Here at Artemis, we’ve helped over 1,600 small beauty entrepreneurs build thriving businesses. We know that managing your marketing, finances and bookings process can be time consuming, expensive and stressful. So in this article, we share the apps for salon business owners that will get your business processes running seamlessly and boost your bottom line.
We’ll explore a range of apps for salon business, from those that book and schedule client appointments to those that help you handle finances. We’ll also share the key features you should look for as you search for apps for salon business owners.
1. Apps to build your online presence
Compelling Marketing is a cornerstone of any successful business. It helps you build a strong reputation, which leads to organic growth and increased revenue.
For your marketing to succeed, you need to create an overarching strategy and content for each platform. You need to monitor this content to see how it performs, and update your strategy accordingly. Balancing all of these things can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re busy managing the rest of your business too!
Fortunately, there are apps for salon business owners that help you create, schedule and monitor content that connects to your target audience.
Of course, bigger outlets like Instagram and Canva are essential apps for salon business owners. But your competitors will be using these too. So, here are some lesser known apps for salon business owners that will give you an edge.
1.1. Hootsuite
- iOS and Android
Hootsuite is a social media management tool. It helps you to plan, schedule, and syndicate social posts, making it one of the best apps for salon business owners.
The tool is synched with all major platforms - so you don’t need to log into each one to post. Instead, you can execute your entire content plan from one place.
With Hootsuite, you schedule your posts across channels months in advance, so you can focus on marketing during quieter months.
Finally, Hootsuite lets you track your post performance, helping you refine and improve your content over time.
1.2. Landscape
- iOS and Android
Landscape is one of the apps for salon business owners that halves the time spent choosing the perfect photo for Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
You give it your favorite image and it instantly re-sizes your photos for multiple platforms in one go. It’s very easy to use, so you don’t need to worry about fiddling with editing tools.
Plus, it allows you to retouch and crop the final images, so the end result is perfect. Landscape is one of the apps for salon business owners that will give you consistent, eye-catching imagery across your platforms.
1.3. Later
- iOS and Android
Later is one of the apps for salon business owners that has two key functions.
Firstly, it lets you schedule and auto-post your Instagram photos from a computer, so you don’t need to be on your phone to create posts and edit captions.
Secondly, with Later, you can plan out your feed visually in advance. You can move your photos around the grid, and choose photos that look best together before you post.
Later is your answer to a fantastic looking feed that doesn’t need to be micromanaged - one of the essential apps for salon business owners.
2. Apps to book and schedule client appointments
Client retention is critical to beauty business success. In fact, 80% of your future revenue comes from 20% of your current clients. And existing customers are 50% more likely to try new products, and spend 31% more, compared to new customers.
In order to keep customers coming back, it’s essential to give them a great experience. 57% of people say that customer service influences their loyalty to a brand.
Great customer experience starts with the booking process. These three apps for salon business owners will help you nail bookings - so they’re rewarding for customers and easy for you.
2.1. Square Appointments
- iOS and Android
Square appointments is an all-in-one solution for booking and scheduling appointments, sending reminders, and accepting payments.
It’s one of the most minimalist and stylish apps for salon business owners, giving you and clients great visuals. It’s also very easy to use - first time customers will find the process intuitive.
Additionally, their basic plan is free, so you can try the app without risk.
Lastly, if you already use Square to take payments, the payment process is built into the app. So you can organize bookings and payments in one place.
2.2. Booksy
- iOS and Android
Booksy (formerly Versum) is a cloud-based salon management solution that helps manage daily tasks, including bookings. It’s one of the apps for salon business owners that offers a 14 day free trial, and competitive pricing plans.
Compared to other apps for salon business owners, Booksy offers advanced business reporting and analytics. This helps you track things like customer retention, data you can use to improve your business model.
The app also has an advanced loyalty and referral programme, helping you grow your customer base without spending any extra time.
2.3. Acuity Scheduling
- iOS and Android
Acuity Scheduling is a Squarespace company that offers management software for salons. It’s one of the apps for salon business owners that includes easy booking for customers, schedule organization and client history.
One advantage of Acuity over other apps for salon business owners, is that it's easy to integrate with external marketing and financial tools. Hook it up to your PayPal, GoToMeeting, Zapier, Mailchimp, Quickbooks and more.
In addition, Acuity lets you whitelabel, so you can merge the app with your own branding for a seamless customer experience.
Finally, it offers more than just appointments. You can share gift certificates, packages and memberships with clients, helping you grow your business with minimal extra effort.
3. Apps to handle the financial side of things
Any salon business owner will know how taxing bookkeeping can be. Using one of the apps for salon business owners that helps with finance can save a lot of time and headspace.
