The Ultimate Guide to Barber Shop and Salons Loyalty Programs

In the competitive world of grooming and personal care, customer loyalty is paramount for your barber shop. It’s what separates thriving businesses from those struggling to keep the doors open. But how can you foster loyalty effectively? Well, the solution lies in creating a robust barber shop loyalty program. 

This article is a comprehensive guide for owners and managers of barber shops, providing insights into why your business needs a loyalty program and how it can dramatically improve customer retention. We delve into the process of creating an engaging program, marketing it effectively, and exploring how leveraging a digital loyalty like Stamp Me can take your customer loyalty to the next level. 

With the power of customer loyalty at your fingertips, there is no time to waste. So let’s jump in.

Why Your Barber Shop Needs a Loyalty Program

Implementing a loyalty program for your barber shop is a strategic move that can bring numerous benefits to your business. 

You know those familiar customers who regularly visit for a fresh cut or beard trim? They hold the key to unlocking remarkable success for your barber shop! Even though they already visit regularly, introducing an enticing and engaging loyalty program will add extra value to the exceptional service you provide.

The fundamental purpose of loyalty programs is to drive repeat business and encourage new customers to become regulars. By offering rewards, discounts, or free services after a certain number of visits, you create an incentive for customers to choose your barber shop for their grooming needs time and time again. In fact, 84% of consumers are more likely to stick with a brand that offers a loyalty program. 

Also, a loyalty program fosters stronger connections with clients through personalized experiences, exclusive promotions, and tailored rewards, making them feel valued and fostering loyalty towards your barber shop. This is an integral part of your relationship with your customers, as a reported 72% of people believe. 

Lastly, focusing on customer retention can help your bottom line. In fact, it costs 5 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one.

Still not convinced? Check out this article for more reasons on why you should create a digital loyalty program. 

Now that you understand the benefits of a barber shop loyalty program, let’s delve into how to go about it. 

Hey! Want to launch a barber shop loyalty program but need a bit of help? Check out our free Digital Loyalty Program Launch Checklist!

Designing your Barber Shop Rewards Program

Step One: Understanding Your Customers 

Understanding your target market is the first step in creating your barber shop loyalty program. You won’t be able to provide valuable and loveable rewards without knowing what your customers want, so it’s important to take the time and learn about your customers’ needs and preferences. 

Start by engaging your customers through surveys, online reviews, and in-person interactions to gather valuable insights. Don’t overlook the significance of talking with your regulars, as they can provide firsthand feedback on preferred services and desired rewards. Utilize customer personas to create representations of your ideal members and tailor the loyalty program accordingly. 

You can analyze customer data, including sales trends and spending habits, to identify patterns and further customize the program for your target audience. Once you’ve got a detailed understanding of your customers from these methods, the fun part begins: designing your loyalty program. 

Step Two: Keep Your Program Simple 

When designing your barber shop loyalty program, it’s worth starting simple, both with your structure and rewards (more on both of these later). In fact, 53% of customers want a loyalty program that is easy to use and nearly 40% want them to be easy to understand. 

Your customers will be more inclined to join a loyalty program where they can see the immediate value from and understand the terms and conditions easily. 

In terms of a simple structure, we highly recommend using a digital stamp card platform. 

This style of loyalty program is wonderfully straightforward and effortless for customers to embrace. They can easily accumulate stamps from qualifying purchases or visits, and once they’ve collected enough, a well-deserved reward awaits them. Simple as that!

Step Three: Deciding on your rewards structure

When brainstorming your loyalty card ideas for salons, deciding on a rewards structure is integral. When designing your rewards structure, there are a range of options available:

Spend-based model: Customers accumulate loyalty points proportional to their spending, like one point per dollar, with rewards starting at a certain point threshold. This kind of barber shop loyalty program is straightforward to create, understand, and maintain. 

Item-based model: Customers are rewarded for repeat purchases of the same item, like getting the 10th coffee free after buying nine. This is the most traditional form of customer loyalty programs and resets after redeeming the main reward. 

Paid membership model: A paid membership model allows you to offer much more enticing rewards and a greater customer experience, through a subscription fee. Despite seeming complex, it’s simple for businesses and customers to manage due to clear benefits for a fixed fee.  

There are a plethora of different loyalty program structures that could potentially work for your business. Check out this article for a full breakdown of the options and the real-life examples of businesses that have nailed it. 

It’s no secret that being more creative helps you stand out and retain customers. However, simplicity should be the cornerstone of your barber shop loyalty program to resonate with your customers. Avoid unnecessary complexity like multiple sub-sections, lengthy terms and conditions, or complicated access levels. 

Case in Point

Let’s pause for a second and highlight a barber shop loyalty program that has used Stamp Me’s digital loyalty program with prime results. 

The British barber shop, Seven Hair & Body, created a loyalty program with Stamp Me that regularly rewarded and incentivized loyal customers. With every full service a customer receives, they receive a stamp. This stamp is issued onto the Stamp Me app. When they have reached six stamps, they will be rewarded with a ½ price haircut voucher. This can be redeemed at any time and the discount is applied by the cashier on their next visit. 

