How To Prolong Your Tan

Want to maximise your tan to the fullest and keep your colour for as long as possible? This blog will tell you all about the tips and tricks we recommend to achieve your deepest and longest-lasting bronze ever.

Prep

The first step to achieving your desired tan is your prep. Making sure your skin is moisturised and exfoliated is proven to deliver a darker and longer-lasting tan. Dry skin can slow down your tan developing as it reflects light rather than absorbing it.

 

Accelerator

The second step is to make sure you are using a tanning accelerator cream. There are hundreds of different tanning creams on the market, but you need to make sure you are purchasing them from a trusted supplier so that you know they are safe for sunbeds. We recommend Bliss to our clients as they provide high quality creams at affordable prices. They are a trusted supplier and all their tanning creams are safe to use on the sunbeds.

Here is a link to their website: Bliss Direct Welcome to our World of Tanning

 

Minute Routine

The third step is to make sure you are using your minutes wisely. It is proven to have a darker and longer-lasting effect if you go on the sunbeds more often but for smaller amounts of minutes. For example, you will achieve a better tan from going on the sunbeds 3 times a week for 9 minutes each time rather than going on twice for 15 minutes each time.

 

Alternating Sunbed Types

The fourth step is to alternate the sunbed types you use. Using a laydown constantly leave you with white patches in places such as your armpits. Going on standups every now and again will help to give you a more even tan, leaving you without those white patches.

 

Shower Routine

The fifth step is to make sure you have a good shower routine. It is recommended that if you leave a couple of hours after your sunbed session before showering, you can achieve a darker tan that lasts longer. It is also recommended that your shower temperature should be lukewarm, as hot water can be known to strip your body of its natural oils.

 

If you follow all of these steps above, you should achieve your desired tan that lasts.

Salon Tracker x

Tanning Salon Starter Pack

Looking to open a new sunbed shop? Need some advice on where to start? Look no further. This blog will provide you with the four essentials you will need prior to opening so that you are prepared and ready to go.

Sunbeds

Arguably the most important step to opening a sunbed shop is the sunbeds. Not sure where to purchase your sunbeds from? We have three trustworthy suppliers that we recommend to our clients:

Cyrano: Cyrano - The UK home for sunbeds, lamps and tanning lotions

Tan Empire: Tan Empire brand new fully reconditioned sunbeds.Tanning Cosmetics

Sun and Health: Buy Lease & Hire Sunbeds, Infrared Saunas in UK – Sun and Health International Ltd

These suppliers sell a range of different sunbeds; differing in brands, types and technologies. They also cater for various different budgets, so no matter how high or low your budget is, there will be the sunbeds for you. If you have any questions, all these suppliers would be happy to help and give you more information. Their contact details are listed on their websites.

Timer Managers/ Token Systems

Once you have acquired your sunbeds, the next step is to decide how you are going to power them. Sunbeds can either be powered through a token system or a timer manager system.

Token systems are a cheaper alternative to timer managers. They are controlled by giving the customers tokens to power the beds. These tokens are slotted into the token box and each token is worth 3 minutes. This means customers can only go up in threes with their minutes e.g. 3,6,9,12,15 etc.

Timer managers can be controlled through the main box manually, or through Salon Tracker automatically. They are usually more expensive than token systems but their features justify the price. If you are on our Professional package, we offer T-Max and Sigma integration. This means if you have a timer manager powered by either of these brands, we can connect this to your Salon Tracker, so that when a customer is placed on the sunbed, (once the dress-down time is up) the sunbed will turn on automatically. Timer managers also allow for customers to go on the sunbed for any minutes, not just going up in threes like token systems.

If you are interested in purchasing a timer manager or token system, we have three trustworthy suppliers that we recommend to our clients:

Cyrano: Cyrano - The UK home for sunbeds, lamps and tanning lotions

Tan Empire: Tan Empire brand new fully reconditioned sunbeds.Tanning Cosmetics

Sun and Health: Buy Lease & Hire Sunbeds, Infrared Saunas in UK – Sun and Health International Ltd

If you have any questions, all these suppliers would be happy to help and give you more information. Their contact details are listed on their websites.