The financial apps for salon business owners are all designed to be accessible, even for first time business owners. Unlike manual accounting, they also allow you to do your accounting on the go. Digitizing your finance, accounting and tax processes can also be cheaper than using an accountant.
Here are the top apps for salon business owners that will make accounting easy, whatever your business experience.
3.1. Quickbooks
- iOS and Android
Quickbooks is the most popular small business accounting software on the market. Their ‘simple start’ plan is ideal for small businesses with a single user.
Of all the finance apps for salon business owners, Quickbooks Simple Start is the most straightforward.
They offer affordable pricing plans, to fit your budget and needs whatever your business size. Their simpler plans include all the benefits that most startups need. Then, if you have a growing business with more advanced needs, you can buy extra capabilities and features.
3.2. Digit
- iOS and Android
Finance apps for salon business owners don’t just cover accounting - they can help you budget and save too.
Digit is an all-in-one money app that budgets, saves, and invests for you. By helping you set aside some of your profits each month, it gives your business liquidity. This can help keep your business healthy in the face of seasonal changes and recessions.
Beyond your business, Digit helps you automatically build up personal savings, giving you greater peace of mind.
3.3. Freshbooks
- iOS and Android
The last of the finance apps for salon business owners we recommend is Freshbooks, an app making accounting easy for business owners.
Freshbooks has loads of helpful features. It creates invoices and sends them to clients automatically, taking lots of the legwork out of the billing process. Further, it generates estimates for special salon services so you can easily launch new products.
Finally, it tracks the time you spend on clients, so you can price your services to accurately reflect your hours.
4. Apps that do it all
Lastly, let’s look at the apps that let you manage finances, marketing, booking and more, all from one place.
Using an all-in-one app has advantages over multiple apps for salon business owners. They can be more affordable, make it easier to capture and analyze data from across the business, and save you time. Plus, you only need to learn how to use one platform.
Here are the three highest rated all-in-one apps for salon business owners on the market.
4.1. Fresha
- iOS and Android
Fresha is one of the most popular apps for salon business owners with small to medium sized companies out there.
It’s subscription-free, with unlimited usage, making it one of the most affordable apps for salon business owners. It’s highly accessible and easy-to-use. And it gives clients a fast booking experience too.
Lastly, Fresha gives you everything a salon business owner might need, including appointment scheduling, point-of-sale, product inventory management, payment processing, marketing promotions, reporting and analytics, and more.
4.2. Schedulicity
- iOS and Android
Schedulicity is a simple, online scheduling software for salons, spas, and small businesses.
Of all the apps for salon business owners, it’s a good one for smaller boutiques and individuals. This is because the pricing structure is based on the number of appointments booked each month.
The app also has a wide range of features, from personalized marketing to staff management, custom package development, and more.
In addition, locals and tourists use Schedulicity to help them find services. By putting up your business on the platform, you can reach more potential customers.
4.3. Vagaro
- iOS and Android
Vagaro is a cloud-based salon business management solution. It’s an all-in-one app, suitable for almost all small to medium sized salon owners.
It has advanced features that sets it apart from other apps for salon business owners, including live video streaming, subscription payments, and agency design services.
Furthermore, it integrates with tens of other apps and websites - Quickbooks, Xero, Gusto, Google, Facebook, Yelp, Instagram and more - so you can share data across your business.
5. Key features when looking for salon business software
As you research apps for salon business owners, some key features are essential. Without them, you could end up with more technical and administrative work on your plate.
- Scheduling Ability - make sure the apps for salon business owners you choose offer online booking. This will make your life easier, and give your clients a painless booking experience.
- Salon Point of Sale - a point of sale is the place where a customer makes the payment for your services. When this is included in your app, you can sync it to your scheduling tool, and store customer information and sales data.
- Marketing Capability - apps for salon business owners with marketing tools will reduce the time it takes you to create and schedule content. They also mean you can compare data on marketing performance with data on things like sales and customer retention.
- Inventory Management - knowing how much stock you have and how much you need is essential to running an effective business. Having inventory management in your apps for salon business owners will save you time, improve cash flow and reduce overstock.
- Great Customer Experience - we’ve already seen how customer experience boosts client retention. Make sure you choose one of the apps for salon business owners that gives your customers impeccable service, so they come back again and again.
Final thoughts…
The right apps should create time and allow you to focus on the growth of your business. On the Artemis website, you'll find a number of free guides to assist in making your business thrive! Our ebooks help you master seasonality, come through a recession stronger than ever, and hire top talent in a tough market.
