How to Sell Tanning Packages Online 24/7

Your tanning salon is only open 10 hours a day, maybe 12 on a good stretch. But your customers are on their phones at 10pm, during their lunch break, on the bus home from work. If they can't buy from you in those moments, they'll either forget or find somewhere that makes it easier.

Selling tanning packages online isn't complicated, but most salon owners don't do it — or they try once with a clunky system and give up. This guide covers what actually works, what to avoid, and how to set it up so it runs itself.

Why Online Sales Matter for Tanning Salons

The maths is straightforward. If your shop is open 10 hours a day, you're closed for the other 14. That's 14 hours where a customer might want to top up their minutes but can't. Multiply that across your entire customer base and you start to see the gap.

It's not just about after-hours sales, either. Even during opening hours, some customers prefer buying online. They don't want to queue, they don't want to make small talk, they just want to tap their phone and know their minutes are loaded when they walk in. Giving them that option doesn't replace the in-store experience — it complements it.

There's also a psychological element. When a customer can see their remaining minutes on their phone, they're more likely to top up before they run out. It removes the friction of having to come in just to check their balance or buy more time.

What You Can Sell Online

Most tanning salon owners think of "online sales" as just selling minute packages. But if your system supports it, you can sell much more:

Minute packages are the obvious one. A customer buys 100 minutes online, and those minutes are immediately available on their account. They walk in, start a session, and the minutes deduct automatically.

Unlimited tanning subscriptions are increasingly popular. A customer pays a monthly fee for unlimited sessions (with a daily cap you set). These work well online because customers can sign up without visiting the shop first.

Single sessions let customers pre-pay for a one-off visit. Useful for new customers who want to try your salon without committing to a package.

Physical products like tanning lotions and accessories can be sold online for in-store pickup. The customer buys online, you get a notification, they collect it next time they visit. No shipping needed.

Gift cards are a natural fit for online sales. Someone wants to buy a gift for a friend — they shouldn't have to visit your shop to do that. Digital gift cards that get emailed directly to the recipient make this effortless.

What You Need to Set Up

Setting up online tanning sales requires a cloud-based POS system and a few things working together. Here's what the setup typically looks like:

A Customer-Facing Portal or Online Store

This is where your customers browse and buy. It needs to be mobile-friendly (most customers will use their phone), show your available packages clearly, and let customers create an account or log in to see their balance.

Some POS systems include a built-in portal. For example, TanDesk gives each salon a branded URL (yoursalon.tandesk.app) that works as a full online store and customer app. Customers can install it on their home screen, check their balance, view history, and buy packages — all without downloading anything from an app store.

If your POS doesn't have this built in, you'd need to build something separately or use a third-party e-commerce platform — which means keeping two systems in sync, which is where most setups fall apart.

Payment Processing

You need a way to take payments online. Stripe is the most common choice for UK businesses — it handles credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and even buy-now-pay-later options like Klarna. The money goes directly to your bank account, typically within 2-3 business days.

The important thing is that your payment processing integrates directly with your POS. When a customer buys 100 minutes online, those minutes should appear on their account instantly — not after someone manually processes it the next morning.

Automatic Balance Updates

This is where many setups fail. If online purchases don't automatically update the customer's balance in your POS, you'll end up with a manual reconciliation nightmare. Staff will need to check every morning whether anyone bought online overnight, then manually add minutes to accounts. That's not sustainable.

A properly integrated system updates the customer's balance the moment the payment is confirmed. No manual steps, no delays, no mistakes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't use a separate e-commerce site. If your online store isn't connected to your salon software, you'll spend hours manually syncing purchases. It works for a week, then someone forgets, a customer complains their minutes aren't loaded, and the whole thing becomes a headache.

Don't overcomplicate your online offerings. Start with your 2-3 best-selling packages. You can always add more later. If customers land on a page with 15 different options, they'll leave without buying anything.

Don't forget mobile. At least 80% of your online sales will come from phones. If your online store doesn't work perfectly on a phone screen, you're losing most of your potential sales.

Don't require too much information at signup. Name, email, and phone number should be enough to create an account. Every extra field you add reduces the number of people who complete the process. You can collect additional details when they visit in person.

How to Promote Your Online Store

Having an online store is only useful if your customers know about it. Here are the most effective ways to drive traffic:

In-store signage is the easiest starting point. A simple sign at the counter: "Buy your next package from your phone" with a QR code. Your existing customers are the most likely to buy online — make it easy for them.

Social media is obvious but worth mentioning. A regular Instagram or Facebook post reminding customers they can buy minutes without visiting the shop. Stories with a direct link to your portal work particularly well.

Email or SMS when minutes are low. If your system supports it, an automated message when a customer's balance drops below a threshold is one of the highest-converting notifications you can send. The customer sees they're low on minutes, taps a link, and buys more — all in under a minute.

Google Business Profile. Add your online store link to your Google Business listing. When someone searches for your salon, they'll see a direct link to buy online alongside your phone number and address.

What Results to Expect

Online sales won't replace your in-store revenue, but they can add a meaningful supplement. Most tanning salons that implement online sales properly see 15-25% of their package sales shift online within the first few months. That's not replacing in-store sales — it's largely additional revenue from purchases that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

The biggest impact is often on customer retention. When customers can check their balance and top up from their phone, they're less likely to drift away. The convenience keeps them engaged with your salon even between visits.

If you're not currently selling online, you're leaving money on the table every single day your shop is closed. The setup doesn't have to be complicated — choose the right tanning salon software that has it built in, and you can be selling online within the hour.