News: 1 in 4 Customers Avoid a Salon with No Online Booking Options, Reports Square

If you’re running a salon, you should not shy away from offering online booking options to your customers.

According to the latest The Future of Beauty trend report from Square, 25% of customers don’t visit a salon that doesn’t offer online booking options.

Even before the pandemic started, omnichannel booking was growing. And, during the pandemic, it has become a must. Customers now want beauty businesses to offer flexible booking options like text, chat, online, social media, etc.

If a business fails to implement omnichannel booking, many customers don’t hesitate to visit another salon.

The Future of Beauty Report from Square

Salons and spa centers were hit badly by the coronavirus pandemic. Business owners in the beauty industry are looking for answers to questions like how the industry is moving and what to expect in 2022? The Future of Beauty Report tries to answer questions like these.

Now, many customers like to know everything about the services they are going to get before entering a salon. In fact, 30% of customers, as reported in the Square report, wouldn’t go to a salon if it doesn’t have a website to view services.

Therefore, it is critical for beauty businesses to have informative websites that explain thoroughly about their services.

When it comes to making appointments with salons or spa centers, customers not only want online bookings but also automated systems to manage their bookings. So, beauty businesses should incorporate both.

20% of customers have booked appointments via text messages or chats, but not many beauty businesses have the capability to delight their customers at this front. According to the Square report, only 34% of salons or spa centers have the capability to allow their customers to do bookings via chats or texts.

The findings of the Square report indicate that having informative websites and adopting online bookings systems can increase sales in the beauty businesses.

The Role of Social Media

Social media plays an important role in the beauty industry. 19% of customers have booked appointments via social media, states the report. But a whopping 63% of beauty businesses have yet to implement a social media booking system.

Customers also use social media to buy products and interact with businesses.

According to the Square report:

• 47% of customers use social media to talk to their salon or stylist
• 28% customers have bought products from personal care businesses on social media

Posting regularly on social media, including booking links in your social posts, sharing shoppable Instagram posts, are a few proven ways to maximize the success of social media for your beauty business.

Willem Ave, GM at Square Appointments, said in a prepared statement

The beauty industry has changed immensely, giving businesses the opportunity to look at their operations and find ways to operate smarter and more efficiently. Merchants need to invest in digital solutions that enable them to automate their booking process, ensuring they never miss a sale while also providing the polished experience their clients expect.

Ramon’s Take

Ramon Ray, renowned small business growth expert, is an ardent advocate for online booking systems.

Ramon said,

Salon and spa centers can easily reduce their workload by implementing online booking systems. In addition to customers wanting them, online booking systems can maximize appointments as these systems work 24/7. More appointments means more sales.

Are you a solo beauty business owner and struggling to boost sales? You can download Grow Your Solo, which is packed with proven strategies to be a successful solo business owner.

About the Report

Square hired an independent research firm Wakefield Research to conduct the survey. The research included 500 spa and salon owners and 1000 consumers in the US. You can download the full report here.

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