 

Sunbed Creams

Another element to consider before opening is if you are planning on selling any retail products. Most of our clients sell sunbed creams and sachets, to help accelerate their customers’ tans. Struggling to find a sunbed cream supplier? We recommend Bliss. Bliss is a trusted tanning cream supplier and sells thousands of creams ranging from budget to luxury. They also cater for different skin types, intensity and even tattoos.

Bliss sell these creams in bottle and sachet form. This means customers can purchase a sachet to try out a cream before committing to a bottle. We recommend selling both of these to give your customers more flexibility when deciding how much to spend on a cream.

Bliss Direct Welcome to our World of Tanning - UV Lotions & More | Bliss, Freephone 0800 801 760

If you have any questions, Bliss would be happy to help and give you more information. Their contact details are listed on their website.

Sunbed Cubicles and Shutters

If you're really wanting your salon to stand out from the crowd, one thing you could invest in is some modern shutters and cubicles. Sunbed Cubicles and Shutters  design and build bespoke cubicles to give your salon that 'wow' factor. With 23 years experience they're the UK leaders in this field and as well as being able to design these cubicles, they also have a wealth of knowledge on the tanning industry. To find out more get in touch with Andy on 0799066068 or the other Andy on 07462219505!

Salon Tracker

Last but not definitely not least, you will need Salon Tracker! We consider our software as a necessity to old and new salons. Most of our customers cannot imagine running their salons without us, as we make their day-to-day lives that bit easier. Our system caters for every type of salon, but we specialise in tanning. We have unique features such as minute tracking, T-Max and Sigma integration, stock management and staff permissions. These features make us stand out from the rest, and simplify the way you run your salon. 

We offer three packages:

Standard - £30/month +VAT

Professional- £60/month +VAT

Enterprise- £90/month +VAT

We also offer a free demonstration and two-week free trial of our software!

For more information about our software or to get booked in, either give us a call on 0113 350 8230 or drop us an email at info@salontracker.co.uk and one of our team would be happy to help!

Salon Tracker x

 

Christmas Marketing with Salon Tracker

Creating a Christmas marketing campaign for your salon can help attract new clients, retain existing ones, and boost sales during the festive season. This blog will discuss some of the ways you can utilise the Christmas period to increase sales in your salon!

Exclusive Holiday Products

Creating special holiday bundles with your retail products will get your customers in the festive mood and help sell your products that may not be as often sold. You could offer pre-made or customisable boxes for gifting to friends as a Christmas gift or as a treat for themselves!

Introducing holiday-themed services, like Christmas nails creates a festive atmosphere and gives customers a reason to indulge in the Christmas spirit.

Another great way to bring in some more business is to offer Christmas gift vouchers in the store... after it is the season for giving!! Offering gift vouchers is a great way to spread the word about your business through your loyal customers and is the perfect gift for Christmas!

Partner with Local Businesses

Partnering with local boutiques, cafes, or gyms to offer cross-promotions for the holiday season is great to help other businesses in your area and spread the word to people who may not have previously heard about you. For example an offer you could do is "Bring your receipt from [Local Café] and get 10% off your booking with us!"

Pre-Booking Incentives

Offering discounts to customers who pre-book appointments for the New Year is a great way to help fill your calendar for the slower months ahead and gives your customers a reason to return after the holiday rush.

Double the points in your loyalty program for clients who book and receive services during the holiday season. This will encourage customers to come in more and make the most of your offer!

 

Christmas-Themed Events

Another great way to invite your customers into your salon is by hosting Christmas events. For example you could partner with a local charity to host a holiday giving event. Offer discounts or free add-ons for clients who bring in items for donation, like toys, clothes, or food for local shelters.

You could even host an in-salon event where clients can enjoy mini beauty treatments, consultations, or makeup tutorials to help them get ready for the holiday season.

A Christmas giveaway where you share an offer every day for the 12 days of Christmas could also be a great way to ensure your customers are always coming back for more! Whether it be a discount each day or a free product with any purchase/ booking this will keep your customers guessing and excited to find out.

Social Media

Last but not least… Probably the most obvious way to spread the word these days has to be Social Media!

