Best Loyalty Apps for Tanning Salons: A Complete Guide

Tanning salons face a familiar challenge: plenty of competition and customers who could easily go elsewhere. With new tanning spots opening regularly and customers often making decisions based on convenience or price, building genuine loyalty requires more than just good service.

A well-chosen loyalty app gives your customers a tangible reason to return to your salon specifically. It transforms occasional visitors into regulars who think of your business first when they want that golden glow.

But with numerous options available, how do you choose the right loyalty app for your tanning salon? This guide covers what features actually matter, what to look for when evaluating options, and how to implement a programme that drives real results.

Why Tanning Salons Need Loyalty Programmes

Before diving into features and platforms, it's worth understanding why loyalty programmes work particularly well for tanning salons.

Regular, Repeat Service

Tanning is inherently a repeat service. Customers don't tan once and disappear — they come back regularly to maintain their colour. This frequency makes loyalty programmes exceptionally effective. Unlike businesses where customers might visit a few times a year, tanning salon customers often visit weekly or fortnightly.

This visit frequency means:

• Customers can achieve rewards relatively quickly (motivating)

• Each stamp or point feels like meaningful progress

• The habit of visiting your salon becomes reinforced

• Customer lifetime value compounds significantly

Easy to Understand Value

The "visit X times, get one free" model translates perfectly to tanning. Customers immediately understand: keep coming here, and you'll earn free sessions. No complicated calculations, no confusing point conversions.

This simplicity matters. Over half of consumers say they want loyalty programmes that are easy to use. Tanning customers aren't looking for complex schemes — they want something straightforward that rewards their regular visits.

High Competition, Low Switching Costs

Most towns have multiple tanning options. Customers can easily switch between them with no real cost or inconvenience. In this environment, a loyalty programme creates something competitors can't instantly replicate: progress toward a reward that would be lost by switching.

A customer who's collected 6 stamps toward a free session has an investment in your salon. That psychological attachment keeps them coming back even if a competitor opens closer to home.

Direct Communication Value

Beyond the rewards themselves, digital loyalty programmes give you a direct line to your customers. You can announce new beds, promote quiet-period deals, or remind customers about package expiry dates. This communication channel is valuable in an industry where customers might not think about you between visits.

What to Look For in a Tanning Salon Loyalty App

Not all loyalty platforms suit every business type. Here's what matters specifically for tanning salons.

Simplicity Above All

Your customers are coming in for a quick session, not a complicated sign-up process. The loyalty app you choose should be:

• Quick to join (under 30 seconds)

• Easy to understand (no lengthy explanations needed)

• Effortless to use (scan and go, not multi-step processes)

If your staff need to spend significant time explaining how the programme works, or if customers seem confused, the platform is too complicated for your environment.

Mobile Wallet Integration

The best modern loyalty platforms integrate with Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. This means customers save their loyalty card directly to their phone's built-in wallet — no separate app to download, no account to remember.

This matters for tanning salons because:

• Customers always have their phone (but might forget a separate app)

• No app clutter or storage concerns

• Cards appear automatically near your location

• Higher adoption rates than platforms requiring dedicated downloads

With Perkstar, customers scan a QR code once and their loyalty card saves directly to their wallet. They're enrolled in seconds, ready to start collecting stamps immediately.

Communication Tools

The ability to reach your customers between visits separates digital loyalty from paper cards. Look for platforms that offer:

Push notifications: Send messages directly to customers' phones. Announce new sunbeds, promote slow-period specials, or remind customers they're close to a reward.

Automation capabilities: Set up messages that send automatically — birthday rewards, "we miss you" campaigns for lapsed customers, or milestone celebrations.

Unlimited messaging: Some platforms charge per message or cap how many you can send. For ongoing customer engagement, unlimited push notifications matter.

Easy Setup and Management

You're running a tanning salon, not a technology company. The platform should be something you can configure yourself without technical expertise.

Look for:

• Intuitive dashboard for managing your programme

• Templates that make card design straightforward

• Clear analytics showing programme performance

• Support available when you need it

Avoid platforms designed for enterprise chains with dedicated IT teams. They're typically over-engineered for small salon needs.

Reasonable Pricing

Tanning salon margins don't support expensive software subscriptions. Most independent salons should expect to pay between £15-60 per month depending on features.

Be wary of:

• Per-transaction or per-stamp fees that scale unpredictably

• Hidden costs for features that should be standard

• Long contracts that lock you in before you've proven value

• Enterprise pricing disguised as small business plans

Free trials without credit card requirements let you test before committing.

Programme Structures That Work for Tanning Salons

There are several ways to structure your loyalty programme. Here's what works best for tanning businesses.

Stamp Cards (Visit-Based)

The classic model: customers earn a stamp with each session, then receive a free session after collecting a set number.

Example structure:

• Collect 9 stamps (one per tanning session)

• Receive a free session after 9 stamps

• Card resets and cycle begins again

Why it works for tanning:

Stamp cards align perfectly with how tanning works — regular visits of similar value. Customers understand it instantly. Staff can explain it in seconds. There's no maths involved.

The visual progress of filling a card is motivating. Customers can see exactly how close they are to their reward, which encourages continued visits.

Points Programmes (Spend-Based)

If your salon has significant price variation — different bed types, session lengths, or package options — a points programme might make more sense.

Example structure:

• Earn 1 point per pound spent

• Redeem 100 points for £10 off any service

Why it works:

Points reward customers proportionally to their spend. Someone who buys a premium session or a package earns more toward rewards than someone buying the cheapest option. This feels fair and encourages upsells.

Consideration:

Points programmes are slightly more complex than stamps. Make sure your customers understand both the earning rate and redemption value.

