Across the salon industry, a new generation of consumers is actively changing everything we thought we knew about the salon-client relationship. Digitally savvy, habitually online, and accustomed to convenience, Gen Z and Millennial consumers are ushering in a new era in which service personalization is just as important as stylistic expertise in defining the client experience. 

If you’re thinking that sounds a bit hyperbolic, consider the world in which many of your clients now live: Spotify knows their mood better than they do, Amazon tells them what they need to re-order before they’re even out of it, and DoorDash remembers they prefer the barbecue sauce on the side. This is their life. This is all they know. So when they walk into your salon, you can be sure they’re expecting the same. 

In other words, personalization is no longer just the cherry on top; it’s the whole sundae. (Fine, maybe not the entire sundae. More like one half of a vanilla-chocolate swirl.) If clients don’t feel like you designed and personalized the experience just for them, they’ll find a salon that does.

This isn’t just a commentator’s opinion, either. The importance of personalization is now backed by a growing mountain of data-driven evidence, perhaps the most convincing of which is derived from one of the simplest components of the client experience. 

How Custom Notifications Impact Salon Revenue and Retention

If you’re looking for the proverbial canary in the coal mine on the impact of personalization, look no further than custom notifications. On the surface, custom client notifications seem like a small thing; short messages like appointment reminders, confirmation texts, follow-up emails that live in the background of your day-to-day operations. Surely, they don’t have an outsized impact on your business's bottom line, right?  

Wrong, actually. 

New data from Boulevardcomparing appointments for which at least one customized client notification was used to appointments for which no such notifications were used paints a clear picture of the immense power of personalization. Using custom client notifications leads to: 

• 22% more revenue per appointment

• 28% higher appointment completion rates

• 22% more retail sales per appointment

• 16% higher client retention

Read those numbers again, slowly.

This isn’t a readout on the impact of some massive operational overhaul. This is about doing something as simple as customizing and personalizing a message, and the enormous impact it has on revenue, retention, and retail.  

That’s why I called it the canary in the coal mine. If something as seemingly minor as a custom notification can move the needle this much, imagine what’s possible when personalization is baked into every part of the client journey. This new data doesn’t exist in a vacuum, either. It aligns with other recently released industry data showing that personalization is both appreciated and expected. 

For example, a recent Boulevard consumer survey revealed that 66% of clients say remembering their personal preferences is essential to driving repeat appointments. Another 55% say they fully expect to be proactively offered add-ons, memberships, packages, and retail options based on their personal preferences and history.

To harken back to what I said earlier, this means clients don’t just want a great cut and color (though, yes, please give them that too!). They also want you to remember that they love to make small talk, always buy the same styling product in the same quantity, and prefer evening appointments because they’re too busy driving kids to practice during the day. And if there’s a new membership program or special package that’s a perfect fit for them, they want you to tell them about it without having to ask. 

How salons can start personalizing the client experience today

The data is clear: it’s time to start personalizing your client experience from start to finish. With that in mind, here are four things you can do to begin moving the needle right now: 

1. Leverage custom notifications 

Did I even need to say this one? As we’ve already established, this is one of the simplest yet most impactful levers you can pull. Confirmations, reminders, and follow-up messages are prime real estate for personalization. Keep it friendly, address people by their preferred name, make sure your messages match your brand, measure impact over time, and adjust when and wherever needed.

2. Use data to personalize appointments and recommendations 

If you’re using a modern client experience platform to power your business (and you should be!), then you already have most of the information you need to start creating a more personalized client experience. Client profiles, booking history, purchase data, it’s all right there. Use it to design a personalized experience and drive recommendations. If a client regularly asks for a bottle of water, have it ready. If they ask about the latest haircare products every time, have your best new retail ready to show. If they come in every six weeks like clockwork, that’s your cue to talk membership. Speaking of which… 

3. Embrace memberships and packages to increase revenue

Whether it’s the convenience, the peace of mind, the cost savings, or a combination of all three, there’s just something about memberships and packages that feels deeply personal to self-care clients, especially if curated and presented in a way that is super specific to their needs and preferences. The devil is in the details and the delivery. Telling a client “We offer memberships” is miles apart from telling them “I think we can craft a program based on your service history that will save you money and make your life easier.” The best membership programs feel so personal because they are. 

4. Use automation to scale personalized salon client experiences 

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking personalization means lots of manual labor. Modern software technology can automate more than you might imagine, from your custom notifications to the collection and analysis of client data, to the management of your membership programs and retail sales. Find a solution that takes the repetitive elements off your plate.

Why personalization will define the future of client experience

The ultimate takeaway here is that personalization should be your baseline for everything. Custom client notifications are just an early indicator. More are sure to follow as the industry shifts toward experiences that are individually tailored and thoughtfully personalized. The salons that win won’t just be the most talented; they’ll be the most attentive. 

About the AuthorShanalie Wijesinghe is the Content Strategy Director at Boulevard, where she lends her industry and platform expertise to both in-house staff and partner salons and spas. A salon industry veteran with more than 14 years of experience working for high-end luxury salons such as Sally Hershberger and BENJAMIN, Wijesinghe was previously a sales engineer for Boulevard and blends her knowledge of the beauty and technology industries to help put the company’s partners and employees on the path to success. A Bay Area native and first-generation immigrant, Wijesinghe is a graduate of the Paul Mitchell School specializing in cosmetology, styling, and nail instruction.