Is Your Customer Base Really Yours? Research on Online Booking Platforms
By 2024, numerous businesses have accumulated significant expertise in utilizing various online booking and business automation tools. Nevertheless, business owners have observed that these platforms direct customers to their own websites or applications, where they advertise services from competitors. We have analyzed the top five globally used solutions — Mindbody, Vagaro, Booksy, Altegio, and Treatwell — to determine which of them rely on 'cannibalizing' customer bases for their business.
Most services for small business management offer essential features such as:
- Schedule and Appointment Management: This includes the ability to easily manage appointment schedules, access client profiles with detailed fields for segmentation, leave comments on visits, and store visit history.
- Customer Base Management: Businesses can find lost customers and track regular customers to improve retention.
- Notifications: Services can automatically send messages to clients via WhatsApp, SMS, or email to confirm appointments, collect feedback, and remind clients of upcoming appointments.
- Chain Management: For businesses with multiple locations, some platforms like Altegio, MindBody, and Vagaro offer the ability to consolidate branches and manage them centrally.
- Reports and Analytics: Businesses can generate reports on customer return rates, staff performance, and occupancy rates to inform decision-making.
- Loyalty Programs: Tools are available to create and manage customer loyalty programs or memberships.
Integrations:
- Maps and social networks: These services can easily integrate with the business website, Google Maps, and social networks like Instagram and Facebook for direct bookings.
- Point-of-Sale Equipment: Businesses can integrate with fiscal point-of-sale equipment and POS terminals for flexible payment accounting and regulatory compliance.
- Communication services: Platforms offer communication services through email, WhatsApp, SMS, and other messaging platforms.
- Website: https://alteg.io/
- Founded: 2022
- Headquarters: Budapest, Hungary
- Price starts from: USD 11 per month
- Number of Clients: Over 10,000 clients from more than 84 countries
- Business Model: Subscription for software without hidden fees
Altegio is a unique solution in the market that sets itself apart by being the only booking and scheduling application that does not affect the customer base. While the company promotes its own mobile app to customers, they are unable to see competitors or other businesses they have not booked with yet. This is in contrast to other platforms that feature unlimited offers from various, and even competing, businesses.
Key Features:
One of the fastest and most customizable online booking widgets available
- Easily customizable to match your brand's style, customers won't even realize they are using a third-party solution
- Optimized booking interfaces with maximum speed to minimize confusion for even the least experienced customers
- Automatic integration with your company's main web presence on Google Maps, Instagram, or Facebook
- Customers can make direct payments for services through the widget, streamlining the payment process and increasing convenience
- The widget can be used to promote special offers, discounts, and promotions to attract new customers and retain existing ones
- Supports multiple languages for the convenience of international customers.
Aunio is a free mobile app created by Altegio to streamline customer interactions with businesses in various ways:
- Customers can easily rebook appointments at places they have previously visited with just two clicks.
- Businesses can send unlimited free notifications to their customers.
- Customers have the ability to purchase and renew memberships or gift cards directly through the app.
- Businesses can set up and display cashback balances for customers, promoting loyalty through customizable bonus programs.
- Aunio allows businesses to feature promotional stories on their profile cards, complete with images and booking buttons.
- Overall, Aunio is designed to enhance the customer experience by offering convenient tools for managing appointments, gift cards, loyalty programs, and centralized promotions.
Supply Chain Management: With a focus on larger clients, the product offers a range of possibilities for managing the supply chain efficiently.
- Centralized Management: Altegio enables centralized management of all branches or service points through a single platform. This includes scheduling, staff management, and inventory tracking.
- Unified Online Booking: Even large networks with branches in different cities can utilize a single online booking link, allowing customers to easily choose the most convenient location.
- Centralized Customer Database: All customer data is stored in a single database, simplifying the tracking of visit history, preferences, and management of loyalty programs.
- Consolidated analytics and reporting: Altegio provides robust data analysis and reporting tools for individual stores and the entire network. This enables business owners to make informed decisions based on real data.
Customer Service
- We offer proactive support throughout the entire connection and implementation process, starting from registration on the platform all the way to full launch.
- Free training is provided for staff at the beginning of implementation and for any new staff that join afterwards.
