Tricks to improving your business’s online platform

Beauty salons and spas that provide the ability to book online have a 29% higher turnover rate, according to Karolina Markan, salon development manager at salon software provider Phorest. This means that in our technologically proficient culture, websites and apps can no longer be supplements but are essential in creating a stronger presence in the digital market. A client making a late night emergency booking on a Sunday will seek a salon with a 24/7 real-time booking service.

Talking to salon software experts and experienced veterans in the field, here are some tricks to help create a more effective digital platform for your salon:

Trick #1: It’s important not to become desperate when there are empty appointments. Try something clever first. In January, the high street chain Timpson offered to dry clean suits for unemployed people who needed a clean outfit for an interview. Taking social media by storm, it brought in old clients and new. Connor Keppel, marketing manager at Phorest, recommends that if you offer a free service to people attending a job interview, there is a good chance that, not only will they come back, but they will tell friends and colleagues about how great your salon is. Advertise this both at your salon and on your social media, to encourage people to share it and generate exposure for your business.

Trick #2: Remove all currency symbols on your website. According to Keppel, when people see currency symbols like £ and $, they become defensive: “The reason people buy more when there is no currency symbol is that the euro, pound or dollar sign triggers a defence mechanism in our brain…a currency sign is a symbol of cost, not gain…it makes us automatically switch into a defence mode to protect our money.”

Trick #3: Embrace the Amazon effect. The reason online retail giant Amazon is so successful is because it gives its customers so many options when they are about to buy a product. With recommendations of related items and sections of what else you should purchase, buyers get pulled into what is known as ‘self-generated persuasion’. It is important to present all the options in front of the client when they are booking. If they can only see one treatment, then they are not likely to buy any more services, but if given a choice of multiple treatments, clients can select several and end up buying them all.