's how I will always first see that report.  Perfect!
2. IGC Analysis report – take a quick peek at your trends and client behavior – how many GCs are mailed, which are existing clients . . . all kinds of great information.  This is a detailed version of the snapshot you see in your Dashboard.
3. Booking With Confirmation – this brand new report shows you tons of statistics on your success in booking clients for appointments, from existing client percentages to the dollar amounts represented.   Below is a screenshot of our new Booking report.

Let us know if you have any questions, and happy analyzing!

Posted in Spa Gift Certificates, SpaBoom New Features, SpaBoom Online Booking • Comment »

Create a special Mother’s Day package.

A spa package solves a problem for the gift-giver. It encourages a sale because your spa has created an instant solution that is easier, faster and more streamlined than traditional gifts. In addition, spa packages have a 15% higher average transaction than non-package sellers.

Automatically Post Mother’s Day events to your spa’s Facebook and Twitter page.

SpaBoom has eliminated the hassle of posting all your events to Facebook and Twitter by automating the process. Now, when you set up events in SpaBoom you will have a new option, to send it to social media. To learn more,
read this blog post.

Add the Joy of Spa badge to your website and get additional revenue for the spa.

Your online clients can now purchase instant gift certificates for distant friends and family right from your website. Add the Joy of Spa badge to your website, when a client clicks on it to find a gift for someone across the country, you receive cash if they purchase a Joy of Spa gift certificate. It is an easy way to increase revenue during Mother’s Day. To learn more, read this blog post.

Create a Mother’s Day event, show it prominently on your website.

Keep all Mother’s Day events, promotions, instant gift certificates accessible and upfront on your spa website. Make it easy to see and give customers the direct means to take action and make a purchase.

Promote online instant gifts on the spa door and reception area.

In-spa point of purchase should direct customers to your spa website to purchase instant spa gifts for friends and family.

Post the Joy of Spa sticker on your door and add the badge to your website. It is free and adds your spa to its national spa directory. It is designed to send online traffic your way. For more information, see this blog post.

Update your spa’s voice mail.

Update your voice mail and tell callers about the spa’s online gift capacity in the first sentence before they hang up.

Free up your staff with Free online booking.

A ringing phone pulls the staff’s attention away from current clients to speak to potentials clients. An ideal solution is to completely move appointments away from the front desk. SpaBoom’s free online booking, substantially reduces the need for the front desk to address reservations requests on the phone. Instead they can focus on re-booking clients, enticing them with Mother’s Day specials, instant gift certificates and promotions designed to get them coming back.

Use Free email marketing.

SpaBoom email marketing is free, incredibly effective and a great tool for communicating with clients about great promotions and events. If you have a client email list you should be using it to communicate with clients for Mothers Day. SpaBoom has Mother’s Day campaigns set-up and ready for spas to use immediately. Click for more information on SpaBoom email and getting started.

Try the Buy-One-Get-One-Free (BOGO) feature.

The SpaBoom BOGO feature allows your spa to offer a free gift certificate (G.C.) when your online customer purchases a gift certificate. This means that the free G.C. goes to the purchaser, encouraging another spa client visit and more revenue for your spa. For more information, check out this blog post.

Use percentage discount tool for instant gift certificates.

Want to give consumers a little push to choose your spa gift over another this Mothers Day? Try the super-easy to run percentage discount specials for your Instant Gift Certificates. To set it up go to this blog post.

Make sure customers know your spa offers fantastic gift options for mothers by promoting online instant gift solutions, highlight spa service packages and specials designed for their buying convenience. Align your spa with simple, easy and last minute gift solutions for Mothers Day and customers will be back for the next holiday.

Posted in General, Joy of Spa, Joy of Spa Gift Certificates, Social Media, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Online Booking • 3 Comments »

We love disruptive technology that helps businesses do their job better, faster and more efficiently. A new service, currently available only with iPads, demonstrates just such a technology. It's new, so there's no established track record as of yet; time will tell, as with all cool, new technology!

Square, a cash register application for the new iPad will do just that, by allowing spa clients to pay and tip all while seamlessly calculating tax, tracking sales and making transaction fees more transparent for small businesses. Square allows a massage therapist, mobile spa or small business take credit card payments with the iPad (and the iPhone in about a month).