- Our support is available through multiple channels including WhatsApp, phone, social media, and email.
- We pride ourselves on our fast response time, with an average response time of just 3 minutes.
Treatwell
- Website: https://www.treatwell.co.uk/
- Founded: 2008
- Headquarters: London, UK
- Price starts from: EUR 30 per month
- Number of Clients: Over 25,000 businesses in Europe
- Business Model: Up to 20% booking commission + subscription for advanced accounting functionality
Treatwell is an online platform where users can book appointments at beauty salons and spa facilities. Business users have mentioned concerns about the high commissions charged on bookings, even for repeat customers, and the necessity of offering discounts to attract new clients.
The platform offers a wide variety of services such as hairdressing, manicures, pedicures, massages, and spa treatments. Businesses have the option to pay for advertising to increase their visibility on the platform, including priority placement in search results and ads within the platform.
Payment processing is done through Treatwell, with funds being transferred to the business after deducting the commission. Customers can leave reviews and ratings to help others make informed decisions when choosing a salon or service.
Treatwell frequently offers promotions and discounts to help customers save on services. The platform operates in multiple European countries and is continuously working to enhance the user experience.
Booksy
- Website: https://booksy.com
- Founded: 2014
- Headquarters: Warsaw, Poland
- Price starts from: EUR 34,99 per month
- Number of Clients: No information available
- Business Model: Subscription for software + commission for bookings from the marketplace + commission on payments
Booksy, a company based in Poland, emphasizes the sharing of customer bases among its clients as a crucial aspect of its business model during investor presentations. It is worth noting that the company does not take a commission for bookings made by returning customers, but instead focuses on distributing its app for free through existing customer networks and promoting competitive deals.
Key features of the platform include Map Search, which allows users to locate nearby salons and book services in a convenient location. Clients can easily find available time slots and book services through the mobile app or website. Additionally, users can leave reviews and ratings to assist others in selecting the best professionals. The commission fee imposed by Booksy may vary depending on the region and the terms of collaboration.
Vagaro
- Website: https://www.vagaro.com
- Founded: 2009
- Headquarters: California, USA
- Price starts from: USD 30 per month
- Number of Clients: Over 50,000 businesses
- Business Model: Subscription for software + commission for bookings from the marketplace + commission on payments
Vagaro offers an appointment scheduling and booking platform for a variety of businesses, such as beauty salons, fitness studios, and wellness centers. The company is focused on promoting its mobile app to customers and providing a convenient booking experience. Compared to competitors, Vagaro’s self-promotion is seen as less intrusive.
Key features of Vagaro include service promotion, where businesses can showcase their services to attract new customers. The platform also includes tools for promoting services and increasing visibility. Additionally, Vagaro integrates with payment systems to enable online payments, with the company charging a commission for these transactions.
Vagaro also offers customer management tools, allowing businesses to keep track of appointment history, preferences, and feedback. The platform provides reporting and analytics to help owners make informed decisions about their business.
Mindbody
- Website: https://www.mindbodyonline.com
- Founded: 2000
- Headquarters: California, USA
- Price starts from: USD 120 per month
- Number of Clients: Over 60,000 businesses
- Business Model: Subscription for software + commission for bookings from the marketplace + commission on payments
Mindbody is a popular business management platform that caters to companies in the fitness and wellness industry. It also has a marketplace for the beauty industry and partners with ClassPass for fitness.
Key features:
The Mindbody marketplace offers a wide range of services from gyms, yoga studios, beauty salons, and more, giving customers plenty of options to choose from. The commission that Mindbody charges businesses for bookings and appointments made through the marketplace can vary based on factors like region, business type, and terms of agreement. Typically, businesses can expect to pay a commission ranging from 2% to 10% of the service cost, with the commission in the USA usually falling around 6−7%.
Conclusion
In summary, the majority of services charge a fee and serve as a platform to reach a large audience. However, this strategy can potentially lead to losing customers to competitors due to banner ads or more favorable reviews. The Altegio platform, on the other hand, is specifically structured to safeguard your customer base. It guarantees that your clients can access the features they prefer without being bombarded by advertisements or alerts from other salons. With Altegio, you can retain customer loyalty and concentrate on expanding your business without worrying about losing clients to rival services.