A few years ago, online marketplaces seemed like the perfect solution for busy salon, spa, and clinic owners. They offered more visibility, easier bookings, and a steady stream of new clients – what wasn’t to love?
But in 2025, something has changed.
The most profitable businesses – the ones with fully booked calendars, thriving teams, and steady growth – are stepping away from these third-party platforms. They’ve seen behind the curtain. And what they’ve realised is simple but powerful: growth without retention isn’t growth at all.
Because if a new client books through a platform, walks in once, and never returns, did your business actually grow?
Today’s most successful salons, spas, and clinics aren’t chasing short-term bookings. They’re building long-term relationships. They’re investing in loyalty, branded experiences, and client journeys they control – start to finish. This isn’t just a shift in strategy; it’s a shift in mindset.
And it’s what separates the good from the great in 2025.
The Marketplace Trap – What Seems Free Can Cost You Everything
On the surface, salon marketplaces appear to offer a win-win, with free software, more bookings, and less admin. It’s no wonder that so many salons, spas, and clinics jumped on board.
But the truth is this: you’re not getting something for nothing. You’re trading control for convenience – and it’s costing you more than you think.
These platforms are built to drive volume, not loyalty. Their business model depends on client movement, not client retention. The more often someone switches salons, spas, or clinics, the more the platform earns in commissions, booking fees, or marketing credits. That means it’s in their interest to keep clients browsing, comparing, and bouncing between businesses.
Even when a client has a great experience in your salon, spa, or clinic, the platform doesn’t want them to return to you directly. Instead, they’re subtly nudged to rebook through them, where they’re presented with:
- Discounts for other businesses nearby
- Targeted ads highlighting competitors
- Premium placements for salons, spas, or clinics they’ve never tried
- “Recommended for you” suggestions designed to tempt them elsewhere
In other words, these platforms are quietly training your clients to shop around – not stay loyal. You don’t own the relationship. You don’t own the data. You don’t even own the first impression.
You’re renting clients, not building a business.
While that might fill a few gaps in your schedule today, it’s undermining your long-term growth. Every booking that goes through a third-party platform is another opportunity for that client to be steered somewhere else. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to play by their rules.
Quality Clients Don’t Come From Discounts
Here’s the hard truth: when price is the only reason someone books, it’ll also be the reason they leave.
Marketplace platforms are built for volume – not value. The clients they attract tend to be deal-chasers, not loyalists. When they’re always looking for the next cheapest offer, it’s your business that pays the price.
The most successful salons, spas, and clinics in 2025 aren’t discounting to stay busy. They’re investing in experiences, systems, and tools that reward loyalty, not price-sensitivity.
For Keeping the Clients Who Matter Most:
With Phorest, you can build real relationships with the people who already know and love your work:
- Digital Loyalty Card: Keep clients coming back with an easy, rewarding loyalty experience that builds value over time – no discounting needed.
- Automated Marketing: Stay top of mind with intelligent campaigns that reach out at the right time – post-visit, birthday, or even when it’s been a while.
- Referrals: Make it easy (and fun) for clients to show off your work and refer others who value quality service.
For Attracting More of the Right New Clients:
Not all new clients are deal-hunters. With the right tools, you can attract people who are aligned with your brand and ready to spend:
- Lead Management: Organise, track, and convert new client enquiries with ease – so no good lead slips through the cracks.
- Phorest Ads Manager: Reach high-value potential clients through targeted, data-driven Facebook and Instagram ads… without needing to be a marketing expert.
- Online Reputation and Reviews: Showcase social proof across Google and beyond with automated review requests that highlight your expertise and professionalism.
To paraphrase Bernd H. Schmitt, a professor at Columbia University and marketing expert, “Discounts are forgotten. Great experiences are remembered. Loyalty is built.”
When you stop selling on price, you start attracting clients who are truly aligned with your brand – clients who want to be with you, not just with whoever’s offering a discount this week. And when your systems are set up to keep those clients engaged, appreciated, and inspired to return? That’s when sustainable growth becomes second nature.
Retention: The Real Secret to Profitability in Salons, Clinics, and Spas
In 2025, smart salons, spas, and clinics know the numbers – and they tell a clear story: A returning client spends 67% more than a first-time visitor.
So, why do so many salons, spas, and clinics focus only on chasing new clients, when the real gold lies in nurturing the ones who’ve already walked through the door – and making space for more just like them?
The answer: retention isn’t flashy. It doesn’t feel urgent. But it is the most powerful driver of long-term profit, stability, and brand growth. Top-performing salons, spas, and clinics aren’t relying on hope to bring clients back. They’ve built systems – powered by Phorest – that do it for them.
Here’s how they make it happen:
Client Reconnect
When a loyal client hasn’t returned in a while, Phorest spots it – and gently brings them back with a personalised message that feels thoughtful, not salesy. It’s a win-back tool that works quietly in the background, reigniting relationships before they fade.