Membership Programmes

For salons with very regular customers, membership programmes create strong commitment.

Example structure:

• Pay monthly fee for ongoing benefits

• Benefits might include discounted sessions, priority booking, or free upgrades

Why it works:

Membership creates upfront commitment. Members actively seek to get value from their investment, which drives visit frequency. Monthly revenue becomes more predictable.

Consideration:

Membership only works if the benefits clearly justify the fee. Most tanning salons find simple stamp cards deliver better results with less complexity.

For most tanning salons, we recommend starting with stamp cards. They're proven, understood, and perfectly suited to the visit-based nature of tanning.

Key Features to Consider

Beyond the basics, certain features can enhance your programme's effectiveness.

Sign-Up Rewards

Giving new members an immediate reward dramatically increases enrolment. Options include:

• Bonus stamps credited at sign-up (starting them closer to their first reward)

• Discount on today's session for joining

• Free upgrade or add-on for new members

The psychology is powerful: customers feel they've already made progress, which motivates continued participation.

With Perkstar, you can configure automatic welcome rewards that credit to every new member's card the moment they join.

Birthday Rewards

Birthday rewards are among the most effective loyalty features because they feel genuinely personal. Capture birth dates during sign-up and automatically send a free session or discount on their birthday.

It's a small gesture that creates significant goodwill and differentiates your salon from competitors who don't remember their customers.

Lapsed Customer Campaigns

Digital platforms let you identify customers who haven't visited recently and reach out with incentives to return. A "we've missed you" message with a bonus offer can reactivate customers who might have drifted to competitors.

This capability alone often justifies the platform cost — recovering lapsed customers is far cheaper than acquiring new ones.

Analytics and Insights

Understanding your programme's performance helps you optimise over time:

• How many customers are actively participating?

• What's the average time to redemption?

• Are customers dropping off at certain points?

• Which promotions drive the most engagement?

Look for platforms with clear, accessible analytics that don't require data science expertise to interpret.

Implementing Your Programme: Practical Steps

Ready to launch? Here's a straightforward approach for tanning salons.

Step 1: Choose Your Structure

For most tanning salons, a stamp card with 8-10 stamps for a free session works well. This is achievable within 2-3 months for regular customers — motivating without giving away too much.

Decide:

• How many stamps to earn a reward (8-10 is typical)

• What the reward will be (usually a free session up to a certain value)

• Whether to offer a sign-up bonus (recommended)

Step 2: Set Up Your Digital Card

With Perkstar, setup takes under an hour:

• Create your card design with your branding

• Configure stamp target and reward

• Set up any automations (birthday rewards, welcome bonus)

• Generate your QR code for sign-ups

Step 3: Prepare Your Salon

Create the physical touchpoints customers will interact with:

• Reception QR code: Where customers scan to join or earn stamps

• Counter signage: Explaining programme benefits

• Window or entrance display: Drawing attention to the programme

Step 4: Train Your Team

Ensure all staff know:

• How to explain the programme simply ("Collect 9 stamps, get a free session")

• How to help customers sign up

• How to remind returning customers to scan for stamps

• Why the programme matters for the business

Consistent staff promotion dramatically increases participation rates.

Step 5: Launch and Promote

Announce to existing customers via any channels you have — social media, email lists, in-salon conversation. Feature the programme prominently for the first few weeks until awareness builds.

Step 6: Monitor and Adjust

After 30-60 days, review your data:

• Are customers signing up at a good rate?

• Are they actively collecting stamps?

• Are redemptions happening as expected?

If sign-ups are slow, promote more aggressively or enhance your welcome offer. If completion rates are low, consider reducing your stamp target.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Making rewards too hard to reach. If customers feel they'll never get there, they won't bother. A free session after 15+ stamps feels unachievable for many customers.

Overcomplicating the structure. Stamps, points, tiers, special conditions — complexity kills participation. Start simple. You can always add sophistication later.

Neglecting promotion. A loyalty programme only works if customers know about it. Staff should mention it to every customer, every visit.

Forgetting to communicate. Having a digital platform but never sending push notifications wastes one of loyalty's biggest advantages. Stay present between visits.

Ignoring your data. Digital programmes generate insights. Use them. If something isn't working, you'll see it in the numbers.

Choosing the Right Platform

When evaluating loyalty apps for your tanning salon, work through these questions:

• How will customers join? QR scan to phone wallet is ideal; dedicated app downloads create friction.

• How do staff issue stamps? Should be quick and simple, not disruptive to service flow.

• What communication tools are included? Push notifications, automation, and segmentation matter.

• What's the total cost? Monthly fee plus any hidden charges for features or message volumes.

• Can you test before committing? Free trials let you evaluate fit without risk.

Different platforms suit different needs. Some are designed for enterprise chains and may be overkill for independent salons. Others prioritise simplicity and affordability for small businesses.

Perkstar offers all card types (stamps, points, membership, and more), direct Apple/Google Wallet integration, unlimited push notifications, and straightforward pricing starting at £15/month — designed for exactly the kind of business a tanning salon represents.

Final Thoughts

A loyalty programme won't transform a struggling salon into a success overnight. But for salons providing good service in competitive markets, it can be the difference between customers who drift between options and customers who specifically choose you.

The investment is modest — a monthly platform fee and some staff training. The return is measurable — increased visit frequency, higher retention, and customers who feel valued and rewarded for their loyalty.

Your customers will tan again. The question is whether they'll come back to you or go wherever is most convenient. A loyalty programme tips that decision in your favour.

Ready to build customer loyalty at your tanning salon?

Start your free 14-day Perkstar trial — no credit card required.