How to choose a POS system for your spa business

Editorial Team

5 min read
Woman having a facial at the spa

If you’re currently in the spa business or you’re opening a spa business, you probably know that one of the most important things clients want when they book an appointment is relaxation. Going through overly complicated motions to schedule an appointment, redeem loyalty points, or check out and pay has the potential to affect their entire experience.

This could result in stressed out clients and potentially lost business, which can impact your staff and spa management operations.

The right point-of-sale system for spa businesses can help you:

  • Manage inventory
  • Create seamless appointment scheduling
  • Integrate a loyalty program right into checkout
  • Help protect your customers’ data and the financial data of your business

In this article, learn what to look for when selecting a spa POS. Whether you’re a new business in need of a POS system, or you’re an established business that wants to compare various types of spa point-of-sale systems, discover the POS features that can potentially help accelerate your business results.

Understanding the unique needs of your spa business

Before you choose a POS system, it’s important to reference your business plan and understand the vision, mission, and strategy of your business. Looking at the services you provide, the environment you want to create, and the level of care you want to offer clients, you can search for POS solutions that align with your business needs.

When you’re evaluating POS systems, consider:

  • How a POS system can help your staff do their jobs more effectively and efficiently
  • How a POS system can improve the client experience
  • How a POS system can help you improve business operations, both in daily tasks and in business data analysis

Ideally, you’ll be able to customize your POS features to meet your unique business specifications. With the right POS, you can use it as a business tool that enhances the client experience, the work of your staff, and your entire operation.

Key considerations for selecting a spa POS system

Spa businesses have different needs compared to retailers, restaurants, and other brick- and-mortar establishments. Some of the features you may be interested in for a spa POS include the following:

Spa appointment scheduling

Seamless appointment booking and management helps you organize your workforce and manage the schedule of your salon. With a spa POS, look for salon scheduling software features including:

  • Online and SMS booking enablement
  • Employee calendar management, so clients can book appointments with their preferred provider
  • Email and SMS appointment reminders, to decrease appointment no-shows and increase appointment appearances
  • Appointment reminders for employees, to ensure your team members can manage and meet their appointments
  • Customer contact information and appointment history management, to support customer engagement strategies and glean insights

Your POS system with scheduling can also keep client card information on file for deposit holds, payments, and tips to help your business get paid more efficiently. that can lead to better results for your business.

Inventory management

Accurate inventory management is essential in a spa, for both products that are sold to customers, and for products that are used to complete client services. A POS system that syncs with your available inventory can help you and your staff:

  • Complete timely orders for products when you need them
  • Get real-time updates into available inventory, so you can adjust menu descriptions as needed
  • Gain insights into inventory usage, to inform your spa product and service strategy

A POS that has integration capabilities with suppliers and vendors can automatically trigger reorders and restocking based on your unique specifications. You can use insights from your POS to see which inventory is most popular to then create new services or retail offerings based on your most in-demand products. You can also apply inventory management insights to your most profitable spa services to help make them even more valuable and popular.

Customer loyalty programs

Research has shown that loyalty programs are effective in creating repeat customers and in generating higher revenue. According to McKinsey & Company, top-performing loyalty programs can increase revenue from customers by up to 25% a year, either through increased purchase size, purchase frequency, or both.

A POS system that integrates with a loyalty program makes it easy for new clients to sign up and for existing customers to accrue and redeem points. With a POS system, you can customize how your loyalty program works and promote it during the customer experience, from scheduling an appointment to checking out of a service.

Loyal clients provide additional benefits beyond the business they give your spa. It’s worth adding a loyalty program to your spa business ideas because loyal customers can also refer others to your business and promote your loyalty program. That can help create a stream of new clients coming into your business, all through customer referrals.

Payment security

Before you start accepting clients, you’ll need a secure way to accept payments. It’s important that your credit card processing technology enables secure transactions for your customers. Otherwise, you may encounter time-consuming and potentially financially damaging issues, which could hurt your spa’s reputation and decrease customer sentiment.

When you’re looking for POS technology, look for a system that maintains Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance. These data security standards were created to help address emerging threats and safeguard sensitive payment data. All businesses that capture, process, transmit, or store credit or debit card information must adhere to and maintain compliance with these guidelines.

Creating a successful spa business starts with the right tools

From check-in to checkout, a POS system for your personal services business can have an impact on the client experience.

Clover spa POS systems enable you to securely check out customers, gain business insights, enable client scheduling, manage your finances and inventory, and engage customers through loyalty reward programs. Within your spa POS system, you can also access data that can help you strategize operations and grow your business.

Why wait? Get started with a Clover POS system today to elevate your business.

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