Birthday Notifications and Customer Engagement

10-15 minutes

Tutorial 10.2: Birthday Notifications and Customer Engagement

Introduction

Birthday messages are a simple but powerful way to make customers feel valued and drive bookings. A well-timed birthday greeting, especially one that includes a special offer, can turn an inactive customer into a regular visitor and strengthen loyalty among your existing clientele.

Luminate's birthday notification system automatically sends personalised greetings to customers on or around their birthday. You choose when to send them (on the day, a few days before, or after), what channel to use (email or SMS), and what message template to use. You can even set up multiple birthday notifications at different times.

This tutorial shows you how to configure birthday notifications and use them as part of your customer engagement strategy.

Who this is for: Salon owners, administrators, and managers who want to build customer loyalty and drive birthday bookings.

What you'll learn:

How birthday notifications work in Luminate
Setting up birthday notifications via email or SMS
Choosing the right timing for birthday messages
Managing multiple birthday notifications
Understanding marketing consent requirements
Ideas for effective birthday campaigns

Time to complete: 10-15 minutes

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Owner, Admin, or Manager role access
Customer records with birth dates entered
Customers with marketing consent enabled (birthday messages are marketing, not transactional)
Birthday notification templates created (or plan to use defaults)
For SMS: sufficient SMS credits in your account

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Navigate to Birthday Notifications

From any page in Luminate, click Notifications in the main sidebar menu
Ensure the Configuration tab is selected
Scroll down to find the Birthday Notifications section

You'll see a description noting that birthday notifications require marketing consent - this is important to understand before proceeding.

Step 2: Understand Marketing Consent Requirements

Birthday notifications are classified as marketing communications because they often include promotional offers and aren't essential for service delivery. This means:

Only customers who have opted in to marketing will receive birthday messages
Customers set their marketing consent when their profile is created or updated
You can check individual customer consent in the Communication Preferences section of their profile
Sending to customers without consent could violate GDPR and marketing regulations

To maximise your birthday campaign reach, encourage customers to opt in to marketing communications when they visit or book online.

Step 3: Add Your First Birthday Notification

In the Birthday Notifications section, click Add Birthday Notification

A dialog appears with four configuration options:

Type - Choose the notification channel:

Email - Free, allows longer messages with images and formatting
SMS - Costs credits, but has immediate impact

Template - Select a birthday message template:

Only templates categorised as "Birthday" type will appear
If none exist, you'll see a note that the default will be used
See Tutorial 10.3 to create custom birthday templates

When to Send - Choose the timing relative to the birthday:

Option	Description
1 week before	Send a "birthday coming up" message
3 days before	Pre-birthday reminder
1 day before	"Tomorrow is your birthday!"
On birthday	Send on the actual day
1 day after	Belated birthday greeting
3 days after	Extended birthday wishes
1 week after	Late birthday greeting

Send Time - Choose what time of day to send:

Enter a time in 24-hour format (e.g., 09:00 for 9am)
The time uses your salon's configured timezone
Morning times (9:00-10:00) typically have good engagement

Click Create to save your birthday notification

Step 4: View Your Birthday Notifications

After creating a notification, it appears in the Birthday Notifications table with:

Column	Shows
Timing	When it's sent (e.g., "On birthday", "1 day before")
Send Time	The scheduled time of day
Type	Email or SMS badge
Template	The template name, or "Default birthday template"
Enabled	Toggle switch to activate/deactivate
Actions	Edit and Delete buttons

Step 5: Create a Multi-Touch Birthday Campaign

For maximum impact, consider sending multiple birthday messages. Here's an effective approach:

Pre-Birthday Teaser (1 week before, Email)

Build anticipation with "Your birthday is coming up!"
Mention that a special treat awaits
Include a booking link

Birthday Day Message (On birthday, SMS)

Send a personal "Happy Birthday!" greeting
Include a time-limited offer (e.g., "20% off this week")
Keep it short and celebratory

Reminder (3 days after, Email)

If they haven't booked, send a gentle reminder
"We'd love to pamper you for your birthday - offer ends soon!"

