Posted by Jenny
In recent years, salons and their clients have faced monumental changes and challenges. With uncertainty, rapid shifts, and market volatility, a slowing economy presents yet another test for salon businesses across the UK. As you prepare to navigate a potential recession, fine-tuning your salon management to capture as much revenue as possible is mission-critical. So, where should you start? We recommend focusing on your salon checkout process and online booking system.
Amid increased inflation and an economic slowdown, the speed, security, and convenience of your salon payment system are paramount. Unfortunately, many checkouts fall short. A recent study from our partner Stripe, a global leader in payments infrastructure, reveals that checkout problems are common and widespread across all regions and industries, including the beauty industry. Stripe’s global survey of 1,600 businesses found that 95% of leading e-commerce sites make five or more basic errors in their checkouts, impacting customer retention and salon revenue.
60% of shoppers say they will abandon their cart if checkout takes more than 2 minutes, yet the average checkout takes 3 minutes.
85% of online shoppers frequently abandon their cart if their preferred payment method is not offered.
57% of subscription sites do not offer a free trial, which would allow users to try a product or service before they buy.
These numbers indicate that many clients encounter friction at checkout—often causing them not to complete the transaction. For hair salons, beauty salons, and spa businesses, losing out on transactions due to a clunky online payment system or missed sales opportunities isn’t a minor inconvenience. It means leaving money on the table and potentially losing a client forever. In today’s economic environment, offering a seamless customer experience isn’t a luxury—it’s essential. If your salon is like the overwhelming majority of businesses, it could probably use some refining to boost salon sales and improve client satisfaction.
Based on findings from its global survey, Stripe has identified four areas of focus for businesses looking to improve their checkouts and key ways to optimise for conversion. Here are Stripe’s top tips to tune up your salon booking software and checkout process:
Put yourself in your client’s shoes for a moment. We’ve all been there: You’ve done your research, compared salon services, and made your selection. The item or service is in your online cart, and you’re ready to buy. Then, you get to the checkout form—and it stops you in your tracks. If a slow or complicated checkout caused you to give up on the transaction, you’re hardly alone. In Stripe’s survey, 60% of clients said they give up on a purchase after two minutes, while the average length of checkout takes three minutes.
Optimise your salon checkout flow and eliminate any areas of friction or barriers that might cause clients to take their business elsewhere. Capture more revenue by making buying easier for clients—allow them to save their payment information for faster checkout in the future, upsell and cross-sell with salon product recommendations, and if clients abandon their purchase, send them a reminder to complete the transaction. This can significantly improve salon client retention and online conversion rates.
Offering the payment methods your clients prefer is essential for any modern salon. But it’s not as simple as merely adding one or two of the top new methods to your checkout. As payment methods become more diverse and client preferences evolve, it’s imperative to stay current with how and when your clients want to pay. This requires a targeted approach—adding payment methods that are popular in the regions where you’re selling and with your particular clients.
Offering the right payment methods makes all the difference. To ensure you’re offering the right mix of options in your salon payment processing, pay attention to the payment methods your clients want. This tends to vary regionally, so you may find that one-click checkout or buy now, pay later options are popular in some markets but not others, and it may be crucial to add a local payment method to increase conversion with another segment of your clients, ultimately boosting salon profitability.
Clients are increasingly using their mobile devices to browse and book salon appointments online, and many start their purchases from a social media platform, such as Instagram or YouTube. Stripe’s study found that nearly half of clients use smartphones more often than desktop devices to buy online. But many sites have at least one basic error in the mobile optimisation process, and a significant number do not support wallets, a mobile-friendly payment method that stores client payment details on their phones.
Improving the mobile checkout experience can help keep clients on track toward completing their transactions. Ideally, your mobile checkout experience will be as quick and convenient as your desktop experience—that means having a fully responsive checkout form that automatically adapts to your client’s device screen size. Adding mobile-friendly payment options, such as digital wallets and one-click checkout options, is another key step for salon mobile booking. You can also allow clients to save a payment method to provide one-click checkout for future purchases, enhancing client convenience and salon efficiency.
Subscriptions are an important offering for building recurring revenue and creating high-value repeat clients in salon membership programs—and they can be an effective part of your strategy for navigating an economic downturn. But Stripe found that the majority of clients have experienced friction with their subscription orders, and many subscription sites had basic errors in their transaction process.
Clients have come to expect a seamless experience, with conveniences such as one-click checkout and saved payment methods that make online transactions fast and simple. Subscription businesses must deliver the same level of ease to remain competitive and grow. A few ways to achieve this: Improve your subscription business by offering free trials, autofill capabilities, and self-service options so clients can modify or cancel their subscriptions online without having to speak to a customer service representative. This can enhance salon loyalty programs and encourage repeat business.
Taking the steps above to improve your checkout can help strengthen your salon business and help it perform its best through a more challenging economic climate. But these steps are also just the beginning. With SalonIQ and Stripe, you have a great team in your corner to help keep your business going strong. Get in touch with our team of experts to learn more about how we can help optimise your salon software solutions and online payment systems for maximum salon growth and client satisfaction.
Call a member of our team today on 01892 280 123
