12 Loyalty Programme Ideas for Salons and Barbershops
By Zawadi team Updated 4 min read
The short answer
The loyalty rewards that work best for salons and barbershops are visit-based: a free service after a set number of visits, a cheaper add-on as a mid-way reward, birthday points, and quiet-hour bonuses. Set the first reward so a regular reaches it in six to ten weeks, and remind clients by SMS when they're overdue.
Salons and barbershops have an advantage most businesses would love: clients come back on a cycle. A fade lasts two weeks. Braids last six. Gel nails last three. The job of a loyalty programme is to make sure that when the cycle comes round, the client comes back to you and not to the place that opened down the road.
Here are twelve ideas that work, grouped by what they do. You don't need all of them. Pick two or three to start.
Rewards for coming back
1. The free nth service
The classic for a reason. "Every sixth haircut is free" is simple to explain, easy for staff to apply and easy for clients to remember. Set the number from your clients' real cycle:
| Service | Typical cycle | Suggested card | Time to first reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haircut or fade | 2 weeks | 6th free | About 10 weeks |
| Gel manicure | 3 weeks | 5th free | About 12 weeks |
| Wash and blow dry | 1 week | 8th free | About 7 weeks |
| Braids | 6 weeks | 4th at half price | About 18 weeks |
For long-cycle services like braids, a full free service is a long way off. A discount on the next set, or a free add-on, keeps the reward within reach.
2. A small reward halfway
Long cards lose people in the middle. Add a smaller reward at the halfway point, such as a free beard trim after three cuts, before the free cut at six. Two stamp cards running at the same time can do this for you.
3. Free add-ons, not just free services
A free hot towel shave, scalp treatment or nail art on one finger costs you little in product and time, but feels generous. Add-ons also introduce clients to services they might start paying for.
Rewards for filling quiet hours
4. Weekday morning bonus
Most salons are packed on Saturday and quiet on Tuesday morning. Give double points or an extra stamp for visits in your quiet hours. You move some demand away from the weekend rush, and the reward costs you nothing extra because the chair would have been empty anyway.
5. Kids' cut bonus in the school holidays
Parents bring children in batches when schools close. A bonus for kids' cuts during the holidays makes your shop the default choice, and the parent often books for themselves too.
Rewards that feel personal
6. Birthday points
A message from their stylist on their birthday, with points they can spend on their next visit, is the kind of thing clients mention to friends. It works best when it arrives on the morning of the day, not a week late. Collect dates of birth when you sign clients up, and keep it optional.
7. Milestone thank-yous
When a client reaches their 10th or 25th visit, mark it. A free treatment or a message from the owner tells them they matter. In Zawadi you can add a points rule that gives a bonus every nth visit.
8. Remember their usual
This one isn't a reward, but it builds loyalty more than most rewards do. Note each client's usual service and stylist, and have it ready when they walk in. If your system records which staff member did each service, you already have this information.
Rewards that bring new clients
9. Refer-a-friend points
Most new salon clients come because a friend recommended you. Give every client a referral code and reward them with points when the friend they bring starts paying. Keep the reward for the person who referred, so it can't be gamed by people signing up their own second number.
10. Bring a friend on a quiet day
Combine ideas 4 and 9: a bonus for clients who bring a friend on a weekday. You get a new client and fill a quiet slot at the same time.
Messages that bring clients back
11. The "you're overdue" SMS
If a client usually comes every two weeks and it has been four, a short SMS gets them to book: "Hi Brian, it's been a while since your last fade. Come in this week and we'll add a bonus stamp."
Set the timing to your services. Thirty days suits most barbershops. A braiding salon might wait six or seven weeks.
12. The "almost there" SMS
Clients who are one or two visits from a free service are the easiest to bring back. A message telling them how close they are often does it on its own.
Paying your staff fairly while you do this
Rewards only work if your team applies them consistently, and a free service still takes your stylist's time. Decide up front how free services count towards commission, and tell staff. One simple approach is to pay commission on the full price of a reward service, so staff never have a reason to resist giving it.
When each visit is recorded against the staff member who did it, commission and payroll can be worked out from the same records that drive your loyalty programme, with no separate notebook.
Where to start
If you're starting this week, these three cover most of the value:
- A free nth service card set to your clients' real cycle.
- Birthday points.
- An automatic SMS for clients who are overdue.
See how Zawadi works for salons and barbershops, or read our general guide to starting a loyalty programme in Kenya.