Salon Happy Hour Ideas for 2024

Does your salon get Monday blues in the afternoon between 2 pm to 6 pm where there's just that odd customer and no other bookings? Well, salon happy hour ideas can turn your business around!

Restaurants and pubs have been using the happy hour idea successfully for years now. And why not.

It is a 3-pronged marketing strategy that aims to retain old clients, attract new clients, and promote new services (pretty much everything a business needs).

But can a salon use it as well? We’d say why miss out?

Jump to The Section You Like

1. Salon Happy Hour Ideas
2. How to Organize a Happy Hour Event?
3. Salon Happy Hour Examples
4. Conclusion

Salon Happy Hour Ideas

Have a Friday Night Happy Hour

Discounted/free alcohol on a Friday is a great way to grow any business. Yes, hair salons included, because who doesn't want to drink some beer or wine with a head massage after a long, tiring week, right?

But how do you afford all the drinks and snacks?

Happy Hour Collaborations

You should consider collaborating with local restaurants/cafes and breweries/wineries in the community as it helps both businesses. You have the beverages and snacks to attract customers, and their company gets the exposure it seeks.

Provide Discounts During Your Slowest Time of the Day

Deals and discounts are just as effective as free drinks in attracting new clients during the slowest time of your day. Consider offering a haircut at 50% off or combine a haircut with a free hair wash or a head massage.

Themed Happy Hour Events

Add a theme to the party/event as it makes marketing easy. You can call it Stylish Sundays and offer discounts on hair styling or Spa-rty Saturdays where there’s a 25% off on hair treatments.

Holiday Happy Hours

Organize events or discounts during Christmas, Mother's Day, and other holidays. Almost all brands and shops have deals during this time to attract more customers, and you do not want your salon to miss out, right?

Exclusive Happy Hour

Your customer loyalty program will tell you exactly who your most loyal customers or VIPs are. Then, organize special events for them or increase the discounts and cashback on specific days, so they keep coming back for more. It also makes the loyalty program more lucrative to new customers.

Happy Hours for Senior Citizens

Our senior citizens aren't rushing to work on Monday morning. So they can easily fill up the lean business hours as long as you promise to provide them all the pampering they deserve at amazing prices.

Charity Happy Hour

You don't always need to create discounts. Instead, share the joy of doing something more kind-hearted with your clients via charity events where you donate a part of your profit to a charity.

Happy Hour Raffle

Giving away raffle tickets to customers who spend a minimum amount is a great way to retain them and ensure they spend more. But do offer a grand reward or never seen before discounts. For example, reward the winner with a complete makeover for free.

Name Your Price Happy Hour

For two hours on a slow Monday afternoon, let your clients decide on the price they are willing to pay for a new hairstyle or haircut.

Happy Hour Gifts

A gift basket with their favorite shampoo, conditioner, serum or another miniature to try is a great way to make customers feel special and ensure they keep coming back for more.

Do not miss our blog post about salon marketing ideas that really work and to grow your salon business.

How to Organize a Happy Hour Event?

Decide on Your Goal

Are you looking to attract new clients or increase engagement from existing clients? Knowing your goals helps decide the type of event you will hold and its date and time.

For example, exclusive gifts help with client retention, whereas Friday night happy hours can help with both. You can then decide on a budget and start preparations early.

Sort Out Alcohol/Food And Beverages

California, Maryland, Mississippi, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia passed laws that allow salons to serve alcohol to clients.

But if your salon isn't in these states, first check the rules and then consider including alcohol. You’d also want to check IDs and limit the number of drinks per person.

And in case alcohol is a no-go, include mocktails (everyone loves a nice mojito), fruit juices, shakes, etc. Just ensure that you don't run out of any food or beverage.

Make It Special

If there's a 10% off for all VIPs or new clients daily, it cannot be your happy hour event as well. You have to take it up a notch and add in extra services or increase the discounts.

Promote the Event Effectively

To let people know the day, date, time, and encourage them to join in the fun, amp up your social media content and ads.

Get clients to like, share, and comment on your content and incentivize them with raffle tickets or discounts for doing so. Also, send out an email blast to existing customers and incentivize them if they book early.

Team up with a salon marketing company if you need expert help. They'll take care of the website content, the Instagram/ Facebook post. Ads, etc. leaving you and your staff with more time to work together and create the perfect event.

Analyze the Results

So did your event increase profits and get you more clients? Analyze the results with your staff and salon marketing company and tweak the salon marketing strategy to make the next happy hour bigger and better.

Salon Happy Hour Examples

If you are looking for inspiration to create the perfect happy hour event, check out the images and templates below.

Learn more in our post on Unique Salon Grand Opening Ideas.

Conclusion

The Happy hour marketing strategy is a tried and tested formula that businesses have turned to time and again to bring in customers during lean hours. And we see no reason a salon won't benefit from it.

From themed events, exclusive discounts to charity events, you now have all the salon happy hour ideas needed to host a fun yet profitable party/event for your salon.

And if some other happy hour idea has worked for your salon, do leave a comment about it below.

Citations

Happy hour? Studies on well-being and time spent on paid and unpaid work
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:199873

Marketing
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8TjiBAAAQBAJ&o

The happy hour experiment in North America
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/009145099602300207