brand board on all your menu items helps give the guest
brand continuity. a unified brand allows for a stronger
distinction of your spa over your competition.
When it comes to your brand, strive to be different,
not better. you want your menu to stand out. you want
your guests to understand how you are different than
your competition, not just better. if you provide better
service, better amenities, better staff, will you also
provide better pricing? move the dialogue from better to
different. how are you unique? how are your products,
processes or people unique and different?
6. USE LAYOUT TO BOOST REVENUE
over the years, i have seen many menu formats and i’ve
learnt there is no one magic design or layout. however,
there is data and research available to optimize layout
which spa directors can incorporate into their menu design.
most importantly, the menu must speak to the brand.
it should be simple and easy to read. The typeset should
be large enough to easily read and the ink dark enough
to be distinguishable. The menu should give the guest
the information needed to easily reserve an
appointment—online booking info, reservation numbers,
location on the property, etc.
PrIcE aNchOrING
SKIN CARE SERVICES
SKIN CARE SERVICES
CUSTOM FACIAL $100 SIGNATURE FACIAL $139
AROMA FACIAL $110 ANTI AGING FACIAL $129
PURIFYING FACIAL $115 VITAMIN FACIAL $124
VITAMIN FACIAL $120 PURIFYING FACIAL $119
ANTI AGING FACIAL $125 AROMA FACIAL $114
SIGNATURE FACIAL $135 CUSTOM FACIAL $104
In this example, the price of the Signature Facial in the right chart ($139)
anchors the guest price expectation. This makes custom facial on the right seem
like a good value, despite costing $4 more than in the left chart.
in addition to the basic menu necessities, service
placement within the menu helps influence guest
selection. having sales and revenue data available, as
mentioned in this story’s sidebar, will help you know
what services you want to influence your guests to select;
then, you can optimize the placement of those services
within your menu.
remember that guests initially scan the menu. When
a guest picks up a menu, they quickly scan it, and the
first item they see typically makes the most lasting
impression. Therefore, the services which provide your
spa the most revenue and are most popular should be
placed on the menu in an area designed to attract
attention. you can also call attention to a service by
adding a “menu magnet,” such as a highlighted color or a
box around the service, to “stop” the eye and force the
focus on a particular service.
Price anchoring is another powerful tool you can use.
consumers tend to rely heavily on the first piece of infor-
mation offered (the “anchor”) when making decisions.
Therefore, the first price a guest sees sets their expec-
tation. if the anchor price is high, there is a tendency to
“Take the time to engage
your staff when creating or
updating a menu. after all,
they have firsthand guest
knowledge about your
treatments.”
36
PULSE
n
march 2019