What is SpaBreaks.com’s value proposition for customers and spa partners?

For consumers: discovery across hundreds of venues, one-stop convenience for comparison and booking, and strong value via offers and a loyalty program. For partners: incremental demand, yield management through dynamic pricing and packaging, and operational digitization via integrations with spa reservation systems.

How did SpaBreaks.com complete its digital shift from phone to web?

By focusing on supply availability and packaging, upgrading site UX and checkout to lift conversion, and deepening API/channel-manager integrations to expose real-time inventory. As a result, online penetration surpassed 90% and site conversion improved significantly year over year.

How does Marc-André balance brand and performance marketing?

He treats the funnel as one system, aligning commercial and marketing under shared KPIs and reporting. SpaBreaks measures blended CAC and LTV by source, invests in upper-funnel to create demand, and verifies its impact as lower-funnel ROAS improvements and reduced future acquisition costs.

What are ‘venue-funded sales’ and why do they work?

Three times a year, SpaBreaks pairs brand-led campaigns with partner-funded offers across a substantial portion of supply. This alignment builds category awareness while delivering immediate direct-response performance, turning brand spend into a near-term ROI engine.

How is SpaBreaks making wellness more inclusive and accessible?

The company merchandises accessible price points (e.g., Spa Days Under £100), uses inclusive creative, and clearly labels cancer-safe and menopause-friendly venues and treatments. The goal is to remove perceived barriers so more people consider spa experiences as part of everyday wellness.

What metrics matter most in SpaBreaks’ growth model?

Blended CAC, cohort-based LTV by source, conversion rate, and supply availability. Reporting is built to be finance-grade so brand and performance decisions can be evaluated on common economic terms, not channel silos.

How is SpaBreaks adapting to AI-driven changes in search and SEO?

By reducing reliance on organic search alone, strengthening brand equity, and growing direct demand via lifecycle marketing, loyalty, and owned channels. The strategy builds resilience as conversational AI shifts how consumers discover experiences.

What consumer and market trends are shaping SpaBreaks’ strategy for 2025?

Wellness is becoming mainstream among younger audiences, economic uncertainty is increasing value-conscious behavior, and AI is reshaping discovery. SpaBreaks responds by maintaining transparent pricing, accessible packages, and brand investments that compound performance efficiency.

Noibu blog

From marketplace strategy to SpaBreaks’ digital success: Insights from Marc-André Hade

Q: Who is Marc-André Hade and what is SpaBreaks.com?

Marc-André Hade is the Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreaks.com, the UK’s leading marketplace for spa and wellness experiences. The platform connects consumers with 500+ partner spas and has transformed from a call-center model to a digital-first business with over 90% of bookings online.

Q: How does SpaBreaks drive repeat bookings in a low-frequency category?

With SpaBreaks Rewards, a cashback program designed to convert first-time buyers into their second booking—often the inflection point for lifetime value. The approach prioritizes first-order profitability and uses targeted incentives to accelerate retention.

Megan Glover

October 23, 2025

Industry interviews

Get the full episode here

TL;DR — What you'll learn:

How Marc-André Hade, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreaks.com, helped transform a call-center model into a digital-first marketplace for spa and wellness experiences
Why supply excellence—availability, packaging, and dynamic pricing—is the foundation of SpaBreaks’ growth playbook
How aligning marketing and commercial teams around shared KPIs turned brand campaigns into performance engines that boost lower-funnel ROAS
How SpaBreaks drives retention in a low-frequency category through its cashback loyalty program and “hook the second booking” strategy
How the brand is democratizing wellness with accessible price points, inclusive messaging, and education initiatives around cancer-safe and menopause-friendly spas
Why Marc-André views brand as a growth multiplier—the key to balancing upper-funnel investment with disciplined, data-backed performance marketing
The macro trends shaping 2025: AI’s impact on SEO, the mainstream rise of wellness, and the growing value-conscious consumer

Published by Noibu | The Ecommerce Toolbox: Expert Perspectives
Guest: Marc-André Hade, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreaks
‍‍Host: Kailin Noivo, Co-Founder at Noibu

🎧 Listen to the full conversation on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube

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The strategic question for every marketplace leader

When your company already leads its category, what actually drives the next stage of growth?

For Marc-André Hade, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreaks.com, the answer wasn’t “more ads” or “more channels.” It was discipline — aligning every lever of growth around one shared system: supply availability, conversion health, and full-funnel marketing performance.

SpaBreaks.com is now the UK’s largest spa marketplace, having evolved from a call-center operation into a 90%-online business. The growth story isn’t about digital transformation alone — it’s about how Hade built a marketplace playbook that applies to any ecommerce leader managing complexity, category creation, and scale.

