The end-of-year holiday season brings a sense of excitement and, for many, a long list of gifts to buy. It’s a time when people are looking to treat themselves and their loved ones, presenting a major opportunity for medspas.
Unlocking even more festive joy is a payment option that allows customers to buy now, pay later (BNPL). For shoppers, BNPL makes big-ticket purchases more accessible. As they seek out meaningful gifts, beauty treatments and self-care packages or bundles become an attractive option.
Flexible payments, fa-la-la-la-la
More than a passing trend, BNPL is a fundamental shift in how people shop, especially during peak spending seasons. As highlighted by TechRepublic, BNPL adoption reaches new highs each year, with usage surging especially between Black Friday and Christmas Eve.
This pattern is backed by serious spending power. According to Forbes, online spending through BNPL was pegged at $18.5 billion for the 2024 winter holiday season in America – a sign of customers looking for ways to spread out the cost of their holiday purchases.
Medical spas offering BNPL flexibility empower patients to buy the treatments they want without having to make a large payment up front.
A real-world example: Turning a service into an experience clients love
Let’s consider a popular and highly customizable treatment: the Hydrafacial. A client might come in for a standard treatment, but your expert aesthetician knows their results would be dramatically improved with a few key add-ons.
A typical premium package:
Ultimate Glow Hydrafacial: $199
Add-On Booster Serum: +$50
Add-On LED Light Therapy: +$45
The total for the enhanced experience is $294. Cost considerations might lead some clients to choose the basic $199 facial. They leave satisfied, but they haven’t experienced the best possible outcome.
Now, let’s introduce BNPL, with the same package presented in this way: “You can get the Ultimate Glow Hydrafacial with a targeted booster and LED therapy for just four payments of $73.50.” Now, the package feels more accessible. The client receives superior results, making them happier with their visit and more likely to return. Your medspa, in turn, has increased the value of that single appointment by nearly 50%.
How Zenoti helps medspas with BNPL
As a payment option, BNPL boosts the revenue potential for medspas. Patients can opt for flexible 3- to 18-month payment plans, so they’ll be more inclined to choose premium treatments, packages, or multiple services in a single visit.
Offering BNPL at your medspa doesn’t have to be complicated. With Zenoti Payments, it’s straightforward to connect with trusted BNPL providers like Sunbit, Affirm, Klarna, and AfterPay.
Zenoti even makes it easy to display BNPL at the point of sale, both online and in-store. Offer a quick training session to help your team feel confident answering questions from clients about buy now, pay later.
How BNPL boosts medspa revenue: The Zenoti advantage
Medspas using Zenoti are seeing impressive results.
25% more consultations converted
30% higher average ticket value
70% of patients spend more on treatments
Pro tip: With seasonal sales about to spike, start promoting treatment packages as the perfect gift and make sure to highlight the availability of BNPL in your marketing materials. Phrases like “Gift now, pay later” can be very effective.
Addressing common concerns for medspas
Owners and operators of medical spas often have the following questions about BNPL: When will payments arrive? Will clients abandon lengthy applications? What are the costs?
At Zenoti, we understand the concerns around offering BNPL at your medspa. Here’s how our solution resolves these concerns while driving results for your business:
Fast, guaranteed payments: Your medspa receives the funds with no risk of patient default. Payments are initiated the next business day and the full amount received within two to three business days.
Quick, secure applications: A streamlined process with ~90% approval rates from Zenoti’s BNPL partners minimizes drop-offs.
Transparent costs: There are no hidden fees or integration charges – just a flat fee per transaction, regardless of the guest’s credit profile or plan.
Unifying medspa operations with Zenoti
It’s worth mentioning that the platform does so much more than process payments. From appointment scheduling and photo management to marketing automation and inventory tracking, Zenoti streamlines every aspect of running a medspa. As a single, easy-to-use system, it helps medspas deliver exceptional client experiences, improve operational efficiency, and drive AI-powered growth.
Zenoti makes migration “completely manageable”
“Migrating systems is not easy. I will tell you that Zenoti made it so seamless and supportive. I don’t know that the folks that were working with us ever sleep. They made what was such a daunting task completely manageable, and it was still hard. But I felt very, very well supported.”
– Jamie Cole, Owner, Skin Deep Laser Spa
Wrap-up
Buy now, pay later or BNPL makes higher-value treatments more accessible, leading to greater satisfaction for clients and additional revenue for medspas. Offering this payment option is simple and secure for Zenoti-powered medspas. The flexibility helps holiday shoppers invest in bundles and premium treatments leading to repeat visits that build loyalty. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving!
Thanks to Shivani Salhotra, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Zenoti, for sharing her ideas and expertise on BNPL for medspas.
Related reading: Smart medspa bundling: Strategies to boost profits in 2025 | The Check-In
