A digital loyalty card for your salon or barbershop

A barber sees a regular every three to four weeks; a salon client comes back every six to ten. That means few visits a year, a high ticket (a cut in Stockholm easily costs 450 to 800 kr) and a client who can drift to the salon round the corner after one disappointing visit or one month when you were fully booked. Booking apps get clients into the chair. A loyalty card gives them a reason to book with you again rather than with whoever has a slot.

What to reward, and after how many stamps?

With so few visits a year, keep cards short. A ten-stamp card at a salon is a three-year wait.

• 6Free beard trimBarbershops: roughly every five months for a monthly regular.
• 8Free cutBarbers with clients every 3 to 4 weeks.
• 5Free hair mask or care treatmentSalons: cheap in product, feels like a treat.
• 5A care product from your shelfCosts you the purchase price, not chair time.

Your real cost is chair time. Example: a free cut is 30 to 60 minutes you can’t sell to someone else. A treatment costs maybe 40 kr in product and ten minutes added to a visit, and a shampoo you buy in for 90 kr and sell for 249 kr costs you 90 kr. If a salon client spends 650 kr a visit, five visits come to 3,250 kr; a 90 kr product is under 3 % of that. These are example figures.

Cards can have 3 to 30 stamps; three to eight is realistic for hair. Changing the number only affects new cards.

Which card type fits a salon or barber?

A stamp card (Essential) suits most: one stamp per visit, whatever the service. On Pro you have more options:

• Pack card: sell five beard trims or five fringe trims up front. The card shows “Not active yet · pay at the counter” until staff tap “Activate”, then “Use 1” per visit. You hold the client’s money, so ask your accountant how to book it.
• VIP levels: up to three levels by number of visits, for example a level after 10 visits that gives a free treatment with every colour. The new level shows on the pass and on the scanner.
• Points: if your tickets range from a 300 kr kids’ cut to a 2,500 kr colour, points per krona with several reward levels can feel fairer than stamps.
• Several cards: a barbershop can run a stamp card for cuts and a pack for beard trims side by side.

How does stamping work during the rush?

There’s no queue in a salon, but there is a moment: payment at the reception after the appointment. That’s when to scan. The client pays by card or Swish, holds up their phone, and the scanner shows “+1” and “Sara · 3/5”. If the stylist takes payment themselves, they can scan from their own phone.

• Shared reception phone: log it in with a PIN, so anyone on the desk can scan.
• Stylists on their own phones: each gets an e-mail invite with the staff role. Staff only see the scanner, not your settings or client list.
• Mistakes: the owner or a manager corrects the card in the dashboard with Adjust stamps; the reason and who made the change are logged.
• Reward day: when the card is full, the pass shows “reward ready” and the client gets a notification. At the desk, “Claim + add today’s stamp” gives the reward and counts today’s visit on card 2.

The cooldown (5 minutes by default) matters less here, but it stops a card being stamped twice when two people at the desk both scan it. The scanner needs Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Seasonal and occasion ideas

• January: quieter weeks after the holidays. Good time for a pack offer.
• Studenten (late May to June): graduation hair and updos, booked weeks ahead.
• Wedding season (May to September): bridal hair and groom cuts.
• Skolstart (August): kids’ cuts before school starts.
• December: julfest and New Year’s Eve. Fill the calendar early.
• Summer: many salons close for a few weeks in July. Tell clients when you’re back.

What to send by push or e-mail

Push messages (Pro) reach the client’s lock screen through the pass. Examples:

• Example · title: “Free slots Tuesday afternoon” · message: “Two chairs open tomorrow from 14:00. Book in the usual way and mention this message.”
• Example · title: “Studenten hair: book now” · message: “Updos and styling for graduation week are filling up. Book your slot before 15 May.”
• Example · title: “We’re back from summer” · message: “The salon reopens on Monday. Book your first cut after the break.”

The built-in “not seen in 30 days” audience fits barbers well: a monthly client who’s missed a month is worth a nudge. For salons on a seven-week rhythm, 30 days is too short, so message all clients instead. An e-mail with your new colour menu or product arrivals, sent from your salon’s own address, works once a season. Only clients who opted in to news receive messages.

Google review invites help salons: one e-mail after a client’s first visit asks for a review, on any plan while billing is active, never with a reward.

Common objections

“My clients book online anyway.” Booking is not loyalty. Your booking app reminds them of the appointment; the card gives them a reason to book with you and not the barber next door.

“My booking app has its own loyalty.” If it does what you want, keep it. Fidelia’s card lives in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet and works whatever booking tool you switch to.

“A free cut is too expensive.” Then don’t give one. A product at cost price or a treatment added to a visit costs far less than an hour of chair time.

“Clients won’t bother.” They only scan once to join, at the desk, with first name and e-mail. After that the card sits in their wallet.

What does it cost?

Essential costs 299 kr a month for one salon or barbershop with a stamp card, unlimited clients and a scanner for every stylist. Pro costs 599 kr a month and adds packs, VIP levels, push messages and e-mails. Start with Essential if you only want the stamp card; choose Pro if you want to sell beard-trim packs or fill gaps in the calendar. Pro has a 14-day free trial; prices are excl. VAT.