• It takes a finger signature on screen.
• Generates email or SMS receipts that can be accessed securely.
• Tipping is a breeze with their intuitive tip calculator.
• Square will tell you how many times a customer has used your services so reward them, by all means!
• Computes sales tax and provides online dashboard to track sales.
• Transaction fees are transparent for business owners.

The result is a movable, portable cash register mechanism, ideal for individual massage therapists, day spas and salons that want streamlined solution or mobile device. Spas will see this application get better and better over time but without the hardware switch-off that many small businesses regularly endure.

It is cool to think how beautiful and extremely portable the iPad makes SpaBoom too. A massage therapists can manage instant gift certificates, rebook clients and keep track of email campaigns while on the go.

Even better news! Register to WIN an iPad in Las Vegas!

Come by the SpaBoom booth (#2418) at the IECSC show in Las Vegas and play with our new toy, the iPad. While you are there, register to win! Drawing will take place at the end of the show.

Posted in General, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing, SpaBoom Online Booking • Comment »

We've added a series of Events, beginning with an Administrative Professionals-themed event and spanning through Wedding season; plus four Email newsletters to your Marketing, so please take a peek and tailor them to your exact preferences. If you use Events and don't make changes, the Events will automatically appear on your website for the range of dates listed. If you've opted in to our Email Marketing and you don't make changes, they will automatically fly, on the dates below.

Event:

• Help an Administrative Professional Relax! (Runs 04/15–04/21)
• An Instantly Special Mother's Day! (Runs 04/09–05/09)
• Present a Grad with Relaxation! (Runs 05/10–06/10)
• Give Dad 'Ah!' this Year! (Runs 06/11–06/20)
• The Gift of Spa for Weddings (Runs 06/21–08/31)

Email Newsletters:

• Nurture Mom with Wellness this Year (launches 04/12/2010)
• You have less than a week to do right by Mom (launches 05/03/10)
• Congratulate with an Instant Gift for Relaxation (launches 05/10/2010)
• This year, nurture Dad with the gift of rejuvenation (launches 06/13/2010)

You have the power to edit any Events and Emails we've created from within your SpaBoom account. Simply go to Marketing, Choose Email Marketing or Events from the list on the left side of your screen and edit away!

Note: We always recommend sending a test Email to yourself to ensure it looks exactly how you'd like it to look. This gives you an opportunity to make changes to content, graphics, or even the colors if you like, before your clients see it.

As always, if you have questions about any of this, just give us a call and we'll help you out!

Posted in General, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • Comment »

Are you using everything you have to promote Valentine's Day for your Spa or Salon? Join Janell to get a fresh perspective on some simple promotions to increase Instant Gift Certificate revenue and create effective promotions for the upcoming holiday of love.

Title: Create Love for Your Spa or Salon
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM EST

Space is limited.

Reserve your webinar seat now!

System Requirements:

PC-based attendees require Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees require Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

Posted in Creating Customers, General, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • 3 Comments »

Our Celebrating Romance Edition of Joy of Spa News is ready for you to make it yours! The Celebrating Romance edition touches upon choosing great spa gifts, learning to care well for oneself, as well as trends we're seeing in spa as a whole.

If you're signed up for the Joy of Spa News, it will launch to your clients on February 1st.

Remember, the Joy of Spa News is branded with your spa's logo and when your client clicks to read more, the website is branded with your logo, too! While the Joy of Spa News is complete as is, we recommend your taking a look at it and tailoring the special introduction area to your exact preferences. Be sure to send yourself a test email after making any edits, and remember that Events that encompass the February 1st date will be included in the email as well.

Not yet signed up to send a beautiful, branded newsletter to your clients on a regular basis? Now is your time to get onboard! Go to Setup, Basics to put Joy of Spa to work for your spa!

Posted in Joy of Spa, Joy of Spa News, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • Comment »

There is a reason, as Tech Crunch reported, that Google was looking to purchase Yelp, an online local review website. Local review websites like Yelp are becoming very important in the mind of the consumer. More and more, consumers are looking to their peers online to help them make every day purchase decisions. Managing your spa's online reviews has never been more important.