This is just one example of a barber shop creating a digital loyalty program that incentivizes repeat purchases and keeps the brand front-of-mind for their customer’s male grooming needs. 

Choosing your Rewards 

When designing your loyalty program’s structure, utilize customer research to identify appealing rewards. This could be popular products, free haircuts, or beard trims. Here’s a brief look at various types of rewards to consider for your barber shop’s loyalty program. 

Discounts – Discounts are a great reward option as it gives your customers the freedom to apply their reward to any product or service they desire, rather than being limited to a specific item. An example would be “20% off your next haircut after five purchases”. 

Free services/products – Offering free services or products as a reward is a tried-and-true method because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love getting something for free, especially when it’s on items we regularly purchase? An example for your barber shop could be, “collect five stamps and get a free hot towel shave!”

Exclusive access – Your loyal customers want to feel special to your business, and exclusive access rewards are a great way to show them how much they mean to you. This could come in the form of exclusive samples of new products for your customers to try or priority access to your most experienced barbers for your loyal customers. 

Experiential rewards – Experiential rewards can give customers access to exclusive in-store, virtual, or live events. Perhaps an “earn ten stamps for an Ultimate Grooming Experience package”, would make a great experiential reward, as it goes beyond just discounts or free items and offers customers a special day of luxury and relaxation. 

Within your barber shop’s loyalty program, your rewards should reflect the value to your customers and show them why they should engage with it. 

Making Your Retention Program Digital 

The digital age has replaced traditional paper-based loyalty programs with more practical options like mobile apps and online platforms. 

This option is a more convenient, consumer and environmentally friendly option. They are also easier to use, they allow for more customer engagement (through communications and campaigns), lower costs for your barber shop, and allow you to create rich customer data to stay ahead of the competition and stay in tune with your customers. In fact, 75% of consumers say they would engage more with loyalty programs they can easily access from a smartphone. 

If you’re looking to run a stamp-based program, Stamp Me is the perfect solution. Beyond just a loyalty app, it offers scalability and customization options for your barber shop, while also providing a seamless and engaging experience for users. With communication features, engagement campaigns, gamification, and access to customer data, it is the ultimate digital solution. 

Engage with Your Loyal Barber Shop Customers

Once you have implemented a loyalty program, it is critical that you constantly engage with your customers in order to keep them interested and your business front of mind. 

Here are some simple and effective ways you could engage with your loyal customers through a digital loyalty platform like Stamp Me: 

1. Communication

A direct communication channel is a great way to personalize your program, as you can communicate via push notifications and SMS directly to your members. Perhaps you could encourage customers to come in on slow days by sending a time-based reward, i.e:

2. Gamification

Gamification builds excitement around your program, while giving members a new, different way to earn prizes. 

For instance, you could implement Stamp Me’sScratch & Win feature into your loyalty program and give someone the chance to win a free hair product each time someone collects their stamp for a haircut. 

3. Lapsed customer messaging 

Lapsed customer messaging campaigns allow you to automatically re-engage with customers who haven’t engaged with your barber shop loyalty program for a certain amount of time. You could send them a voucher for 20% off their next haircut or shave, or just send them a simple message saying you miss them.

Hype, Launch, and Promote Your Loyalty Program

There’s more than one way to promote your barber shop loyalty program, but building anticipation for it is crucial. 

Hype it up on social media – give your customers a sneak peek of what is to come. Share updates, post special offers, and continually encourage your followers to join your program. 

You can also promote your program in store, using simple signs and posters for customers to read when booking their next appointment or walking by. When marketing your barber shop loyalty program, tell your customers how to sign up, what rewards will be available, and how they can redeem their points with you. 

Leverage your barber shop’s community-oriented nature by including referral rewards, encouraging customers to bring in friends and family for additional points or benefits. The more regular customers, the more effortless your growth. This creates a sense of trust around your brand, with a majority of customers believing suggestions from friends and family more than advertising. 

Remember, a good haircut sparks conversations. As such, word-of-mouth can spread information about your loyalty program, with customers effectively becoming your advertisers. ‍

Marketing Your Loyalty Program 

Once you’ve launched your barber shop loyalty program, it’s your responsibility to stay one step ahead (or preferably, a few more) of the competition. 

The best way to do this is to market and analyze the results of your program once it’s been running for a while. 

Check data such as rewards redemption and stamp rates, as well as customer spending habits and always consider constructive feedback on your program and products. 

When your program gets going, take the time to train your staff on your loyalty program, so that it is made more appealing to customers and your staff feel prepared to answer questions and sign your potential members up with ease. 

Build Your Loyalty Program with Stamp Me 

Stamp Me is a straightforward and intuitive loyalty platform trusted by barber shops and salons globally. With our help, you can tailor your app to represent your barber shop perfectly and offer your customers easy access to your rewards. If you need more help along the way, Stamp Me has a variety of loyalty program solutions and helpful resources like e-books & guides, case studies and blog articles that will inform and inspire you.

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