As part of Washington University’s Small Business Initiative class, I led a team of five analysts in developing a growth strategy for The Only Facial, a women-founded facial spa expanding into Dallas. We proposed “The Glow Club”, a loyalty program offering rotating monthly in-house products to increase customer retention, attract new clients, and strengthen brand recognition. Our work included financial modeling, customer review analysis, and consistent communication with the business owners to ultimately create a recommendation that aligned with their values of simplicity, affordability, and personalization.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
We first identified The Only Facial’s core challenges: low recognition in larger cities, difficulty in reaching Dallas customers, and limited customer loyalty in a competitive urban environment. To better understand the competitive environment, we researched price points and product offerings of popular facial spas in Dallas. To understand the customer, we analyzed Google/Yelp reviews and existing literature about Dallas consumer preferences, which showed that customers consistently valued the simple facial experience, transparent pricing, and product recommendations. This research revealed an opportunity to build loyalty through simple, already beloved skincare products.
RESEARCH
After synthesizing our research, we compared existing loyalty systems across beauty and wellness brands such as Ulta, finding that many relied on points or tiered awards. We recommended a more brand-consistent model: a product-of-the-month loyalty system called “The Glow Club”, rewarding repeat visits with curated in-house products. We ran financials on The Only Facial’s existing suppliers and in-house skincare stock, revealing favorable profit margins.
CREATION
Our final recommendation, The Glow Club, gave The Only Facial a scalable loyalty strategy designed to both reward repeat customers and attract new ones in Dallas. Ultimately, The Only Facial implemented a pilot run of our recommendation in Dallas, revealing a 25% increase in clientele retention.
IMPACT
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