Should Spray Tan Artists Discount? How to Create Promotions With a Clear Purpose

Discounting is not automatically good or bad. The question is whether the offer has a clear purpose and still supports the value of your business.

This article is part of The Business of Professional Sunless, an AYU Sunless series sharing practical observations gathered from more than 20 years of working directly with thousands of professional spray tan artists.

Earlier in this series, in Slow Season for Spray Tan Artists: What to Check Before You Start Discounting, we discussed why lowering your price should not automatically be the first response when appointments slow down.

That does not mean spray tan artists should never offer a promotion.

A thoughtful promotion can introduce a service, reward loyal clients, fill a specific need in the schedule, or support a seasonal opportunity.

The important question is:

What do you want the promotion to accomplish?

Start With the Purpose, Not the Discount

Before deciding whether to offer 10%, 20%, or any other discount, identify the business goal.

Are you trying to:

• Introduce a new service?

• Fill a consistently slow appointment time?

• Reconnect with past clients?

• Reward loyal clients?

• Encourage referrals?

• Support a seasonal opportunity?

• Introduce clients to a retail product?

• Reach a new group of potential clients?

Those are different goals and may require different offers.

If Tuesday afternoons are consistently difficult to fill, an offer designed specifically for that time may make more sense than discounting every appointment for an entire week.

If your goal is to bring back past clients, you may want a targeted offer rather than lowering the price for clients who were already planning to book.

Do not create a promotion simply because the calendar makes you uncomfortable. Create one because you know what you want it to accomplish.

A Promotion Does Not Always Mean Lowering the Service Price

A percentage discount is only one type of promotion.

Sometimes adding value may be more appropriate than reducing your regular service price.

Depending on your business, that could include:

• A small aftercare product with a premium appointment

• Priority booking for loyal clients

• A bridal trial and wedding package

• A referral benefit

• A service and retail pairing

• A seasonal package created around a genuine client need

The goal is not to give away as much as possible.

The offer should feel worthwhile to the client while still making sense for the business.

This also helps protect the value of your regular service.

If clients see constant discounts, they may begin waiting for the next sale instead of booking when they actually want the appointment.

An occasional promotion feels different from a business that is nearly always running one.

Know What the Offer Really Costs

A discounted appointment still has expenses.

Before launching an offer, consider the actual cost of delivering the service, including:

• Spray tan solution

• Disposable supplies

• Laundry and cleaning

• Retail products included in the offer

• Payment processing

• Employee compensation, if applicable

• Your time

• Rent and other overhead

This is where looking only at the number of appointments can be misleading.

A promotion may fill the calendar and still produce very little profit.

Packages deserve the same attention.

Receiving several hundred dollars upfront may feel successful, but the business still has to provide each appointment later.

Look at what the revenue becomes per completed service, not only at the amount collected when the package is purchased.

Busy and profitable are not always the same thing.

Think About What Happens After the Promotion

A good promotion should have a next step.

If the goal is attracting new clients, what happens after their first appointment?

Do they understand:

• How to book again?

• Your regular service price?

• How to care for their tan?

• What other service options are available?

• How to contact you with questions?

The promotion may bring someone through the door.

The client experience determines whether she wants to return.

If a new client only books when the service is discounted, the promotion may have created one appointment rather than a long-term client relationship.

That does not necessarily mean the promotion failed. It depends on what the original goal was.

This is why the purpose needs to be clear from the beginning.

Measure Whether the Promotion Actually Worked

Do not evaluate an offer only by how quickly the available appointments filled.

Afterward, ask:

• How many appointments did the offer create?

• Did it fill the specific times or services I wanted to fill?

• How many participants were new clients?

• How many returned afterward?

• Did returning clients book at the regular price?

• Did the offer create useful referrals or visibility?

• Did it increase retail sales?

• Was the revenue worthwhile after the cost of delivering the service?

You do not need complicated analytics.

A few basic notes after each promotion can help you identify which offers actually support your business.

That information becomes far more useful over time than simply remembering that a particular sale felt busy.

Five Questions to Ask Before Running a Promotion

Before launching your next offer, ask yourself:

1. What is the goal?

Be specific about the business problem or opportunity.

2. Who is the offer for?

New clients, loyal clients, past clients, bridal clients, or another clearly defined group?

3. Does the offer actually require a discount?

Could you add value instead?

4. Does the pricing still make sense?

Consider what it costs to provide everything included.

5. How will I know whether it worked?

Decide what result you will evaluate afterward.

If you cannot answer these questions, it may be worth waiting before launching the promotion.

Final Thoughts

Discounting is a business tool.

It is not automatically good, and it is not automatically bad.

A thoughtful promotion may help introduce a service, reward loyalty, reach a specific client group, or fill a carefully chosen gap in the schedule.

The problem begins when lowering the price becomes the automatic response every time bookings slow down.

Know what you want the offer to accomplish.

Understand what it costs.

Protect the value of your regular service.

Then look at what happened afterward, not only how many appointments were booked.

The strongest promotion is not necessarily the one that creates the most appointments. It is the one that accomplishes the purpose you created it for.

The Business of Professional Sunless

This article is part of The Business of Professional Sunless, an AYU Sunless educational series built from more than 20 years of working directly with thousands of professional spray tan artists.

Every studio is different. Our purpose is not to prescribe one version of success, but to share useful observations that help sunless professionals make informed decisions for the businesses they are building.

Previous article: How to Improve the Spray Tan Client Experience From Booking to Aftercare

Next article: Is a Full Appointment Book Actually a Profitable Spray Tan Business?
We’ll be back in a few weeks with the next article in The Business of Professional Sunless.

About the Author: Vibha Makwana is the founder and cosmetic chemist behind AYU Sunless. Since 2003, she has worked directly with thousands of professional spray tan artists through formulation support, education, one-on-one consultations, and long-term industry relationships.