How Local Businesses Can Use the Two May Bank Holidays to Capture More Reviews and Repeat Visits

The late-spring bank holiday pair in May is a reliable spur for local trading: people plan short breaks, households spend more time out, and high streets bustle. For small businesses and SMEs this creates not only one-off footfall but an opportunity to build local proof — more reviews and a higher rate of repeat visits — if you plan the right customer-touch tactics across the two long weekends.

This piece shows how local businesses can use the two may bank holidays to capture more reviews and repeat visits with practical, lawful steps you can apply whether you run a café, salon, trades business or independent shop.

H2: Think in three phases — before, during and after

A short, sequential plan works best because the consecutive holidays let you engineer follow-up moments. Split activity into: pre-holiday (raise awareness and collect permissions), in-visit (deliver experience and make it easy to leave feedback), and post-visit (follow up, incentivise second visits and nurture loyalty).

H3: Pre-holiday — prime your audience and collect consent

• Promote a reason to return: advertise a late-May offer, a loyalty stamp, or an event that encourages customers to book again. Publicise it in-store, on your social channels and by email/SMS to existing customers.
• Ask for marketing consent: GDPR matters. Use your May communications to invite customers to opt in for follow-up messages about exclusive bank-holiday offers or priority bookings. Capture opt-ins at point of sale (paper or digital) so you can legally message them after the first holiday.
• Prepare simple one-click review routes: generate short URLs or QR codes that link to your review channels or a feedback form. Print them on receipts, till prompts and table tents so staff can hand them out during the holiday.

H3: During the holidays — make feedback frictionless and memorable

• Train a short ask: frontline staff should be comfortable asking for feedback: “Did you enjoy that? If so, would you mind leaving a quick review? Here’s a QR code.” Keep it polite, brief and optional.
• Minimise friction: QR codes on receipts, table stands, or stickers on takeaway packaging make leaving reviews or signing up for offers painless. A short landing page or feedback form that works on phones is essential.
• Create a repeat-visit hook at point of sale: issue loyalty stamps, offer a “book now for the late-May bank holiday and get 10% off” voucher, or give a card with a simple offer redeemable on return. Time-limited, tangible incentives work better than vague promises.
• Capture situational data: ask a simple question on a feedback form about what brought them in (walk-in, social post, local event). That information helps you refine offers between the two holidays.

H2: Post-visit — follow up smartly to convert one-offs into repeat custom

• Send a friendly thank-you message: for customers who opted in, send an SMS or email within 48 hours thanking them, linking to review pages and offering an incentive for a return visit. Keep incentives generalized (e.g. 10% off next purchase) rather than conditional on leaving a positive review — that risks breaching CMA guidance.
• Offer a timed incentive for return: a “return within three weeks for a 15% discount” creates urgency before the second bank holiday. Make the offer easy to redeem — a code or a stamped card.
• Use micro-segmentation: if you captured whether customers were new or regulars, tailor messages. New customers might get a welcome voucher; regulars could receive an exclusive pre-booking window.

H2: Tactics that work by sector (practical examples)

• Cafés and restaurants: hand out a printed card with a QR code for reviews and a “bring this back for 20% off a cake” sticker. For bookings, offer a priority table-booking code for the second bank holiday to anyone who leaves an email address.
• Retail and boutiques: include a short feedback postcard in bags that customers can drop in a box for an instant small token (a discount on that day’s purchase), plus an email follow-up with a VIP return offer.
• Salons and personal services: combine appointment follow-ups by SMS with a link for a review and an early-bird booking slot for the next holiday weekend. Loyalty cards work particularly well here.
• Trades and local services: after a job, send a personalised thank-you text with a link to a review page and an incentive to book a maintenance visit within a set period.

H2: Be lawful and ethical about reviews and incentives

• Do not offer payment or reward in exchange for positive reviews. The CMA and platforms prohibit incentivising positive feedback. You can encourage reviews and offer general incentives for returning customers, but never tie the reward to a positive rating.
• Be transparent: ask for consent before adding customers to your marketing list and make it easy for them to opt out.
• Respond to feedback quickly and politely. Public replies to reviews show you care; private follow-ups can solve problems and save relationships before they become negative reviews.

H2: Measure what matters and iterate

• Track conversion: how many customers who received a QR code or voucher returned for the second bank holiday? Which messages produced most bookings? Simple tracking — unique codes, dedicated landing pages or different SMS links — will tell you.
• Monitor sentiment, not just quantity: a rise in one-star reviews is valuable data. Use feedback to fix recurring issues (speed of service, staff knowledge, stock levels) before the second holiday.
• Learn for the year ahead: the May pair offers a condensed test-and-learn window. Document which offers worked, what messaging got opt-ins and which staff techniques led to more reviews.

H2: Partnerships amplify reach

Pair with a nearby complementary business for cross-promotion — a bakery and a florist, or a pub and a local events company. Shared offers and reciprocal vouchers can turn single visits into micro-customer journeys across the high street.

The two May bank holidays are a short, tactical runway for building local proof and repeat business. With a simple three-phase plan, easy-to-use review routes, lawful incentives for return visits and quick measurement, small businesses can turn holiday footfall into lasting local loyalty.