Client loyalty is priceless!
Loyal clients are the bread and butter of your business so why not reward them for coming back. Successful grooming salon loyalty programs help to increase your profits and encourages your clients to stay loyal. How so? Well, read on, because if you want to improve your client retention rate and increase profits, you’ve come to the right place.
A loyalty programme should be judged against your own return bookings, reward costs and client feedback. It can support a relationship, but it cannot guarantee a profit increase.
WHAT CLIENTS THINK ABOUT grooming salon LOYALTY PROGRAM
Hands up who doesn’t like to get free stuff? Yeh, I thought so. We all do! And, in fact, it makes us feel good and in turn, we feel good about the business providing us with that discount or gift.
A useful reward gives an owner a clear reason to participate. Explain what can be earned and redeemed, and make sure the terms fit the services your grooming business provides.
When a client receives a discount or free service, they experience that warm and fuzzy feeling. You know how that feels. Emotion is the largest driver of customer loyalty, so it is important to consider what your grooming salon loyalty program will evoke that positive rush. Clients must believe there is quality to the loyalty program or you will not stand out from your competitors.
If earning a reward takes too long or the rules are unclear, owners may lose interest. Choose a realistic threshold, explain it simply and consider whether the reward feels useful without encouraging unnecessary services.
One way around this is to offer a 10% or $10 dollar discount (these values are just a guide) at the time of signing up. Straight away the client is rewarded and this also gives you the opportunity to explain how the grooming salon loyalty program works. Remember, transparency is key. The program must be easy for the client to understand and see the value in it. An uncomplicated points system, for example, 1 point for every dollar spent, is simple and easy to understand.
Test the programme with a manageable group of clients and review the result. Some owners value rewards; others mainly want convenient booking and consistent pet care. Do not assume one scheme will motivate every household.
Grooming salon LOYALTY PROGRAMS HAVE BENEFITS
Returning clients can support continuity and more predictable demand, but the financial effect depends on your business. Compare reward costs with suitable repeat bookings and contribution after costs. A programme that increases sales while eroding margin may need different rules.
MORE REFERRALS
When customers are feeling the love, they are more likely to refer their friends and family to you. Client referrals are one of the most effective and cheapest ways to gain more clients. Why not give extra points or offer a discount to your client for a referral. Word of mouth is free advertising and increases your business reputation. Rewarding your clients for that referral is the least you can do. Without clients, you don’t have a business.
MORE BUSINESS
Do you have quiet days in your grooming salon? Nobody wants to be sitting around twiddling their thumbs when you could be making money. Why not offer extra incentives to clients who book an appointment on your quiet days. You might like to offer double the points on your quiet days, for example, double points Tuesday. This will help to increase your money making potential on quiet days and leave more time slots available on your busy days.
MORE BOOKINGS
New clients also love loyalty programs. When a new client comes to your grooming salon, they are evaluating everything. Your customer service, the quality of the grooming service and how you make them feel. Offering a loyalty program that encourages repeat bookings can help to keep that new client. It may be the difference between them choosing between you, over your competitor. Another boost for your profit margins.
PUNCH CARDS ; A THING OF THE PAST
Digital records can reduce lost-card disputes and manual point calculations. Some owners still prefer a simple explanation or printed information, so make the programme accessible rather than treating a physical card preference as outdated.
AUTOMATED LOYALTY POINTS
If you are not already a Neko pet grooming software user, you may want to download a free 14-day trial so you can check out how we can fully automate your grooming salon. https://www.getneko.com/free-trial/
If you already have Neko pet grooming software, you will know how great the tools are that allow you to run a successful loyalty program. Our set and forget system will automatically assign points to your client cards at the point of sale. Having an automated system makes grooming salon loyalty programs so easy. Neko pet grooming software allows you to set up different points for different products, services or referrals. So take the headache out of your loyalty program by automation and sit back and reap the benefits. https://www.getneko.com/features/sales-revenue/gift-cards/
TRANSFORM YOUR CLIENTS SPENDING HABITS
Design rewards that support useful repeat business rather than trying to control what an owner spends. Offer relevant choices and clear value, keep terms easy to understand and respect the client’s budget and decision to decline.
