Create packages to give a discount on bulk purchase appointments or to lock clients into paying for multiple appointments upfront. Clients buying a package get a code that can then be redeemed for individual appointments. These features are available on our Growing and Powerhouse plans.
In this guide:
Packages ⚓
How Packages Work
Appointment packages allow clients to pay for a several appointments at once. For example, you might offer clients the opportunity to "Get five appointments for the price of four!" When the client buys the package, they are given a code, which they can then use to schedule the appointments.
You have four options when deciding what a package will be redeemable for:
- Total Number of Appointments — You decide how many appointments the package is good for in total, and which types of appointments it can be used for. (The client can redeem the package for any combination of the selected appointment types, up to the total number of appointments you allow.)
- Total Number of Minutes — You set the total number of minutes and which types of appointments the package is good for. (For example, a 60-minute package could be used for four 15-minute appointments, two 30-minute appointments, or one 30-minute appointment and two 15-minute appointments.)
- Total Dollar Amount — The client buys the package for one amount, but can then use the code they receive to book a different (usually higher) amount’s worth of services. You choose which appointment types it can be used for. This is the only type of package that can be used for add-ons. Even if the add-ons have minutes associated, a Total Number of Minutes package will not subtract those minutes
- Unlimited Appointments — You select which appointment types the code is good for, and the client can go wild, booking as many appointments as they like.
How to Create a Package
- Go to Business Settings > Packages, Gifts & Subscriptions.
- Click the New Package button.
- Add a title.
- If you want the package to be private, check the box below the title field marked Keep hidden/private. (You’ll have to sends a direct link to clients to allow them to book this package if this option is checked.)
- Add a price.
- Add a picture and description, if you want to.
- Leave the Gift Certificate? box unchecked. (Unless you are creating a gift certificate, in which case read these instructions.)
- Add an expiration date.
- Select what the package is redeemable for.
- Click Add Package.
Gift Certificates⚓
Gift certificates work like packages, except that when clients purchase them, they'll get a certificate they can print out or digitally send to someone else.
Pro-tips:
- A gift certificate doesn't have to cover the whole cost of an appointment to be useful. A $10 gift certificate toward a $20 appointment means the recipient only has to pay $10.
- Gift certificates that are worth a set dollar amount can also be used toward the cost of add-ons.
- Gift certificates can be used for appointments and classes, but not packages, other gift certificates, or subscriptions.
How to create a gift certificate
- Go to Business Settings > Packages, Gift Certificates & Subscriptions.
- Click the New Gift Certificate button.
- Fill in the title and price.
- Optionally add a category, picture or description.
- If you want extra information to display on the certificate itself, fill out the Extra info shown on the certificate section.
- Choose an expiration date.
- Decide what the gift certificate will be redeemable for. These options are the same as options for packages. Click here to read how they work.
- Click the Add Package button.
How clients buy gift certificates
Gift certificates are listed in the same section as your other packages. You can control whether this is on your scheduling page or on a separate page. Click to read more about how to control where your packages are displayed.
When a client buys a gift certificate, the confirmation page includes a link to the gift certificate in the top left.
On the gift certificate page itself, there are options to print out the gift certificate or email it to the recipient. The recipient can then redeem the code on the certificate for appointments. Click here to learn more.
Where clients can find packages, gift certificates, and subscriptions⚓
Your packages, gift certificates, and subscriptions can be displayed on your client scheduling page or on a separate store page. If you opt for a separate store page, you can choose whether or not a link to the store page appears on your client scheduling page.
To control where your packages, gift certificates, and subscriptions are displayed:
- Go to Business Settings > Packages, Gifts & Subscriptions.
- Select the option you want from the list.
- Click Save.
You can also find your store link in Business Settings > Packages, Gifts & Subscriptions.
Purchasing or giving a package or gift certificate⚓
Purchasing from the admin side:
You can process client purchases of packages through the admin side. Here’s how:
- Go to your Appointment Calendar.
- Click the New button at the top of the page.
- On the form that appears, select the New Order option at the top.
- Select a package type.
- Enter the client’s name and email address.
