If you have a salon or barbershop, you need to break new ground and keep up with the latest marketing trends. Whether you’ve got a barbershop with only one chair, a salon with 20 employees, or anything in between, it’s time for you to seek out new ways to retain and increase your client base.
A salon or barber mobile app may be a solution to make extra money. It doesn’t matter if you have a new business or an old one, going to mobile apps will make an enormous difference.
So let’s see why you need a mobile app for your business.
Scheduling appointments just got easier
How do your clients schedule their appointments at this time? If you don’t have a mobile app, I suppose there are two ways to schedule appointments. You can call us or make a personal appointment. Answering calls on the phone can work, but think for a minute what would happen if the phone didn’t ring all day.
Right now, you are interested in every time your phone rings. That’s because it is usually the signal that a customer is calling to schedule a meeting. But take a moment to think about how inefficient this is for your business in the long run. Some larger and busier rooms may have a receptionist who answers the phone and makes appointments during the day. How much does this employee’s salary cost you?
You can buy a mobile application with just a fraction of your salary and have other benefits in addition to the mobile booking function. Imagine how much time and money you would save if you didn’t answer the phone or pay someone to do it.
Configure your mobile application with a built-in calendar function. Users with the mobile application can view their agenda and book a meeting from their smartphones and tablets. This also makes it a lot easier for your clients as they can see your schedule visually, rather than just jotting down the times on the phone. In fact, when someone books a meeting through your mobile app, set it to request a deposit to use this point framework. That way, even if they don’t show up, you will get paid.
Increase customer loyalty
You can use your application to create a user loyalty program. Without an app, hair salons have to use punch cards or stamp systems. A customer must insert a small card with a punched hole each time they visit. After numerous visits, they will receive a free cut or a discounted service.
This is much easier to track from a mobile app. Also, along with your reward program, you have many other options when using an app. You do not have to find out any rewards for visits. The app can track what percentage shoppers spend per visit. You are now offering loyalty rewards backed by a spending threshold. This strategy rewards your best customers.
Someone who comes in infrequently for a quick haircut shouldn’t get the same reward as a client who wants a haircut, color, facial, and manicure, right? Customers participate in loyalty programs to save and receive rewards. Stores with reward programs are 82% more likely to attract more customers. So give them what they need. Additionally, 59% of respondents said that having a mobile app increases the likelihood of participating in a reward program.
As soon as the customer has reached a certain amount or the specified number of appointments, they can display and activate their reward directly from the app. Need not worry about losing your concession. Being able to track this from their mobile devices gives customers an incentive to come back. It also gives them a reason to spend extra money each time they visit.
If you have a hair salon, a client who normally only comes to the salon plans a haircut and shave because the extra money will bring him closer to a gift.
Stay in touch with your customers at all the times
How often do you see your customers? I know it varies, but some are likely to be every two weeks, while others are to be once a month or every two months. Some salons may have clients who are available once a week, while other salons may only see their clients a few times a year.
If you think about hair all day, it’s often easy for your clients to disappoint you. As we just discussed, using a mobile app to create a reward program can increase the likelihood of retaining that customer. But even so, they may find that you are hitting one of their competitors. But a mobile app lets you stay in touch with your customers even when they’re off duty.
A mobile application allows you to get in touch with your customers using push notifications. It can even serve as an idea for your clients to come back and get a new haircut or style something they saw on the app.
Set up mobile payments
The days of visiting a Cash only a hair salon are over. People don’t carry the maximum amount of cash they want. If you don’t accept credit cards and other electronic payment options, you will have a hard time finding a sustainable business model.
If your hair salon or barbershop has a mobile app, people don’t have to worry about cash or maybe their credit cards. In fact, they will leave their entire wallet at home. With an application, you can configure the function so that your customers save their MasterCard information in their personal profiles. Once available, your card will be charged automatically.
Give your customers many options to make life easier for them. They will be more willing to come back knowing that you will simply accept whatever type of payment they like best. Paying through a mobile app also makes it easy to track your purchase history, which goes back to the concept we discussed earlier some loyalty programs used to reward your biggest funders.
Combine your app with other mobile marketing tactics
Connect your application to Instagram, Facebook, and your other social media profiles. This can make it easier for your customers to fully enjoy their mobile experience. Use your application to generate traffic to your website and social pages. You will also use these platforms to expand downloads for your mobile app. All of these mobile marketing tactics will work together.
All photos and videos uploaded to your app should even be shared on your website and social sites. People want to interact with their hairdressers on social media.
Adding photos and videos to your social profiles every day can seem like a lot of work. You already have a busy client calendar, so I know it will sound overwhelming.
But now that you don’t have to pay anyone to answer the phone all day, you will have your social accounts and your application managed so that everything is working. You, and therefore the rest of the hairdressers in your salon or hairdresser, can have access to these accounts and be responsible for whoever has some free time between clients.
Conclusion
Your salon may be fine, but your one decision can definitely make it better. A mobile app makes your process more efficient. You will be willing to work longer hours instead of tedious tasks that your application can handle, such as scheduling appointments.
Even if creating the app will cost you some money upfront, it will be worth it at the end of the day with a high return on investment.
Your application will improve the customer experience. Create loyalty programs and always stay connected with your customer. The app will make your life easier and put extra money in your pocket.