How to retain salon clients and build loyalty
Client retention comes from consistent, personalised service and making rebooking easy. Remember their preferences, follow up appropriately, and remove friction from their experience. Retaining existing clients is far more cost-effective than constantly acquiring new ones.
Why retention matters
Acquiring a new client costs significantly more than keeping an existing one. Regular clients provide predictable revenue, require less marketing spend, and often refer others. A salon with high retention can grow steadily without constantly chasing new business.
Deliver consistent service
Consistency builds trust:
- Remember what worked last time and repeat it
- Keep detailed notes so any team member can deliver the same experience
- Maintain quality even when you're busy
- If something changes (products, techniques), communicate it
- Don't let standards slip for regulars—they notice
Personalise the experience
Small details make clients feel valued:
- Use their name (and pronounce it correctly)
- Remember their preferences (beverage, conversation topics)
- Note important dates (birthdays, anniversaries)
- Reference previous conversations naturally
- Anticipate needs based on their history
Client notes in your booking system help you remember details between visits. Review them before the appointment, not during.
Make rebooking easy
Remove barriers to the next appointment:
- Offer to book their next appointment before they leave
- Send reminders when they're due for a visit
- Provide online booking so they can schedule at their convenience
- Keep their contact details updated
- Don't make them wait on hold to book
The longer clients go between appointments, the more likely they are to drift away.
Handle problems well
How you resolve issues affects loyalty more than avoiding issues:
- 1Listen without being defensive
- 2Acknowledge their concern is valid
- 3Offer a genuine solution (redo, refund, discount)
- 4Follow up to ensure they're satisfied
- 5Learn from it to prevent recurrence
Clients who have a problem resolved well often become more loyal than those who never had issues.
Stay in touch appropriately
Communication keeps you top of mind without being annoying:
- Appointment reminders (expected and useful)
- Rebooking reminders when they're overdue
- Birthday or anniversary messages (if they appreciate it)
- Updates about changes (new services, moved location)
Don't over-communicate. Constant promotional messages train clients to ignore you.
Recognise loyal clients
- Thank them for their continued business
- Offer loyal clients first access to new services or products
- Be flexible when they have genuine schedule issues
- Remember that referrals from happy clients are valuable
Recognition doesn't have to mean discounts. Sometimes acknowledgement and excellent service are enough.
Track retention
You can't improve what you don't measure:
- Monitor how many clients return within a reasonable timeframe
- Identify clients who haven't visited recently
- Track which team members have best retention rates
- Note why clients leave when you find out
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