Standing out in a competitive market is hard. Attracting and keeping customers is even harder. That’s why offering valuable discounts is crucial. Before creating a discount, set clear goals. Do you want more sales, new customers, or to reward loyal ones? Knowing this helps tailor your offers. It is also helpful to consider that not all customers are the same. Segmenting them by past purchases, demographics, or behavior allows you to create targeted, effective promotions.
Now that you know which things to consider, let us outline some goals and matching discount options available in SuperSaaS so that you can choose the way that is right for you.
1. Attracting interest
If you are looking to grow your business, one of the options you are likely considering is expanding your customer base. Here, we will address how you can attract new customers to your SuperSaaS schedule with two different ways to offer discounts.
Offering a one-time discount to an individual customer
Encourage hesitant customers with a one-time discount. If customers pay for their appointments in credits (both $ and credit points), simply add the total discount amount as credit to their user account. This discount is applied automatically, eliminating extra steps for your customers.
You can also apply this discount to user accounts for existing customers, though you would likely do so for a different reason, e.g. to process a refund. For instance, if you intend to offer a $10 discount to a client with a current credit balance of $20, adjust the credit value from $20 to $30 ($20 current credit + $10 discount). If you use credit points and want to refund someone 2 points for a missed class, you just add it to their credit point total.
Guide: Offering a one-off discount
Note: Activate the credit system in the Payment Setup section of your account to facilitate one-time discounts and refunds. Detailed instructions can be found in the section dedicated to the credit system.
Offering new customers a promo code
If your customer already has a user account, you can offer a one-off promo code that you can distribute online or in person. Set up your system to include a coupon/promotion field during the booking process. This is a schedule-specific setting. If you have multiple schedules you can choose to accept coupons in one schedule, but not the other.
What you want the code to be, is entirely up to you. It is important that you restrict its use to “once” or “first appointment only”. It is possible to create multiple codes at once. If you want to offer 20 new customers a welcome code, this is also possible. Just add a list of coupons on the same screen (“welcome–1”, “welcome–2”, “welcome–3”, etc.).
Guide: Creating promotional coupons
2. Nurturing loyalty and driving sales
Keep customers loyal and drive sales with ongoing discounts and special packages.
Offering a standing discount to an individual
Apply standing discounts to every appointment for loyal customers. Set it up in their user account once and it’s applied automatically.
Add a supervisor field to the reservation process. It can either be hidden or visible to the customer. Customers cannot change the content, even if the field is visible. Name the field whatever you prefer, for example, “standing discount” or “loyalty discount”. Now go to the respective user account under User Management. Enter a discount percentage in the discount field (e.g. -10%) and click “update”.
Guide: Setting up a standing discount
Structuring discounted credit packages
If you are still building customer loyalty, you probably want to connect customers to your company for a longer period of time. Offer credit packages that can be purchased prior to booking appointments. Customers choose how many appointments they wish to pay for in advance and receive a free extra appointment in return.
The benefits of creating credit packages are that you can track purchases, make a limited number of packages available, or let users buy multiples of the same package at once.
Guide: Structuring discounted credit packages
Offering value cards
An interesting option for both new and returning customers. Combine purchases with discount codes for a set number of appointments. While it seems rather straightforward, it requires more administrative work than other ways mentioned in this blog.
The sequence of events for this would be something like:
Customer purchases the value card for an amount you predefined. Online or in person. For an online purchase, do not automatically add credit to the user’s account.
You create the coupon that can be used for a set number of appointments. If customer purchases 10 appointments, the coupon should be configured so it can be used exactly 10 times.
You provide the coupon code to your customer. This can be done via email, in person, or any other way you see fit.
The customer books appointments and re-enters the coupon code for each one. This way you can keep track of its usage, and the customer is able to book 10 separate appointments with the same code. You decide if users can book appointments to take place at any time, or only within a specific date range.
3. Targeted engagement
Tailor discounts for specific customer groups using user groups and price rules.
With this discounting method you provide user groups (e.g. “members” and “non-members”) with different prices based on their user group, time or day of the week, the length of an appointment, the time until the appointment starts, etc.
Guide: Adding discounts based on user groups
You can also opt to create multiple schedules for different user groups to restrict access only user group, allowing you to set prices as you would usually. Customers who are not part of the user group are not able to see the schedule, nor book any appointments in it. If they visit the schedule link, they are forwarded to a web page informing them that the chosen schedule page is not available.
4. Seizing opportunities
Discounts based on time
Let’s assume your customer base is larger than the available time slots in your schedule, but not all are filled as the weeks go by. Reactivate your customers with price rules that enforce different pricing incentives like early bird offers, last-minute discounts or happy hours.
Guide: Discounts based on time
Discounts based on utilization
Offer discounts to promote slots that remain unfilled, or fill up remaining spots in a class for full efficiency. To limit a promotion to a specific resource, class or service, add the magic word $limit xxx to its description field. The discount will only be valid if “xxx” appears in the schedule, resource, service, slot title, or slot location.
The magic word can also restrict the promotion to a specific length option on a resource schedule (if using the length selector).
Buy one, get one free
Limit coupon usage based on the number of bookings with $limit=2 for exactly two bookings, or $limit>1 $limit<3 for more than one and fewer than three appointments. Note that $limit applies only to the schedule it’s used on; other options like “Can only be used on the first appointment” apply across all schedules.
To match schedule names with multiple words, replace spaces with underscores (e.g., $limit Intro_course). Multiple $limit clauses can be used in the same promotion to restrict it to specific classes and booking quantities.
Guide: Advanced discounts with magic words
5. Amplifying reach
Reward loyal customers with referral discounts and promotional coupons for continued support.
Use promotional coupons for existing customers
Thank returning customers by sending promotional coupons in an automated follow-up e-mail. These coupons can have a usage limit, which you set. You can also limit coupon use to specific days or allow different users to benefit from the same code.
The setup of this promotional coupon is much like that of a new customer coupon, though the conditions you set will vary depending on your needs.
Guide: Creating promotional coupons
Use promotional coupons as referral codes
You can also consider giving loyal customers a referral code that can be used X amount of times, but only once by the same user. Its setup will be like that of a promotional code, but it is distributed by the loyal customer. You can offer a standing discount or a personalized promo code in return for the referrals.
In short
Strategically using discounts and vouchers can drive sales and loyalty. However, also focus on product quality and exceptional service. Test and refine your discount strategies for maximum impact in a competitive market. If you get stuck at any point, you are welcome to reach out so we can help get you unstuck.