How to Build a SaaS Salon Booking System: A Complete Guide in 2023

Younger generation now tends to do almost things via their phones. Businesses can have competitive advantages by having or joining in a booking app. So, instead of looking through dozens of brochures, Instagram accounts and websites to compare the services and offers, by integrating them in 1 app, it can help people book an appointment whenever they want and not worry about waiting on the phone or in beauty salons.

COVID-19 has promoted the Beauty Salon Industry to quickly adapt digital transformation because many salon owners must be able to meet modern people’s demands quickly and efficiently. What do you think about making your app for beauty salons? If you have once thought about this, read this article to know exactly what you have to do.

From our intense experience in building Maby – a SaaS Beauty Salon Booking Platform, this article will give you a complete guide on how to build a SaaS Salon Booking System.

1. What is SaaS App?

Firstly, Software as a Service (a.k.a SaaS) is a Cloud Computing Service that offers cloud-based software for end-users from a vendor via a smartphone or web interface. For instance, Dropbox, Canva, Slack and Google Docs are SaaS platforms.  

In an easier way, vendors create and maintain a web-based software, and customers can access remotely via internet by paying period fees (annual, quarterly, monthly)

SaaS allows your business to use a booking system without the need for complicated and expensive infrastructure. SaaS providers host the software in their own location or on the cloud and make the program available to different businesses in various locations.

It is considered as a 4.0 model outweighing on-premise software which requires you to build your own software within your business and use your own servers.

According to Statista, the SaaS market size has been expanding since the first decade of the 21st century, and even going further due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of its affordability, flexibility and scalability, many businesses are moving their entire operations to cloud solutions. 44% of companies say that they have increased their use of public cloud services due to the pandemic. Around 30.2% say they have increased spending on SaaS solutions. Another 85% report that they expect the changes to be permanent (Haider, 2021). This improves that the SaaS market is, now, experiencing an upward trend, and is also expected to increase sharply in the future.  

According to Statista, the SaaS market was believed to be worth approximately $145.5 billion and is expected to reach close to $172 billion in 2022. Also in 2022, the leader of this market is the United States, with the most SaaS companies, at 16000, gaining a total revenue of $389.3 billion. Canada and the United Kingdom follow with 2000 companies.

2. SaaS Salon Booking App

2.1. Overview

To make a reservation in the past, customers would have to call the salon and talk directly to a staff member. This process is frustrating, wasting a lot of time.  With the introduction of online solutions, many salon businesses have created online presence by building an app. Customers can find the available dates and times, weigh their options, and make a booking decision at any time. No need to talk to anyone and no more limitation to business days and working hours. To set up this online booking system, you need a program that will hold all the necessary information and enable the booking process. This is where the SaaS system comes in.

SaaS programs allow businesses to use a booking system without the need for complicated and expensive infrastructure or hiring IT professionals to do the work. Many companies today opt for SaaS solutions because of how efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly they are. Beauty salon is not off the trend, a SaaS Salon Booking System will not only automatise both the international and external salon business operations, but also make it easier to grow your salon business.

Take into account some types of well-known salon apps in 2023, business can take advantage of these trends to develop their successful salon apps that using SaaS Solutions:

Types	Descriptions
General Salon App	Offer particular services: hair, nail, face, legs and hands treatment of all kinds
Boutique Salon App	Offer: – Nail, hair and skincare services – Beauty products and women’s accessories, such as handbags, jewellery, clothes and many more.
Haircut Salon App	Offer only a traditional haircut
Manicure Salon App	Offer specialised services such as manicures and pedicures
Spa Salon App	Offer beauty and spa services of all kinds and can be customised according to the spa industry standards
Hair, Nail and Skin Salon App	Offer salon professional services on hair, nail and skin to beauty-conscious people

2.2. Benefits

So, why does your salon business need a mobile app? Let’s take a closer look at what salon businesses can find beneficial about SaaS booking apps.

• Time saving

By having a salon app that helps users book appointments directly and easily, salon business owners can reduce the number of phone calls or voicemails that require the salons to call back. 

• Convenience payment

Salon booking apps allow customers to add reliable payment gateways that they can easily check out.  Businesses can help them in making payments using various methods that they have available. This makes payment a simple process. 

Additionally, when the customers make only payment first, it would guarantee them to definitely arrive for the appointment. If you want to encourage them to pay online, you can give them a discount during the booking process. 

• Personalisation

Based on customers’ feedback, preferences, location and previous appointments,  the salon booking app can provide personalised recommendations for them

• Staff management

A salon booking app helps the owners keep track of their stylists’ performance monthly and annually, so the owners can evaluate their staff’s completion of assigned tasks. This advantage will help the entrepreneurs keep only talented stylists at their salons, encourage them with what they are doing and compliment them with their tasks. 