Automated Marketing
Forget one-size-fits-all email blasts. With Phorest, campaigns are triggered by client behaviour – birthdays, visit gaps, post-treatment check-ins – so your message is always relevant, always timely, and always yours.
Digital Loyalty Card
This isn’t a stamp card from the ’90s. It’s an engaging, digital experience that builds momentum with every visit, encouraging consistency, not one-time bookings. Clients don’t come back for points. They come back because they feel valued.
It’s not about working harder. It’s about making every new client worth more over time. And the salons, spas, and clinics that master this? They’re not just busy. They’re booked with purpose.
Salon-Owned Systems vs Platform Directory
You’ve worked hard to build your brand, your vibe, your team, and your values. So, why hand over your client experience – and their data – to a platform that doesn’t share your vision?
Here’s the difference: When you use Phorest, your salon, spa, or clinic stays front and centre.
Your logo, your voice, your booking link, and your app. Every interaction reinforces your brand, not someone else’s.
With marketplace platforms, your business becomes part of a directory. Clients book through their system, get emails with their branding, and receive offers for other salons, spas, and clinics – sometimes just minutes after visiting yours.
Let’s break it down:
- Client Data
- With Phorest: You own it – every detail, every interaction.
- With Marketplace Platforms: They own it. You’re granted access, but you’re not in control.
- Branding
- With Phorest: Fully branded booking links, emails, and even your own app.
- With Marketplace Platforms: Clients book via platform-branded listings and links.
- Marketing
- With Phorest: Automated, personalised, branded communications.
- With Marketplace Platforms: Limited tools, often generic and shared with competitors.
- Client Journey
- With Phorest: Fully-customisable – from first booking to rebooking.
- With Marketplace Platforms: Dictated by the platform, focused on repeat platform usage.
With Phorest, you reclaim that ownership, without sacrificing simplicity or speed. Clients book directly through your website, socials, or even your app. You’re not paying for visibility; you’ve already earned it. Because when your brand is the experience, loyalty naturally follows.
Success Stories: What Top Salons, Spas, and Clinics Are Doing Differently
Across the UK, Ireland, Australia, North America, and beyond, leading spas, clinics, and salons are stepping away from marketplaces and into stronger, more profitable businesses because of it. They’re not waiting around for “new client spikes” from discount-driven platforms. They’re building loyal communities, driven by brand power, not booking platforms.
And it’s working.
Here’s what that looks like in the real world.
Reclaiming Profits & Rebooking
Beauty Secrets, a multi-branch group of salons and spas across the south of England, switched to Phorest after expanding. After switching to Phorest, they generated 1647% ROI from sending automated rebooking reminders, and reduced their no-show rate to less than 2%.
“Phorest has really helped us to grow as a business – it has an amazing marketing suite, which is [one of the] reasons why I moved to Phorest in the first place,” said Karen Thompson, the owner.
Growing Without Discounting
A hair salon and academy in Canada transformed their marketing strategy by using Phorest Ads Manager. Zazou Salon & Academy had done numerous Google Ad campaigns, but found them difficult to track. Now, one of their most successful ads, run on Facebook and Instagram for 28 days, has made $27.42 for every $1 spent.
“Phorest takes away a lot of the guesswork that can feel overwhelming, especially for those unfamiliar with the Meta Business Suite. The support team has been responsive, guiding me on metrics, budgeting, and ad setup,” said Janine, Zazou’s Brand & Business Development Lead.
Building a Brand, Not Just a Book
A premium hair and beauty salon, Zinc, in Dublin realised that Phorest were “leaps and bounds” ahead of any other software company. Zinc realised that they could curate their brand presence with Phorest’s branded app and custom online booking.
“The online booking system was something that I thought was going to revolutionise how we would take appointments in the salon… even when we were closed, we were going to be able to take appointments!” said Lisa Eccles, the owner.
Top salons, spas, and clinics aren’t just busy. They’re intentional, branded, profitable – and booked on their terms.
Own Your Growth, Own Your Future
The most profitable salons, spas, and clinics in 2025 have one thing in common: they’ve stopped outsourcing their growth to platforms that don’t share their goals.
They’ve moved beyond short-term fixes and reclaimed long-term strategy. They’re not chasing price-sensitive clients – they’re building communities. They’re not competing for space on someone else’s platform. They own their client journey, from first click to lifelong loyalty.
So ask yourself honestly: Are you growing your business, or are you helping someone else grow theirs?
Because every time a client books through a third-party platform, your brand takes a backseat. With Phorest, you stay in the driver’s seat. Phorest is more than just technology. Many of us have worked in the industry ourselves – in salons, spas, and clinics – and we get it.
We’re built for this industry, by people who care about it deeply. Whether it’s education, innovation, or day-to-day support, we’re with you every step of the way. We’re your growth partner, not just a provider.
If you’re ready to start building a truly loyal client base, on your own terms, we’re here to help.
Ready to grow your business without relying on marketplaces?
