Spa Specials is a bespoke platform developed by Digital Solutions to connect customers with spas, treatments and offers. It provides a useful example of the decisions involved in building a marketplace for experiences rather than physical products.
What can customers do with Spa Specials?
Customers can discover nearby spas, explore treatments and purchase spa experiences or gift vouchers. The journey brings information and purchasing together, helping customers understand an offer before choosing it.
How does the platform support spa businesses?
Participating businesses can present their services and manage special offers. An administration panel provides a central place to manage spas, listings, purchases and customer information. The customer-facing experience therefore has an operational system behind it.
How is a spa marketplace different from a booking calendar?
A calendar primarily organises appointment availability. A marketplace helps customers discover providers and compare experiences. A gift voucher introduces another journey because the purchaser and the person receiving the treatment may be different people.
A business planning a similar product should decide whether buying an experience also reserves an appointment. Those are separate actions and should be explained clearly rather than assumed to be interchangeable.
What information makes an offer useful?
For a new marketplace, describe what is included, where the experience takes place and how the customer uses their purchase. Any agreed restrictions, expiry terms and booking steps should be easy to find before payment.
Decide who maintains these details and how changes reach customers who have already purchased. These requirements should be agreed with participating businesses as part of the specification.
Can this approach work for another industry?
The same planning approach can support other experience marketplaces, but the rules need to match the service. Digital Solutions can help define the customer journey, provider tools and administration requirements for your own platform.