With technology seeping into every nook and cranny of the industries, don’t you think it’s time the beauty industry adopts it too? The reasons are simple. You cannot let your business just be and expect it to thrive and gain a competitive edge. It’s only when you move with the stream (of technology), can you leverage the available avenues. Today, I am talking about mobile apps.
You’re missing out on loyal customers, brand awareness, better services, and a lot of money for that matter if you haven’t yet incorporated mobile apps into your business. Yes, it is that important.
The number one reason for that is – customers are always looking for convenient and seamless experiences. And as a business it is your responsibility to serve them with nothing but the best. This will not only build a better business customer relationship but also skyrocket your profits like never before. And who doesn’t want that?
Beauty industry is huge and in 2020 and beyond the graph will only go upwards. And you definitely don’t want to live by traditional methods of business.
In case you agree that there’s nothing more important than efficient customer experience for business, read along!
Here are some beauty facts for you –
- Women spend more than men when it comes to salon and spas – $3,756 a year (around $313 a month); men on average spend $2,928 per year
- The market opportunity is huge — health, beauty, wellness is a $100+ billion industry in the U.S.
So, now you have an idea of what you’re missing by not bringing salon mobile apps into the scene.
But how do Mobile Apps Build a Better Customer Experience for Salon and Spa Guests?
Mobile apps, for starters, can give your customers the convenient and efficient experience they are always looking for. And though there are so many ways in which apps can redefine the trajectory of your salon businesses, here are the 6 top ones for you to ponder over –
1. Online booking – This is definitely more important than you think. Without a mobile app, your customers will have one of the two options. They will either call you as per their convenience or they’ll walk-in directly. Now, calling might seem like a feasible option but if all the customers start calling- you’ll have to hire someone to attend the calls and he/she will have to explain your services, time and again. And walk-in would cause even more inconvenience than you can imagine. Online booking, on the other hand, is time-saving and cost-effective for both, you and your customers. Customers can access the app whenever required and can book an appointment at an available time slot that suits them the best. That means fewer calls and efficient process.
2. You Can Reduce ‘Wait Time’ With Your Salon Mobile App! -Wait time refers to the amount of time a job is sitting idle before the order is processed. Basically, the time you spend in handling callers and booking their appointments is actually your wait time. Because if you think – you can utilize that time to stay ahead of your competition. With a mobile app, your business will have no wait time as the job won’t ever sit idle. The customers will keep booking appointments on the go and you’ll keep serving them. And this, in turn, will save you the most precious resources a business has – time and money.
3. List Your Services In A Library Style Display For Clearer Understanding – It doesn’t matter if its a loyal customer or a new one. Without a mobile app, you’ll have to explain your list of services, time and again, to customers when they visit the salon or call to book an appointment. And that is not only time consuming but also confusing for the customer. They do not get a clear view of what you have in store for them. The mobile app, on the other hand, can help by providing a library-style display where all your services are clearly mentioned. Here, the customers as per their convenience can go through each service and decide which one they want to explore. Also isn’t it obvious that the customers will be interested in more services if they understand all the services in the first place? Not only this, you’ll be able to handle your customers in a more efficient manner. How? Because all those customers will know exactly what you offer and you won’t get confused by their demands.
4. Loyalty And Reward Programs On Mobile App For Beauty Salon – There’s no denying the fact that customers love rewards. And that is one of the reasons why mobile apps are more effective. It’s not just your service but also your business-customer relationship that helps in retaining your customers. And apps can help you master that. How? The concept of rewards and loyalty programs does that. Suppose there’s a customer who uses your services frequently wouldn’t you want them to know that you value them? One of the ways to do that is to give them special discounts(on occasions like birthdays) and offers for their loyalty. This always excites the customers and brings them back to you.
5. You Can Offer Your Customers with Cashless Mobile Payments – We are living in a cashless economy. More often than not we believe in digital payments because let’s face the fact no one carries the exact change. Digital mobile payments, thus, are a quick and convenient alternative using which customers can make exact payments in no time. This saves you from the trouble of maintaining records of payments and them (customers) from the hassle of carrying cash. What you can do here is integrate the common mobile wallet options with your app and include the options of credit/debit card or internet banking through which customers can make seamless payments.
6. Customer Management, Tracking, And Payment– All In One Mobile App – Businesses are not made up of one element. There are too many things involved in the process. From managing your customers, tracking their journey with you (how many times did they visit you or how loyal they are with your service) to maintain records of who paid what and when, there’s a lot that businesses need to take care of. All these seemingly simple tasks are difficult to process manually. And in the age of digitalization, you cannot afford to miss out on automating some of your business processes. Whether you want to follow up a customer or remind them of their appointment, without a mobile app it’s you have to do so. A mobile app, on the other hand, can send notifications to your customers when required . Also, the online payment option will without a doubt help you maintain correct records every single time.
Wrapping up – Mobile apps are a boon to businesses. And now you know how!
Without mobile apps, you’re not only missing out on customer acquisition but also customer retention. It is only by adopting the technological advancements and flowing with the stream, can you make your business thrive in the true sense.
Varsha Solanki is a Digital Marketing Strategist at Space-O Canada, a Software development company. She has 3 years of experience in the Information Technology industry. She spends her time reading about new trends in Digital Marketing and the latest technologies.