If clients sometimes want to choose a particular staff for their booking, salon booking apps can present the staff to provide the service, and automatically add to their calendar and manage the schedules well.

• Appointment management 

If the clients forget the date and time they have scheduled their appointments, the app having automatic notifications will remind them to follow up on appointments and give them exact details. This also assists in reducing missed appointment reduction, which is a loss of revenue that owners can’t afford them right. 

3. Advantages of Building SaaS Booking Software

3.1. Cost-effective

The SaaS model is a perfect tool for meeting the business demands for cost optimization. 

Using SaaS Solutions, you don’t need to invest more in hardware to deploy the application. Maintenance costs also tend to be lower as the software service providers handle backups, data recovery, upgrades, etc. for a fixed rate.

This feature enables companies and individual customers to choose the most suitable platform for their demands,  select what features they want to apply and pay accordingly as per their budget and requirements.

3.2. Scalability and Integration

SaaS Solutions typically reside in scalable cloud environments and integrate with other SaaS Solutions. If your salon business expands, you can easily scale up your app, because SaaS App allows you to increase workloads and accommodate more users. It is also easier for businesses with multiple locations to invest in additional server capacity. You are only paying for what you use.

In case you want to integrate your website, social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram…) and more, SaaS Solutions will not require you to buy additional software, they have a wealth of integrations to choose from.

3.3. Ease of Setup

SaaS apps are web-based, so they do not need any complicated setup and infrastructure resources. SaaS products also encourage users to try them before they actually commit. Instead of investing much money in an in-house app that may not fully meet your expectations, businesses can test the SaaS app’s features first and see if they meet their demands.

3.4. Lower Tech-stack

SaaS apps can be accessed by various devices, such as desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones. You don’t need any coding knowledge or experience to use, all you need to do is to install the plugin and activate it. SaaS Solutions are typically user-friendly, making it simple to understand and operate. Hiring internal IT experts to operate it is not important with your business anymore. 

By following this way, businesses can customise their apps to fit their specific needs.

3.5. Quick Deployment

When using a SaaS booking software, your business doesn’t need to update and maintain any hardware. The SaaS features regularly update as new technologies are released, so the app always performs its best.

3.6. Security Measures

Security is one of the most important considerations with not only SMEs but also big giants when it comes to cooperating with 3rd party software providers. In the cloud, multi-factor authentication and anti-phishing programs provide clients with high-quality data security solutions and make less effort on switching between devices. 

Cloud computing offers consistent high-performance storage that can grow with your business. Customers can choose different storage volumes depending on the business data they store. A service-level agreement (SLA) ensures reliable storage of sensitive business data.

4. Must-have features You should Consider when building a SaaS Salon Booking System

Let’s hear our expert’s recommendations on the features that you must consider when building your SaaS Salon Booking System, from their practical experience in building this kind of app.

We highly recommend you to make the sign-up process simple, quick and secure. You also need to collect critical information to make sure that you can upgrade your app to avoid people abandoning it, such as their name and phone numbers, as well as their reviews, gift cards, account settings, payment information, etc. By making it clear to understand, you are achieving their engagement step by step.

4.2. Salon Profile

Your salon needs to include a brief introduction, address, contact information, opening hours, services you offer and the price range, etc. Additionally, having a wide range of highly skilled staff, it will make your salon business outstanding among other rivals. It is important to enter your employee’s name, the area of expertise and other details like contact number, address, email, etc. 

Salon businesses can also integrate with Social Media profiles in Facebook, Google or Instagram and Website.

Users can search for the services they’re interested in either through search or by browsing the categories that are listed on the main screen of the app.

4.4. Personal Recommendation

You can impress your users by sending personalised messages to multiple devices at the same time and recommend them to update about your services and discounts if available. Please note that remind them at the appropriate time and frequency to make sure they do not feel annoyed. 

Today, everyone uses the Global Positioning System (GPS). By giving your customers your address, they will be able to track the location of your salon easily. 

4.6. Calendar 

A very crucial part in your booking app is the calendar. While your customers open the app, they can check reservations that are directly linked to your in-house calendar, and book their appointments accordingly. The scheduled appointments will also show up in customers’ Google Calendar. 

4.7. Reviews

To make customers’ process of searching and choosing an appropriate easier, encourage your customers to leave reviews and ratings for each listed salon on the app that they have experienced.

A new user may find it hard to know exactly what your app serves, what platforms your business is compatible with, which kinds of beauty services you offer, the cost for any services… Gather all their questions, answer them shortly and directly, and make it easily visible on your website. 

4.9. Push Notifications

It is important to remind your customers that you are existing and offering special services, or even their appointments with you are approaching. Since cold-calling may not be the best option to do, use push notifications  to remind your customers of your presence and keep them updated about the latest updates and news. 

Online payments are popular today, especially considering the pandemic. Building a salon booking app with a payment gateway makes it easy for customers to pay online with no issues.