To set this up, simply add three separate birthday notifications with different timings.

Step 6: Enable or Disable Birthday Notifications

Use the toggle switch in the Enabled column to control each notification:

Toggle ON - Notification is active and will be sent
Toggle OFF - Notification is saved but won't be sent

This is useful for:

Seasonal adjustments (pause during quiet periods)
A/B testing different approaches
Temporarily disabling without losing your configuration

Step 7: Edit a Birthday Notification

To modify an existing notification:

Find it in the Birthday Notifications table
Click Edit in the Actions column
Update any settings: channel, template, timing, or send time
Click Update to save changes

Step 8: Delete a Birthday Notification

To remove a notification:

Click Delete in the Actions column
Confirm by clicking Delete in the dialog
The notification is permanently removed

Common Pitfalls

"No customers are receiving birthday notifications"

Check these common causes:

Missing birth dates - Customer profiles need a birth date entered
Marketing consent - Customers must have marketing communications enabled
Notification disabled - Verify the toggle switch is ON
No valid contact info - Email notifications need an email address; SMS needs a phone number

"I want to include a discount code but it's the same for everyone"

Currently, Luminate sends the same message to all birthday recipients. For personalised codes, consider using template tokens like {first_name} and setting up a general birthday discount code in your booking system that's valid during each customer's birthday month.

"Some customers received two birthday messages"

If you have multiple birthday notifications set up at different times, each one will send separately. Review your notification list to ensure you don't have duplicates at the same timing.

Tips and Best Practices

Capture birth dates consistently - Train staff to ask for birth dates during booking or check-in. You can't send birthday notifications without this information.
Make consent easy - When customers update their preferences via the QR code or email link, the marketing opt-in is clearly presented. Mention the birthday perks!
Include a clear offer - Birthday messages perform much better when they include a concrete benefit:
- Percentage discount (e.g., "20% off your birthday visit")
- Free add-on service (e.g., "Complimentary conditioning treatment")
- Gift (e.g., "Collect your birthday gift when you visit")
Set an expiry - Create urgency by limiting when the offer can be used (e.g., "Valid during your birthday week" or "Use within 14 days").
Personalise your templates - Use tokens like {first_name} to make messages feel personal, not mass-produced.
Test your timing - Morning messages (9-10am) often work well for emails, while early afternoon (12-1pm) can be effective for SMS during lunch breaks.
Track results - Note which customers book after receiving birthday messages to measure the campaign's effectiveness.
Consider your brand voice - A formal salon might send "We'd like to wish you a wonderful birthday", while a trendy salon might say "Happy birthday, gorgeous! Time to treat yourself!"

Frequently Asked Questions

Do birthday notifications count as transactional or marketing?

Birthday notifications are marketing communications. They're not essential for delivering a booked service, so they require explicit marketing consent from the customer.

What if a customer doesn't have a birth date in their profile?

They won't receive birthday notifications. The system only sends to customers with a valid birth date on file.

Can I send a gift voucher automatically as a birthday present?

Currently, the birthday notification system sends messages only - it doesn't automatically create gift vouchers. However, you could include a unique code in your template that staff can apply manually when the customer books.

How many birthday notifications can I set up?

You can add as many as you like, though we recommend no more than three (before, on, and after) to avoid overwhelming customers.

What happens if a customer has a birthday during a salon closure (e.g., Christmas)?

The system will still attempt to send the notification. If your salon is closed for extended periods, consider temporarily disabling birthday notifications or adjusting your offer validity period.

Are birthday notifications sent for staff members too?

No, birthday notifications only go to customers. Staff birthdays would need to be managed separately.

Can I see a list of upcoming birthdays?

Currently, Luminate doesn't have a dedicated upcoming birthdays report. You could export your customer list and sort by birth date to identify upcoming birthdays manually.

Last Updated: January 2026