You can use Social Media to your advantage by sharing your plans of what's to come over the Christmas period. Promoting all of the above mentioned offers and events is a great way to let people know what is happening in your salon and share with their friends to help you gain more business!

We hope this blog has given you some useful tips on how to make these colder winter times a bit more jolly.

Let the countdown begin! 

Salon Tracker x

How to make the most out of Black Friday!

Everybody loves a good deal, and with the countdown to Christmas now on, treating your clients is the best way to keep them coming back for more!

This blog will give you a rundown on how you can benefit from Black Friday deals in your salon.

One great way to get your customers to buy more of your courses, treatments and retail products is by adding discounts. A deal always appeals to customers and will increase your sales and keep your customers happy.

Another great way to benefit from Black Friday is by offering discounted gift vouchers in store. This is a great Christmas gift for your customers to purchase, and of course expand your customer base.

You could also offer free minutes on a course you sell which will attract your customers to purchase them, in return bringing more bookings to your salon.

A great way to promote your deals is by using social media and our advanced marketing suite on Salon Tracker. Letting your customers know about your offers will bring in more business.

And we of course practice what we preach and had to do some deals of our own! 

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*These deals are available from 18/11/2024 - 29/11/2024*

Read below to find out what our amazing Black Friday deals and discounts are:

 

Sign up now and get 30% off your first 3 months with us

Purchase our SMS bundles and get 15% off now!

And last but not least... Upgrade now and get 30% off your first 3 months with us

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If you're not already a customer of ours then what better time to join us than now with these amazing deals on offer! 

Just give us a call on 0113 350 8230 or drop us an email at info@salontracker.co.uk.

That's all for now!

Salon Tracker x 

Viral Beauty Products on TikTok Shop

TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms to date. In September 2023, TikTok launched TikTok Shop. In just over a year, TikTok Shop has made just over $11 billion in GMV, making it an extremely successful move for them. It has never been easier than to watch videos on TikTok and have the product the creator talks about linked on the video and purchased in the same app. This blog will tell you all about the latest trending beauty products on TikTok Shop, which you can take into account when recommending and deciding which beauty products to stock at your salon.

 

Tanning

Supre Tan – Go To Black: This sunbed cream is arguably the best on the market. It is known to make you several shades darker after just one use. TikTok Shop alone has sold over 15,000 of these and it has a rating of 4.8/5 stars. These are currently priced at £24.97

Supreme Tan – Intensifying Cream: This is one of the newer creams on the market but thanks to TikTok, it has gone viral. The Supreme Tan Travel Size Tanning Bundle has just under 13,000 sales on TikTok Shop alone and has a rating of 4.6/5 stars. This bundle is currently priced at £12 but the full size cream is £20 and the gel is on sale from £25 down to £19.

2bTanned –  Intensifying Soft Gel: This sunbed cream is also fairly new to the market but has gone viral all over TikTok. 2bTanned formulated this gel due to feedback about how customers wanted to have the same results as their other gel but feel less sticky after application. It has so far sold over 10,000 units and has a rating of 4.8/5 stars. These are currently priced at £25.

 

Beauty

P.Louise – Bad B*tch Energy Lip Duo: This product is one of the top selling products in the history of TikTok Shop. This lip duo includes a lip conditioner and a lip oil to leave your lips soft and glossy. It comes in a range of different scents and the packaging is what makes these stand out. Over 1.4 Million of these have been sold on TikTok Shop with a rating of 4.8/5 stars. These are currently priced at £18.

Made By Mitchell – Blursh: Blursh is an affordable liquid blush that has taken the internet by storm. It comes in a range of shades suitable for every skin tone. Over 685,000 of these have been sold on TikTok Shop with a rating of 4.8/5 stars. These are currently on sale from £14 down to £8.

Hair

Nature Spell – Rosemary Oil: This hair oil went viral last year and is still a staple in most people’s haircare routine. It is great for hair thickening, length and overall strengthening. There has been over 780,000 of these sold on TikTok Shop with a rating of 4.7/5 stars. These are currently on sale from £8 down to £7.20.