These sites, which include Yelp, CitySearch, UrbanSpoon, Yahoo Local and MenuPages, rely, in part, on voluntary, user-generated reviews of local companies. And they are becoming increasingly influential among consumers. — Diana Ransom, Wall Street Journal

Read the article.

Pay attention to what consumers are saying about your spa online and look for ways to resolve any negative reviews quickly. Businesses that deliver quality service and tangible value consistently to their clients will see positive online reviews increase.

As always, building a strong relationship with loyal clients continues to be very important. Expand your effort and get to know new spa customers. The handshake and extra time spent with a new customer may bring forth a review that builds momentum for your business.

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Business Management, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • 3 Comments »

Who knew that Twitter would be an effective tool to galvanize revolutions and spur an impromptu snowball fight in Washington DC over the weekend?

But one of the beautiful features of Twitter is its power to bring about quick fits of promotion response that can be felt almost immediately. That tangible result is very important to small spa businesses and your local community. Instant ROI (return on investment) is very important to small businesses, maybe even more so than a promotions overall effectiveness in the long run.

I recently checked my favorite local spa’s Twitter page and found they were offering a 15% discount on spa treatments for that day only. Twitter is an effective tool for filling open appointments in your spa schedule and it keeps loyal members of your community coming to the spa for treatments.

Twitter gives local businesses a vehicle to deliver value to their community inexpensively and effectively. Use the next year to develop a social media strategy for your spa; it could pay off instantly.

Posted in Creating Customers, Social Media, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • 2 Comments »

This year holiday online sales have taken an important and positive turn in the minds of the average American. Savvy on-line consumers have known for a long time that the web is a source for price comparison and expediency. Now, the average consumer has stepped away from frenzied holiday shopping rituals and taken their fist step into transferring those purchases to online retailers.

While sales conducted at brick-and mortar stores are about flat this season compared with 2008, online retailing grew 4% from the beginning of November through Dec. 18 to $24.8 billion, according to Web tracking company comScore Inc. Online sales on Dec. 15 totaled $913 million, marking a one-day record for the industry. Geoffrey Fowler

Read the article.

Online holiday promotions have been particularly aggressive this year and have helped more traditional shoppers look online for deals instead of trudging to traditional brick and mortar retail locations. The result, online shopping is up dramatically among large and small retailers.

But Web analytics company Coremetrics Inc. reported that sales Friday and Saturday broke expectations to increase 24% compared to the Friday and Saturday before Christmas last year, as snowstorms in the eastern U.S. prompted some consumers to do last-minute shopping online. Geoffrey Fowler

Spa Instant Gift Certificate transactions continue to ramp up nationwide and we will see sales swell right up to Christmas day. Instant online transactions create a significant advantage over mass retailer websites who are confined by shipping deadlines. Their sales will begin tapering off today.

Posted in Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • Comment »

The 3300+ local spas using SpaBoom’s online instant gift technology have the edge over mammoth retailers this holiday season.

While Amazon and Wal-Mart seek out processes to reduce shipping costs and increase online shopping efficiencies, spas that offer online instant gifts can provide the perfect 'instant' gift with zero shipping costs. In addition, purchasing instant spa gifts online allows consumers to by-pass the mall, long lines and full parking lots this holiday.

The Wall Street Journal reports on Wal-Marts efforts to use their retail store-power to increase online sales. Wal-Mart is using its store locations to offer consumers free shipping from its online store. If a consumer purchases a product from www.walmart.com they can pick it up from their closest Wal-Mart store. It is a strategy designed to reduce shipping costs by using their brick and mortar locations. It is also testament to the consumers' demand for quick, easy and simple purchase experiences.

While e-commerce represents less than 5% of American retail spending, merchants are finding that even technologically unsophisticated consumers start their shopping on computers or mobile phones, perusing product reviews and price comparison Web sites.

ComScore said Monday total online orders rose 3%, to $19.9 billion, from November 1 through Dec. 11 compared to the same time a year ago. Miguel Bustillo and Geoffery A. Fowler

Read the article.

Take advantage of your spa’s local brand presence but also shout the ease and convenience of your spa’s online instant gifts. Instant Gift Certificates give your spa the power of quick and effortless without the cost and hassle associated with shipping gifts this holiday.

Posted in General, Spa Gift Certificates, Spa Marketing • Comment »