Do you want to sell more retail products? Why not offer points that are only redeemable for products. There are many ways you can engineer your points system to direct sales to different areas or to promote new grooming services. Your imagination is your only limitation.
SUGGESTIONS FOR A POINTS SYSTEM
1 point per $1 spent. This encourages spending and clients feel more comfortable spending.
When a client reaches a certain amount of points offer a discount, reward or VIP grooming service ; Use your discretion to know what is right for your business.
Offer increased points for buying add-on products ; 2 points for every dollar spent. This encourages cross-selling to move more retail products and ultimately increases your profits.
Double points on slow days ; Encourages client to book on your slow days which leaves more time slots on your busy days.
Extra points for buying gift cards ; Enticing your clients to buy a gift card may help to attract new clients.
Extra points for booking online ; Enables you to spend less time on the phone.
Keep public review requests separate from loyalty points, discounts and gifts. Invite honest reviews neutrally without rewarding participation or selecting only owners expected to be positive.
Welcome bonus ; Encourage clients to sign up to a newsletter or loyalty program and receive $5 dollars off their visit ; Instant gratification for your clients and encourages repeat bookings. Enables you to gather email addresses for your database.
Offer free VIP grooming services when clients reach a certain number of points ; Encourages spending to unlock rewards. Makes your client feel special and valued.
Allocate extra points on clients birthday ; Gives your client that warm fuzzy feeling.
PITFALLS
When crafting your grooming salon loyalty programs, remember that the program must look attractive to your clients but not so attractive that you suffer a lose of profit that is too great. Make sure your loyalty program is effective by running reports and comparing sales, client retention and referral numbers before and after the implementation of your program.
Neko’s loyalty tools keep points connected to purchases and client records. Use the reporting information to review results, and check that transactions and rules are accurate. Automation reduces manual calculation but does not remove every possibility of an error.
Most loyalty programs will take at least 3-6 months to show any tangible results. It won’t happen over night but it will happen
To keep your clients’ trust and loyalty, you must be able to fulfil your promises, so please make sure that right from the start you are comfortable with the choices you make and the discounts you will be required to provide. Be sure to set up restrictions on how the points can be redeemed and have a strict term and conditions policy to support your loyalty program.
DON’T JUST SURVIVE, THRIVE!
Well, I hope you have gained some useful knowledge about the benefits of creating grooming salon loyalty programs. Properly implemented and well thought out grooming salon loyalty programs do wonders to increase your client retention and loyalty, drive sales, encourage referrals and to ultimately increase profits.
At Neko, we want your business to thrive, not just survive, so we are always thinking of ways to improve our software and give you all the necessary tools to make your business grow. We also enjoy providing you with valuable business information via this blog. So please comment below and let us know what topics you would like to read about.
Test the rules before launching your grooming loyalty programme
Write out several typical purchases and calculate what the owner would earn and redeem. Include a maintenance groom, a retail purchase and a transaction using a gift card. Check that the result matches your intended rules and that staff can explain it in plain language.
Then calculate the cost of the reward to your business. A discount reduces revenue; a complimentary service also uses staff time, products and an appointment slot. Allow for those costs rather than treating a reward as free simply because no cash changes hands at redemption.
Decide how changes will be communicated. If the programme is revised, owners need a clear explanation of what happens to existing points and which rules apply to future purchases. Keep a consistent written version available to staff and clients so disputes are not resolved differently at each visit.
Measure more than enrolments
Review how many eligible clients actually use the programme, how often rewards are redeemed and whether appropriate repeat visits change. Compare similar periods and account for closures or capacity changes. More enrolments do not automatically mean the scheme is profitable.
Ask owners whether the rules are understandable and the rewards useful. Keep the programme separate from public reviews, and make sure all pets receive the same standard of care whether their owners participate or not.
Keep review requests independent of incentives and use a neutral process. Google’s review policy explains its restrictions on rewards and selectively requesting positive feedback.
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