- Select a payment method. You can mark the payment as cash, use a stored card, or enter a new card.
- Click the Pay Now button at the bottom.
Creating a package code for a client without requiring payment
You can also give a client a package by generating a code for them without charging. Here’s how:
- Go to Business Settings > Packages, Gift Certificates & Subscriptions.
- Click the Edit button next to the package you want to give to the client.
- Click the +Add Code button on the right.
- You can optionally use the Assign to a Client field to assign the code to an existing client or to an email address you enter.
- Click Add Code.
- Then (even if you assigned the code to a client) email them to let them know, including the code in your email.
Note: If you ask Acuity to export a list of all your orders, packages that were purchased from the admin side or the client side will be included, but codes that were generated without a payment will not be included.
Purchasing from the client side:
The client buys through your client scheduling page or store page, following steps similar to scheduling (but without having to pick dates and times). Click to learn about where your packages are listed.
Adding terms and conditions to packages and gift certificates⚓
You can require clients to agree to your terms and conditions before purchasing a package, gift certificate or subscription. To set this feature up, go to Business Settings > Packages & Gift Certificates. Check the box next to Require clients agree to your terms before placing an order.
A new field will appear, which will allow you to enter your wording. You can format your text, including using HTML. And if your terms and conditions are hosted on another site, you can link to that site.
Clients will have to agree to these terms before they can enter their payment information.
Checking appointments remaining on a package code⚓
To see how many appointments a client has left, across all the packages they have purchased:
- Go to the Client List.
- Click on the client’s name.
- A breakdown of any codes/packages the client has will be near the bottom of the client details.
To see how many appointments are left on packages of a specific type, across all the packages of that type that have been purchased:
- Go to Business Settings > Packages, Gift Certificates & Subscriptions.
- Click the Edit button to the right of the package you want to check.
- Active codes will be listed along the right side of the page, along with how many appointments are left on each.
What happens if there's a remainder left on a package ⚓
If your client has a package code redeemable for a dollar amount that they have a remainder left on after purchasing an appointment, they can use the remainder left on the package code for partial credit toward a subsequent booking.
- For example: You have a package for $70, good for $70 worth of an appointment type, and the appointment booked is $50, the client will have $20 remaining on their package code.
- The code can be applied toward the payment of another booking, with the remainder paid with a credit card from your Client's Scheduling Page.
- So the client would be charged $30 for the next appointment, with $20 on the code applied to that $50 appointment.
How to Export Orders⚓
You can export a list of orders you have received for packages and gift certificates. The list will export as a .csv file (which can be opened in Excel or Google Sheets). It will include all orders made through the Client Scheduling Page (but not codes generated from the admin end of Acuity). Only the first payment of a subscription will be listed. To export the list:
- Go to Business Settings > Packages, Gift Certificates & Subscriptions.
- Click the View Orders tab at the top.
- Click the Export Orders to Excel button in the top-right corner.
Your file will download to your device.
FAQ ⚓
After a client purchases a package or gift certificate from your online store page a code will be generated for the client to redeem for appointments and also a link for them to schedule their appointments.
- The code or email used to purchase is needed to redeem appointments on a package.
- The unique package code is included both on the final receipt page after purchasing, and in the email, along with a link to schedule the appointment in both.
- When using Add Code to manually generate a code, you can assign it to any email address. This will show the email in the list of codes so you can see easier who you generated it for.
- Clients can enter an email address in the code field instead of needing to have the exact random code, to redeem a certificate.
- When a code, or email associated with a package code is used towards an appointment, it will deduct that appointment from the balance of their package.
- After the client has used up all appointments on their code, their code will become invalid.
- When clients are scheduling an appointment they can enter a code on the second page right before paying or on the payment page. This will also remind them if they have any codes they can redeem for this appointment based on the email address they entered.
- Individual codes can be edited within a package or gift certificate and change:
- The expiration date for that individual code
- How many appointments the code can be redeemed for
- Which client the code is assigned to
Need More Help? ⚓
Creating Packages and Gift Certificates in your account:
Client-side purchasing and redemption process: