3 ways to enhance guest experience in the Wellness industry

As we are finding ourselves in the age of digitalisation, where A.I. is no longer a foreign term and one is not surprised to be followed by their parents on Instagram, our lives also seem to be accelerating and revolving around screens more than ever, which is why wellness is becoming so sacred. 

Especially now, during the era of COVID-19, where daily routines are thrown into chaos and hygiene regulations are updated every 24 hours.

Learn more about the key link between leisure and well-being with this related blog post: 

The role of leisure and wellness in this ‘new normal’ and its benefits for venues.

Take a moment to ask yourself when you last visited the spa. Quite a while ago, right? 

Now that the doors of the Wellness industry have been closed for most of 2020’s spring, we didn’t even have the opportunity to go, even if we had wanted to. 

Slowly, bit by bit, wellness centers and thermal baths are regaining confidence to start letting out some steam, literally. And so should we! After the rollercoaster we’ve been through during the past months, isn’t it about time we treat ourselves, leave our daily stress behind, and put our well-being back on track with a nice afternoon off at the spa? 

However, we can’t forget that strict hygiene restrictions still need to be closely regarded in the Wellness industry and that only once these are assured will guests be able to start coming back. 

Naturally, due to the difficulty to implement enough sanitary measures in such a diverse and high-touch experience, there has been a big loss in the industry and a lot of businesses have had no other choice than to close down. 

With the situation continuously evolving, it is crucial to keep the wellness customers - as well as their emotions and concerns- center of mind. This means there should be a dedicated effort in strengthening and boosting the customers’ experience so that at the end of the day, they want to keep coming back. Have them counting the days, hours, and minutes until their next visit. Creating recurrent fans who feel comfortable, safe and at peace in your venue. That’s the goal.

But how can you achieve that in your Wellness business?

Start by seeing your wellness experience as a whole. Not just looking at the experience you offer as the time your guests spend in the venue itself (which is still of vital and utmost importance), but also upping your game when it comes to the before and after experience by bringing your digital marketing to the next level and aiming for higher loyalty and engagement.

In this line, we want to suggest 3 ways by which you can enhance guest experience in your Wellness venue and use these tips and tricks to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on your business. 

Tips and Tricks to do it the right way:

1. Use the power of social media and user-generated content.

Social media is a must-have, no matter what. Over 80% of businesses are on social media but only 30% know how to effectively use it, may it be creating their own hashtags or engaging with their customers, regardless, it is time to #keepup. 

Social media is the new form of maintaining the relationship with your customer and it is a more intimate, personal and quick way of doing so. Not only will you promote your business and have others promote it as well, but you will open a door to receive feedback that is invaluable in terms of improving your business. Here's a few quick tips: 

• Generate social proof by showcasing your guests’ best reviews. 
• Use social media as a digital tool to make customers curious about what you have to offer and use it to showcase sneak peeks of your high-quality facilities in the most appealing way as well as to promote your latest offers and deals. 
• Remember you have to give before you take. Interact and engage with your audience to be seen and considered by them. Use interactive elements such as pools, surveys, draws, challenges or giveaways. 
• Be consistent and transparent with your messaging and branding to incite trust. 

So essentially, make time to give your social media channels the tender loving care they deserve, and your customers will help you with the rest. They will share, like, retweet and post about the great experience they had at your spa, helping you amplify your radar and spread the word. If you provide what you promise, karma will come your way and you will be rewarded with returning customers and over the top reviews. Of course, it takes more than uploading a couple fancy pictures. You need to up your game in digital marketing and be present on all platforms, with no wishes left unheard. 

If you want to learn more about how to reap the benefits of user-generated content and social media for your wellness business make sure you read this article on experience-driven consumer economy: 

Are you instagrammable? The truth about user-generated content. 

2. Have your own high-converting online ticket shop.

As the Starks would say in Game of Thrones, “winter is coming” and the colder it gets, the more people are lusting to go to a spa. Hopefully your spa, right? So after taking a look at different available options online, you want to make sure that when they come to your website, instead of bouncing around, they convert. Meaning that they buy tickets directly from you. Not from other platforms or third party resellers, but from you. 

This will not only help you be in full control of your direct relationship with the customers, but can also help you increase your business’ overall revenue when combined with the right pricing and upselling strategies. For example, think about suggesting smart upsells to the customer who is already half-way on their purchasing process such as bath robes, towels, slippers or other complementary products to increase your average cart value. There are actually many different strategies that empowered by data and artificial intelligence, can help your online ticket shop’s conversions skyrocket.

If you want to learn more about the key elements that your online ticket shop should include when striving for conversion, take a look at this related read: 

5 best practices for your online ticket shop. 

All in all, consider updating your website by investing in a modern online store, that enables a quick-buy option for gift cards, special services, and merchandise in just a few simple steps.

Implement a frictionless and conversion-oriented check-out, where customers can also book packages of treatments online and view real-time availability of your services and products. You never know when seeing a special deal or an empty slot on your web shop will encourage one of your visitors to book a last-minute treatment! 

3. Engage and create loyalty with a custom mobile app.

Having a custom mobile app for your wellness services allows your customers to easily book wherever, whenever.  But besides offering your wellness guests a more seamless and convenient way to book their visit and appointments, it also entails mouth-watering benefits for your business in terms of customer engagement, loyalty and retention. 

You will be able to tailor better to each customer’s behaviour and needs through next-level personalisation strategies and in-app notifications. Essentially, the greatest benefit of them all is that it allows you to be much closer to your customers and therefore receive direct feedback to understand them better.

Did you know that 83% of people who made a complaint online and received a reply by the company, considered themselves satisfied just because they got a response in the first place? So show that you care about your customers by being responsive. Be close to them and try to make their experience the smoothest it can be. 

Final take-aways:

Hopefully at this point your mind is already blowing up with ideas that you cannot wait to start implementing, so let’s quickly sumarise: 

• You want to be that accessible and easy-to-book omni-channel wellness venue. 
• You want to be closer to your customers and their needs and hold your guests’ hand from the very first moment they are booking on your site (or app), up until way after they’ve left your venue’s doors. 
• You want to be using your social media platforms to promote the uniqueness of your wellness venue and convey feelings of safety, trust-worthiness and professionalism. Use the positive feedback you receive from your own guests and their user-generated content to support your social image. 
• You want to take advantage of special seasonal events such as the soon approaching Halloween or Christmas festivities to offer smart packaged deals and upsell offers that your guests won’t be able to resist. 
• You want to implement loyalty programs that delight your customers and emphasise on customer retention, distinguishing yourself from other leisure businesses - make your guests feel special. 

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It is undeniable that there is still many challenges ahead for the Wellness industry, but rising technologies, needs, and customer behaviours also present new opportunities that wellness venues can seize. We certainly hope that these 3 strategies shared will help you create better guest experiences and differentiate yourself in the face of the current pandemic.   

As an operator within the wellness industry, what type of initiatives are you taking in order to resume operations safely and offer the best possible experience to your guests? 

Let us know in the comments below, and if there is anything we can support you with, don’t hesitate to contact our team of experts!