Choosing Software

Best salon software with loyalty programmes

Australian salons looking for built-in loyalty programmes should prioritise software that handles points-based rewards without a separate app or integration. Bella Booking's Loyalty Programme (Professional plan, $79/month) offers custom earning rules, automatic tracking, and client-facing balance visibility — all within the same system that manages your bookings and payments.

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What to look for in salon loyalty software

Not all loyalty features are equal. Some platforms offer basic stamp-card replacements, while others provide flexible points systems with custom rules and client engagement tools.

Points-based system with configurable earning rates (not just "1 point per visit")
Custom earning rules per service or service category
Dollar-off rewards that clients can redeem at checkout
Client-facing balance — clients can see their points when booking online
Automatic tracking — points earned without staff remembering to apply them
Engagement reporting — who's earning, who's redeeming, programme ROI
Built into your booking software rather than requiring a third-party integration

Avoid loyalty systems that require clients to download a separate app. The fewer barriers between earning and redeeming, the higher participation rates will be.

Points-based vs visit-based programmes

Visit-based programmes ("10th haircut free") are simple but inflexible. They treat a $30 trim and a $200 colour service identically, which doesn't reward your highest-value clients proportionally. Points-based systems solve this by awarding points relative to spend.

	Visit-based	Points-based
Earning	One stamp per visit	Points proportional to spend or per service
Fairness	Same reward regardless of spend	Higher spenders earn faster
Flexibility	Fixed reward after X visits	Multiple reward tiers possible
Engagement	Binary (complete/not)	Progressive — visible balance grows
Configuration	Minimal	Custom rules per service category

Points-based programmes also give you more levers. You can run double-points promotions on quiet days, award bonus points for specific services you want to promote, or offer higher earning rates for premium services to encourage upgrades.

Custom earning rules — why they matter

A flat earning rate (e.g. 1 point per dollar spent) works, but custom rules let you shape client behaviour. Award more points for services with high margins, new services you're launching, or appointments booked during typically quiet periods.

Per-service earning rates

Set different point values for different services. A colour service might earn 2 points per dollar while a basic trim earns 1 point per dollar — reflecting the different margins and encouraging clients toward higher-value bookings.

Bonus point campaigns

Run time-limited promotions where specific services or days earn double or triple points. This drives bookings during slow periods without discounting your prices directly.

Reward tiers

Create multiple reward options at different point thresholds. A small reward at 100 points keeps engagement high, while a premium reward at 500 points gives clients something to work toward over time.

How Bella Booking's Loyalty Programme works

Bella Booking includes a built-in Loyalty Programme on the Professional plan ($79/month). It's a points-based system with custom earning rules, automatic tracking, and dollar-off redemption at checkout.

1Set earning rules — configure how many points clients earn per service or per dollar spent
2Customise by service — different services can have different earning rates
3Create rewards — define what clients can redeem points for (dollar-off discounts)
4Points track automatically — earned at checkout without staff intervention
5Clients see their balance — visible on the online booking page
6Redemption at checkout — clients or staff can apply points as a discount

Because it's built into the same system as your bookings, payments, and client records, there's no integration to set up and no data syncing to worry about. Points just work as part of the normal checkout flow.

Measuring loyalty programme success

A loyalty programme isn't set-and-forget. Track these metrics to ensure it's driving the behaviour you want rather than just giving away margin to clients who would have returned anyway.

Enrolment rate — what percentage of clients are participating?
Earn rate — are clients accumulating points steadily or forgetting about the programme?
Redemption rate — are clients actually using their rewards?
Visit frequency — do loyalty members visit more often than non-members?
Average spend — do members spend more per visit?
Retention — do loyalty members churn at a lower rate?

If your redemption rate is very low, the programme isn't engaging clients effectively. Either the rewards are too hard to reach or clients don't know about their balance. Make earning progress visible.

Loyalty programmes vs other retention tools

Loyalty programmes work best alongside other retention strategies — not as a replacement for them. Memberships provide recurring revenue, prepaid packages encourage treatment courses, and loyalty rewards the cumulative relationship.

Tool	Best for	Revenue model
Loyalty programme	Rewarding consistent patronage over time	Indirect — drives repeat visits
Memberships	Predictable recurring revenue	Direct — monthly/weekly billing
Prepaid packages	Committing clients to treatment courses	Upfront — one-time purchase
Gift cards	Acquiring new clients via gifting	Upfront — redeemed over time

Many successful salons use all four simultaneously. A client might be a loyalty member (earning points on every visit), have a monthly membership (recurring facial subscription), buy a package for a treatment course (6 sessions of LED therapy), and receive gift cards for birthdays.