Give Me Cosmetics – The Full Haircare Set: This haircare set is the ultimate bundle which includes everything you need to look after your luscious locks. It includes a shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, hair repair cream, hair serum, and heat defense spray. Over 82,000 of these have been sold on TikTok Shop with a rating of 4.7/5 stars. These are sold for £22.50 but are worth £71 individually.

 

All of these products are best-sellers on TikTok Shop and are the latest and greatest to add to your beauty collection. Visit TikTok Shop to have a look for yourself and maybe you will take these into account when deciding which beauty products to recommend and stock at your salon.

Salon Tracker x

Feature of the Month: Free data conversions of other systems

Although we might not like to admit it, there are other software companies out there. Here at Salon Tracker we are happy to convert your data free of charge from any other software company.

We understand that the process of switching software providers can be stressful and sometimes over complicated, you’ve probably got months or years worth of customers information on your current system and the last thing you want to do is re-enter all your clients into a new system. That’s where we come in!

Our data conversions typically allow us to bring across:

•  Customer names
•  Customer notes
•  Customer services (Such as existing minutes)

There are 3 simple steps involved in us converting your data:

Step 1

First, we need a copy of your data. Sometimes this involves us connecting to your PC and taking the data ourselves, other times the data can be encrypted or stored within a location we don’t have access to. If this is the case you would need to speak to your current provider and ask them to get the data for us, hopefully they’ll be nice enough to let you have it!

Step 2

We will test the data on our end to make sure we can definitely convert the data, if this is the case we will go ahead with the full conversion. Once we have completed the conversion, we will test import it into Salon Tracker and compare it to the existing data to ensure that it has copied over correctly. This step will often take up to 3 days, it just depends on the scale and size of your database.

Step 3

Finally, we will import the data onto your new Salon Tracker system and then check it through with you again to make sure it's all correct! It works best if we can do the conversions at the start of the week and import it before the end of the week to ensure that you have a couple of working days to use and test the data.

If you are interested in moving over to our software from your current provider, we offer the data conversion free of charge. Feel free to call on 0113 350 8230 to discuss your data conversion and see all the benefits of introducing Salon Tracker software into your salon!

Salon Tracker x

Ways to Optimise Your Salons’ Finances

Optimising salon finances requires a strategic approach to maximise revenue and minimise costs. One effective way to boost repeat business is by offering membership programs. These programs incentivise customers to return regularly in exchange for discounts or exclusive perks. Memberships not only increase customer loyalty but also provide a predictable income stream, which is crucial for long-term financial stability.

Another impactful strategy is to implement online booking systems. This can significantly reduce no-shows by offering clients reminders and easy rescheduling options. No-shows can be a major drain on revenue, and providing a convenient, user-friendly booking system encourages clients to stick to their appointments, minimising lost income.

On our Enterprise package we offer your own unique online booking link where your customers can book in. We also offer the option for customers to be able to purchase your services from their online account bringing you more revenue even when your salon is closed!

 

To attract more clients during slower periods, salons can introduce promotions or discounts during off-peak hours. Offering time-limited specials or discounted services during these quieter times can help fill empty slots that would otherwise generate no revenue. It's a smart way to keep staff busy and maximise the utilisation of resources.

 

Regularly reviewing and planning your expenses is essential for managing costs effectively. By keeping a close eye on overheads and recurring expenses, you can identify areas where you might be overspending and implement adjustments. For example, cutting back on unnecessary purchases or negotiating better terms with suppliers can significantly lower operational costs.

 

Managing energy consumption is also a simple but often overlooked way to save money. For example, turning off light switches in unused rooms when not needed can help lower your electricity bill. Implementing energy-saving practices where possible can contribute to long-term savings.

 

It's also worth considering if any equipment or supplies can be sourced from cheaper suppliers. Regularly researching market options and renegotiating with vendors may yield better deals, helping you reduce costs without compromising quality.

 

Finally, a crucial step in optimising finances is to regularly evaluate your pricing structure. Raising prices might be necessary to cover rising costs or reflect the value of your services. Even small price adjustments can make a big difference to your bottom line, so ensure your pricing stays competitive while supporting your profit margins.

We hope this blog helped you with some ideas on how you can optimise your finances and continue bringing in revenue for your salon!

 

Salon Tracker x