Benefits of online booking for your salon: what it brings and what it costs

What online booking brings your salon

The benefits of online booking are practical, and you can check them in your own diary:

- Booking outside opening hours: clients pick a free slot themselves in the evening or at the weekend, even when you are closed. - Fewer calls during a treatment: a client looking for a time does not have to wait for a call back. - No double bookings: after a booking the calendar blocks the chosen staff member's time. - An instant confirmation: the client knows the appointment is fixed, and automatic reminders make it less likely someone forgets.

An honest drawback: clients with an unusual request still phone. Make clear which treatments can be booked online. More on the calendar behind it at bookings management.

Platform or own website: what suits your salon?

A booking platform and your own website play different roles. You do not have to choose.

- Booking platform (marketplace): shows your salon to people who do not know your name yet. Costs depend on its terms, for example a subscription or a fee per booking or per new client. Read those terms before you sign. - Own website: you decide how your treatments, prices and team are shown, and the client stays in your environment. Visitors arrive via Google, your business profile or social media. - Combination: bookings from several channels, as long as you can manage them in one place.

With Salonnare, clients book through your own site and through Google. Salonnare charges no marketplace commission on new clients (€0), but there is a platform fee of 0.5% (min. €0.30) on every online or card payment. Work out below what that means.

Worked example: what does paying online at booking cost?

Say 40 clients a month pay online while booking. The platform fee is 0.5% per payment, with a floor of €0.30. Mollie or Stripe fees come on top (see the provider's rates), and the money goes to your own account.

Scenario A: €10 deposit

1. 0.5% of €10 is €0.05. 2. That is below the minimum, so the fee is €0.30 per payment. 3. 40 × €0.30 = €12.00 a month. That is 3% of each deposit.

Scenario B: full payment of €80

1. 0.5% of €80 is €0.40, above the minimum. 2. 40 × €0.40 = €16.00 a month. That is 0.5% of the payment.

On small amounts the €0.30 minimum weighs more. Your plan's monthly price (Free €0, Starter €9.99 or Pro €14.99, excl. VAT) always comes on top. Check it with your own numbers on the pricing page and read more about online payments and deposits.

Start small and measurable

1. Pick a form per page: a floating button, an inline widget or a direct link for your Instagram bio. 2. Make a test booking on your phone and on your computer, from the first click to the confirmation. 3. For a week, note how many appointments arrive online and how many calls you still get.

Step by step per website builder is in placing a booking widget.

What does Salonnare cost?

Free costs €0 a month (1 staff member, 50 appointments a month), Starter €9.99 and Pro €14.99 a month, excl. VAT. You cancel monthly. Payments run through iDEAL (Mollie) and card (Stripe) to your own account, after the provider's costs and a platform fee of 0.5% (min. €0.30) per payment. Start free with Salonnare.

Frequently asked questions