A Mobile App: why it is a MUST have for your salon business

Now, according to Ofcom, "66% of the adult population in the UK owns a smart phone". Therefore that means that 2 thirds of the population are actually browsing their phones on a daily basis. With technology advancing day by day, it is good to move with the times and so now is the perfect time to think about getting your salon online and mobile. Research by Lockhart Meyer found that "last year over 40% of time spent online was via a mobile device". There are lots of other speedy ways of marketing, however if you think about it, your SMS and email marketing combined with a mobile app means that your salon is one step ahead of competitors by being accessible at all times.

So what are the pro’s to having a mobile app?  The initial benefit is convenience. If you think of how much quicker it is for a customer to pop their details in to an app whilst on their commute to work or just at home, as a pose to filling out a form in the salon- it is much more time efficient.  Another advantage is the difference of a client not having to ring the salon and then perhaps needing to wait in a queue if the line is engaged.  With a mobile app, there is never a time where 2 people cannot book an appointment simultaneously.  The other positive to this being that salon technicians don’t actually have to take the bookings as they will automatically synchronise to the salon calendar through your booking management system.  ‘On-the-go’ booking is also brilliant for clients who have busy time schedules, as a mobile app doesn’t have an opening and closing time, unlike the salon.

However, some of you who are reading this probably already have online booking and so are wondering what are the differences between the benefits of having a website and a mobile app?

The biggest difference is the accessibility.  Your mobile app will be a simplified version of your salon website, that is easier to navigate around and only has essential information on it. Your website would contain so much more data and therefore would take a little more time to browse.

Another great use of a mobile app is the free marketing.  Many of you will already use SMS and email marketing, however with your mobile app you can add last minute deals and offers to the application, in which clients can easily view without having to read an email, or newsletter (and it also saves you having to type out the campaign!)  You can set up alerts from the mobile app through ‘push notifications’ that notify customers of offers and any last minute deals, promoting your salon 24 hours a day.

Improvement of brand awareness is another pro.  The application will be designed and tailored to match your salon, so that anyone who already has correspondence by you can easily recognise the app as being related to your business.  Great for advertising and also SEO!  Another benefit is that certain mobile apps can actually run offline and so some sections of the app will be accessible without a WiFi or 3G connection.  For example customers may be able to still see their upcoming appointments and your salon price lists whilst offline, as most information is stored within the app itself.

So, moving forward maybe this is something to think about.  Especially in peak sales periods and in the lead up to Christmas, imagine how beneficial a mobile app could be to the salon in terms of promotions and extra bookings!

If you want to find out any further information on our mobile app feature please contact a member of our team on 0113 350 8230!

Hope to hear from you!

Salon Tracker x