5.Steps of Building a Salon Booking App

5.1. Plan and Discovery

The success of a SaaS application depends not only on the right technologies but also on market research, target audience and defined aim. This is what your salon business should do first before starting to build a SaaS app. If you don’t have any experience on this, an experienced and trusted IT company can help, it will offer business analysis (BA) services to research your case and provide you with the best solutions.

A discovery phase will structure your plans for SaaS application development in detail, including:

• Software requirement specification (SRS)
• Risk management and mitigation plan
• Feature breakdown lít
• Cost estimate

This phase is really helpful in defining your best optimal development plan and team structure to build your SaaS platform within budget and timeline.

5.2. SaaS model design

Web app design involves the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). Before building a SaaS application, choosing an interface that meets your target audience’s needs is important.

Take into consideration that SaaS works on computers and phones and what devices your target audience always use. A UI/UX specialist will design for different device resolutions so your users can work conveniently everywhere.

SaaS databases, storage, and services are cloud-based, not on physical servers. The SaaS model manages the cloud environment on which the SaaS service is employed, using AWS, Snowflake, Azure, or IBM Cloud. You can choose the best suitable solution for your business, based on flexibility, scalability, security and pricing. 

A software architect should work on creating a high-level architecture design that describes your app’s components and connections and guides future development. It also must ensure SaaS applications’ fast performance, high security, and easy scalability, using the right tech stack.

During this step, SaaS developers work on the front end and back end of your application. At the same time, quality assurance (QA) engineers also check each functional piece to make sure it works properly. SaaS developers often start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) first, it includes only the most important features to meet the basic requirements of your target market and audience. After they build and launch it, you can give feedback about what features to improve and what new features to develop. This approach is called Agile Methodology and is popular in software development companies. 

After QA testing, you can release your SaaS platform web based. After publishing your business application, user acceptance testing will be the final stage of QA. After the final release, SaaS developers must deliver continuing maintenance and application updates.

This is the way SaaS developers create SaaS applications. If you don’t have an in-house development team, partnering with a vendor is the best and most cost-efficient option for you. By finding vendors from other countries with a lower cost of living, you can also save money and repurpose them for other business expenses like marketing activities. Some tips that you need to consider when finding a reliable vendor:

• Set your goal and budget for your project first
• Choose the most suitable type of software developers you want to hire (mobile developers
• Create a job description with specific requirements
• Use supporting tools like Google, IT sites. Platforms such as Clutch, UpCity, GoodFirms, Top Developers, Techreviewer etc. perform analysis based on customer’s feedback to create useful industry rank lists, you can also use them as well
• Always check companies’ portfolios, case studies and experience before picking any of them

6. Tech Stack

• Cloud environment: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Microsoft Azure.
• Front-end development: HTML, Javascript, CSS and frameworks like  Angular, React 
• Back-end development: Python, PHP, JavaScript and database: MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL
• Mobile development:  iOS – Swift, Android – Java,
• Multiple payment modes:  PayPal, Braintree, Stripe
• User location tracking and map integration: MapKit, Google Maps API,  CoreLocation
• Push notifications: Twilio, Push.io
• In-app messaging and calling: Twilio
• Verify SMS, Voice and phone: Twilip, Nexmo or Sinch
• Real-time analysis: Apache Flink or Kafka

You can also see this bar graph giving information about most-used SaaS languages to choose the best-fit SaaS languages.

7. How much does it cost to build a SaaS Salon Booking App?

The cost and time of developing a SaaS Salon Booking App will depend on many factors like:

• Tech stack
• Platform choices (iOS, Android, website…)
• Functionality
• Design
• Team size
• Hourly rates
• Developer’s qualifications

In general, the development of MVP is cheaper, since it includes the integration of only the basic functions. The development of an MVP for a SaaS project can cost anywhere between $15,000 to $50,000, depending on the complexity of the work and on the origin country of the developer. A full system app will cost around $60,000 – $80,000 depending on all the factors mentioned above. If you’d like to get a detailed estimate for your unique project, don’t hesitate to contact us.

>>> Read more: How Much Does It Cost To Build A SaaS Product In 2023: An Ultimate Guide

Conclusion

In a nutshell, SaaS Solution is a cloud-based software that allows users to access and use it from anywhere. This product is going to grow quickly due to its benefits to both customers and application developers, making it easier to install updates or make room on the computer for new software. Salon businesses can also capitalise on creating a SaaS salon booking app to increase revenue, as well as reach a larger target customers. 

There’s never been a better time to launch a SaaS product. Get ready for a development journey to enter the salon booking market with a high-quality product. 

If you want to choose a reliable technology partner to build your salon booking app, contact us to start together today! AgileTech is an experienced technology outsourcing company that has intense experience in this market, so we can help you with building SaaS products and creating a clear picture for your business to succeed. Maybe your product will be outstanding in the SaaS industry.