“The fundamentals never change — balance supply and demand, stay disciplined on economics, and understand the category beyond your brand.”
— Marc-André Hade, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreak

1. Marketplaces don’t win on demand — they win on availability

Every ecommerce executive obsesses over traffic. Fewer talk about availability — and that’s the blind spot that caps growth.

When Hade joined SpaBreaks, supply was already deep: 500+ spa partners, healthy penetration, and strong coverage. But the growth unlock wasn’t more partners — it was better inventory readiness.

“It’s always availability, availability, availability. You can’t capture demand that can’t transact.”
— Marc-André Hade, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreak

For ecommerce operators, this translates to:

Audit real-time stock and bookability, not just total listings.
Integrate upstream systems (APIs, reservation managers, feed updates) so your product truly is available when users browse.
Build dynamic pricing or packages that create elasticity when demand shifts.

Availability doesn’t sound sexy — but it’s where marketplaces silently win.

2. Align your revenue engine: brand + performance + commercial

Most ecommerce orgs are structured in silos: brand marketing builds awareness, performance marketing drives ROAS, and commercial teams own conversion or margin.

Hade merged them.

“I have all the growth levers under my scope — marketing and commercial. It forces alignment. One vision, shared KPIs.”
— Marc-André Hade, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreak

The payoff: SpaBreaks’ “venue-funded sales” campaigns — three annual marketing pushes where 25–35% of spa partners offer special packages, paired with upper-funnel brand investment. The result is a double flywheel:

Upper funnel builds category awareness.
Partner-funded offers drive immediate conversion.
ROAS improves both short and long term.

For leaders, this is the new full-funnel model: brand is the accelerator; performance is the steering wheel. If you separate them, you’ll forever fight between “storytelling” and “sales.”

3. Measure discipline, not just growth

Marc-André’s career — at eBay, TheFork, and now SpaBreaks — is a masterclass in disciplined growth. His north star metric? LTV:CAC.

In a category where customers might only book a few times a year, SpaBreaks still ensures profitability on first order. Loyalty programs (7% cashback on the second booking) are designed not to chase vanity retention, but to cross the 1→2 booking threshold that predicts long-term value.

For senior operators, that’s the takeaway:

Design retention levers that have economic logic, not just engagement appeal.
Know which transaction triggers LTV acceleration.
Treat loyalty as a profitability tool, not a CRM campaign.

4. Expand your category by lowering perception barriers

When growth flattens, most brands double down on acquisition. SpaBreaks went the other way — they grew by expanding the definition of the market itself.

The insight: spa breaks were perceived as a “luxury,” not an accessible form of wellness. Hade’s team reframed the category through campaigns like “Spa Days Under £100”, inclusive imagery, and educational content around cancer-safe and menopause-friendly treatments.

“We’re democratizing wellness — showing that self-care isn’t an indulgence, it’s for everybody.”
— Marc-André Hade, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreak

This isn’t just purpose-driven marketing; it’s category engineering. By broadening relevance, SpaBreaks didn’t just steal share — they grew the pie.

For executives, the takeaway is simple:
You don’t grow categories by adding SKUs. You grow them by removing psychological friction.

5. The data stack behind sustainable growth

Behind SpaBreaks’ conversion gains (+35% YoY) sits operational detail: API integrations with partner systems, automated availability updates, and constant site optimization.

But what stands out is how the team prioritizes data: not vanity dashboards, but a few high-impact metrics that connect the funnel:

Blended CAC (brand + performance combined)
Cohort-based LTV (by acquisition source)
Conversion efficiency (site + checkout)

It’s not the volume of data — it’s the discipline of interpretation. Hade’s team doesn’t chase “attribution purity”; they chase directional clarity that lets brand and finance speak the same language.

“The gold standard for reporting isn’t marketing — it’s finance. You need to speak their language.”
— Marc-André Hade, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreak

6. The next macro shifts every ecommerce leader should watch

Hade closed with a sober assessment of what’s ahead:

AI is changing discovery faster than SEO can adapt. LLMs and chat assistants will cut organic traffic for many categories. Brands must own demand directly through loyalty, lifecycle, and brand equity.
Wellness is going mainstream. Younger consumers view wellness as routine, not luxury — a rising tide for the entire category.
Value consciousness is the new loyalty. Transparency and perceived fairness now drive repeat rate more than discounts.

For ecommerce leaders, the message is clear: brand is your algorithm defense.

7. The executive takeaway: disciplined ecosystems outperform experimental ones

Marc-André’s leadership lesson is deceptively simple: growth comes from systems, not stunts.

Availability drives conversion.
Alignment multiplies ROI.
Brand builds resilience.
Discipline sustains scale.

