Saving time while making more money – seems too good to be true? Then you haven’t tried incorporating eCommerce into your business strategy. Even pre-pandemic, more people were heading online to purchase everything from salon products to spa gift cards.
eCommerce sales in the health and beauty category are predicted to grow over 75% from 2021 to 2026, reaching 358.4 billion U.S. dollars.
Salons don’t have to sit back and let all the big players have the fun, it’s time to take back your revenue. While that alone is a reason to introduce an eCommerce solution, it’s not all about beating Amazon and others. In order to remain relevant, salon owners need to recognize and adapt to the changes in how clients prefer to shop.
Entering the world of eCommerce is an excellent opportunity for growth on any scale and easier than you might think. We’re sharing 5 ways Aura Salonware brings “easy eCommerce” to salons of all sizes, enabling the client to purchase products and book appointments outside of your operating hours, offer smart upsells at their fingertips, and even promote recurring revenue with series.
Collecting Deposits and Fees at Booking
Enabling clients to book anytime is a game-changer, and even better is securing a deposit or pre-payment. By empowering salons to collect deposits and fees at the time of booking, these tools can be used against last minute cancellations and no shows. By booking online, client’s must agree to your salon policies which allows your to safeguard against any unwanted or unexpected scenarios.
So, if your client is sitting in bed at 10 pm and decides they need a haircut, they have the opportunity to book their appointment outside of salon hours. The salon receives an appointment that might have otherwise gone to a competitor with online booking capabilities, all while receiving the necessary deposits and fees to book that appointment.
Bonus: Protect your Salon and Provider’s time and profit by charging cancellation fees using a stored credit card if a deposit was never collected at booking.
Service Deposit
Book With Deposit & Fee(s)
Revenue & Retention Growth Without In-Person Visits
Start generating revenue without an in-person visit while simultaneously increasing client retention. People love to shop on their own terms and the Aura client app creates a personalized purchasing experience that can be used to sell anything you can think of! Expand sales by offering everything from products, memberships, series, and gift cards all outside of normal operating hours through the app.
Bonus: if they spend the money upfront with you, they’re likely going to come back to you to redeem it rather than going elsewhere.
Reduce Reception Staffing or Go 100% Desk Less
Guests and providers alike can be empowered to check out using the app. This allows the salon to reduce reception staffing or even become a 100% desk less model. This minimizes payroll expenses or even allows the guest services team members to be utilized in more revenue-creating roles such as digital marketing, social media management, and customer experience.
Secure Payment Storage
Aura offers clients the option to keep their credit card on file for future use. This not only allows for contactless payment, but can secure a recurring income stream by creating memberships, packages, and subscriptions renewing automatically. Your client’s can sleep easy at night knowing that all data is encrypted and stored by a third party, meaning nobody from on the salon-side or Aura can access their sensitive information.
Did you know? You never worry about internet outages when using Aura because you can charge a stored card on file from your mobile device using cellular data.
Manage Orders and Inventory with Ease
While eCommerce sounds glamorous, many salon owners shy away because of the tedious tasks of ensuring accurate inventory counts and other back-end nuances.
Aura’s intuitive design makes eCommerce easy to manage. Whether you are a small salon or a large multi-location operation, the system seamlessly connects to service provider scheduling and inventory to allow for real-time visibility and updates.
Salon-side Curbside Orders
Client App Curbside Orders
Take Aura for a Test Run
Are you considering adding eCommerce or contactless payment options to your salon? Then it’s time to take a test run of Aura because it offers these features and so much more. Let the Aura team help you navigate the next digital phase of the salon industry and work with you to create an easy, profitable online business for your clients and providers alike.
