Recently, one of our friends went to a nearby salon to get a regular haircut. After waiting there for almost an hour, it was his turn. He simply asked the hairstylist to trim the hair, giving him a style that best suits his face. The hairstylist was pretty sure that a trending hairstyle would suit him, but he was shocked when the hairstylist chopped off most of his hair. The hairstyle was heartbreaking and he was disappointed.
This is an incident that made him a subject of mockery for a long. Unfortunately, most of us have faced this situation at least once in a lifetime where even after waiting long, you couldn’t get the hairstyle that you’ve been longing for.
At the same time, handling many customers at the same time creates havoc for salon owners who are unwilling to attend each customer with the attention they need. Apart from this, the biggest challenge that lies in the salon business is customer retention. Of course, to attract customers, you need to have customer-friendly services and policies. Something like how you deal with emergency appointments or the cashless transactions you allow, access to local deals and offers, or instant notifications on discounts, and a lot more.
Mobile apps can help salon owners solve this issue.
Today, most of the customers first google the best nearby salon and then probably choose one according to the ratings, availability, and cost. After all, it is always convenient to unlock your mobile phone and find the best deal nearby your proximity rather than traveling nearly 5 miles and coming back with disappointment due to the unavailability of your favorite beautician.
A simple and robust mobile app for a beauty salon is the best way to overcome the challenges and get better traffic in your salon. But how to build an app that attracts users? Simple- give the vital features that enhance the customer experience.
Let’s help you narrow down the list of features for you.
6 Important Features of the Salon Booking Application
Every Salon owner provides a different set of services to its customer, but if we talk in general, the below set of features shall be considered by every salon owner to ease the transition of the customer on the mobile application:
1. Account Setup for Customers
The customers can set up their account in the app by registering their name, contact details, and email id. But, allow them to sign up via social media accounts to make it easier for them.
2. Book Online Appointments
Don’t you, as a salon owner, struggle to book appointments on call? For some of you, it might also be required to hire a resource that helps you cater to customers’ queries or book appointments over the phone calls. But with online booking features in the app- you can let your customers book appointments on the go. That’s a significant benefit to be ahead of your competition.
3. List Services in a Library-Style Display
When you get customers who come up with different styling demands, how do you handle them? Say anyone can query about the latest trends in a haircut or throws a request like- “I need a nail art…” Or “I want a haircut, but not too drastic…!” These queer requests can be handled if you already have an app database filled with choices to lure customers. You can create a simple UI where you can showcase current trends in hairstyles, pretty manicures, and massage trends. That way, you are giving your users a clear choice to make.
4. Multiple Payment Processing Systems
In-app payment gateway integration helps the customer to pay the salon for the services through multiple options like PayPal, online net banking, stripe, credit cards, debit cards, and bitcoins.
5. Real-Time Pop Up Notifications
Real-time notifications bring customers the most up-to-date information about the salon’s offerings, special services, or discounts. Moreover, it helps you boost customer engagement. Make sure you add this feature to your app.
6. Ratings and Feedback Management System
The customers can rate and review the salon as well as staff according to their experience with the services. Good feedback boosts the confidence of the staff and also gets you more and more customers.
But that’s not it. One could also go for advanced features like AI-based assistant implementation and a lot more. To figure out the best features for your salon app, reach out to our team for a FREE 30-minute consultation.
Conclusion
But the above list of features means nothing until you have a full team to build an app. At Matellio, we have significant experience in creating mobile applications for different industry verticals including the beauty industry. We have best-in-class experts and experienced testers who ensure an error-free application with advanced and reliable functionalities. If you need more information over mobile app development, reach us today and get a free 30-minute consultation over your project. To start now, click here.