“There’s no silver bullet. It’s alignment, discipline, and a team moving toward one vision.”
— Marc-André Hade, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreak

The result? SpaBreaks isn’t just digitizing wellness — it’s redefining what operational excellence looks like in a low-frequency, high-value marketplace.

Key insights for ecommerce executives

Availability is the hidden growth lever. Traffic is useless if you can’t transact.
Align brand, performance, and commercial under one P&L. That’s how full-funnel ROI actually works.
Retention is a math problem, not a vibe. Profitability must anchor every loyalty move.
Build categories, not campaigns. Growth comes from reframing who your product is for.
Brand is the antidote to algorithm risk. In an AI-driven landscape, trust and memory replace clicks.

💡 Key Takeaways for Ecommerce Executives

Challenge	Marc-André’s Approach	Strategic Outcome
Scaling digital adoption in a legacy category	Completed the shift from call-center bookings to a 90%+ online marketplace with integrated partner APIs	Frictionless transactions, higher conversion, and a scalable tech-driven model
Balancing brand and performance spend	Merged commercial and marketing under one vision; measured blended CAC and LTV across the funnel	Brand campaigns boost ROAS and lower future acquisition costs
Low-frequency customer behavior	Introduced SpaBreaks Rewards—7% cashback to drive second-booking retention	Higher repeat rates and first-order profitability in a low-frequency market
Perception of spas as “luxury only”	Launched accessible campaigns like “Spa Days Under £100” and inclusive filters for cancer-safe and menopause-friendly treatments	Expanded total addressable market and strengthened brand inclusivity
Dependence on search traffic amid AI disruption	Invested in brand equity and direct demand channels to offset declining SEO reach	Greater resilience to algorithm shifts and stronger customer loyalty
Fragmented teams and metrics	Unified growth functions under shared KPIs: supply, conversion, and ROI	Cross-functional alignment and faster decision-making across the funnel

Listen to the full episode now

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Marc-André Hade and what is SpaBreaks.com?

Marc-André Hade is the Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at SpaBreaks.com, the UK’s leading marketplace for spa and wellness experiences. The company connects over 500 partner spas with millions of consumers, transforming a call-center business into a 90%+ digital marketplace.

What makes SpaBreaks.com a true marketplace?

SpaBreaks balances a two-sided model: helping consumers discover and book spa packages easily, while driving incremental revenue and yield optimization for spa partners. Dynamic pricing, real-time availability, and integrated reservation APIs make it a fully digital, scalable marketplace.

How did SpaBreaks complete its digital transformation?

The business shifted from being phone-first to web-first by optimizing conversion, digitizing inventory, and integrating directly with partner systems. The result: 35%+ YoY conversion growth and over 90% of all bookings now happening online.

How does Marc-André align brand and performance marketing?

He merged commercial and marketing teams under one growth system with shared KPIs—balancing upper-funnel brand building with lower-funnel efficiency. SpaBreaks runs venue-funded sales three times a year, co-investing in awareness while partners offer short-term value, aligning both brand and ROI.

How does SpaBreaks drive repeat bookings in a low-frequency market?

Through its SpaBreaks Rewards program, customers receive 7% cashback on their second booking—a key inflection point for retention. The strategy ensures profitability on first acquisition while incentivizing the crucial “first-to-second” booking that builds long-term LTV.

What’s SpaBreaks doing to make wellness more inclusive?

The brand runs initiatives like “Spa Days Under £100” to democratize access, and highlights cancer-safe and menopause-friendly spas to remove barriers to participation. Inclusive visuals and body-positive storytelling reinforce the idea that spa experiences are for everyone.

How is SpaBreaks adapting to AI and SEO disruption?

Marc-André sees AI reshaping discovery: fewer traditional search clicks, more conversational queries. His response: build brand equity and direct demand through loyalty, email, and social, reducing reliance on Google’s algorithms for traffic.

What’s the role of data in SpaBreaks’ decision-making?

The team focuses on a few critical KPIs—blended CAC, cohort-based LTV, and conversion rate—to drive clarity and alignment. Data connects marketing, finance, and operations, ensuring every growth move has measurable ROI and business impact.

What are the biggest consumer trends shaping the wellness category?

Three stand out: (1) Wellness is going mainstream, especially among younger audiences; (2) Consumers are becoming more value-conscious post-pandemic; and (3) Experiences that feel accessible and personalized outperform those that feel luxury-only.

What’s Marc-André Hade’s biggest leadership takeaway for ecommerce executives?

Alignment and discipline beat complexity. Sustainable growth comes from integrating teams, metrics, and incentives—so brand, performance, and supply operate as one system. In Marc-André’s words: “One vision, shared priorities, shared KPIs—that’s how you accelerate growth.”