Salon Loyalty Program Ideas: How To Promote Client Loyalty

A salon loyalty program encourages clients to keep coming back by giving repeat customers offers like discounts on popular services. 

These incentives can be powerful. In a 2025 study from professional services firm EY, 41% of consumers said they remain loyal to a brand because it offers a loyalty rewards program. Having a rewards program was the top influence on loyalty—more than offering high-quality products or services (33%) or great customer service (8%).

In this article, learn about the different types of loyalty programs salons use and explore some top loyalty program apps for getting started.

What is a salon loyalty program?

A salon loyalty program is a marketing strategy salon and spa owners use to retain high-value customers by rewarding them with discounts and rewards, such as member-only exclusives. Loyalty program members gain perks through actions like booking and attending services, buying products, completing referrals, leaving reviews, and following and interacting with the salon’s social media channels and email newsletter. 

There are several ways to launch a loyalty program, including handing out old-fashioned punch cards or having customers sign up for fully digital options. If you have the Shopify point-of-sale system (POS), you can connect it to a loyalty app so clients can sign up for your program in the salon and manage their memberships online. 

Types of salon loyalty programs

• Punch card
• Points
• Referral
• Tiered
• Membership

Here are some common types of salon loyalty programs to consider: 

Punch card

With a punch card loyalty program, customers receive a physical card. After every service, they earn one stamp or hole punch. When clients collect a set number of punches, they can exchange the card for a discounted or free service, product, or add-on. 

Physical punch cards are simple to set up, but they don’t collect data that will help you learn more about your customers. Additionally, customers can lose them. An alternative is a digital punch card, which functions similarly, but allows customers to access their punch cards from their phones. 

If you have the Shopify POS, you can download a punch card app like Appy from the Shopify App Store, so customers can sign up and get rewards in the salon. 

Points 

Points loyalty programs reward clients for how much they spend or for taking an action, like signing up for your newsletter or writing a review. Once they reach a certain number, clients can cash in points for rewards. 

Hair care brand R+Co uses the Rivo loyalty program app to encourage customers to book appointments at local salons carrying R+Co products. Customers can then redeem these points for products, coupons, and accessories. For example, for 100 points, they can get a styling cream sample. For 2,000 points, they can receive a $20 coupon. 

Referral 

Referral programs reward your clients for promoting your business to others. Referrals are effective because friends and family are consumers’ most trusted source for product recommendations, according to Statista. 

Hairdressing salon Toni & Guy uses a referral program, which rewards both the referrer and their friend. Both get £10 off and a free Hairspa experience.

Tiered 

Tiered salon or spa loyalty programs recognize clients’ support of your business. The more money they spend, the higher their tier, which unlocks more perks. 

IGK Hair has a mix of programs, including giving customers points for their purchases. Their tiered program has three categories, starting with the No Limit account, which doesn’t have any spending requirements. 

Their second tier is First Class, for customers who spend $150 or more. This lets the customer earn points at an accelerated rate: Instead of one point per dollar, the customer gets 1.25 points per dollar. Their top tier is Best Life, for those who spend more than $250, and it offers the most perks, including 1.5 points per dollar of purchase. 

Membership

A membership or subscription loyalty program gives customers discounts if they sign up for a recurring service. This could be a monthly manicure, spray tan, or waxing membership; a bimonthly haircut service; or a subscription box full of products from your in-house line. 

In 2025, salons with memberships increased revenue at four times the rate of salons without this program, according to beauty and wellness software company Zenoti.

Beauty brand Chillhouse has an in-person salon, Chillhouse Soho, that offers manicures, pedicures, massages, and facials. Their membership program is Club Chill, a monthly subscription with service discounts. They have four membership options, which give customers access to product discounts and exclusive in-store event invites.

Salon loyalty program software

If you use Shopify, the easiest way to start a salon loyalty program is by downloading a loyalty app that integrates with the Shopify POS.

The following apps meet Built for Shopify standards and are highly rated on the App Store:

Bloy Loyalty Points & Rewards

Bloy is a points-based loyalty program app that also supports tiered systems. The points program lets you offer points for every purchase, which customers can redeem for discounts, as well as free shipping and free products if your salon has a product line. You can name your points to make your program feel more on-brand, and you can set earning limits and points expiration. 

Bloy calls its tiered system a VIP program. If you opt for the VIP program, you can set tiers using points earned or money spent. You can choose how long customers have to upgrade to a new tier. 

Pricing: Free plan available. Contact Bloy for more info on paid plans.

Casa Loyalty Rewards Program

The Casa Loyalty Rewards Program supports points-based loyalty programs. With Casa, you can also set up tiers with extra perks for VIPs, like a points multiplier. Loyalty program participants can also earn points for referring a friend.

Customers can sign up for your loyalty program in the salon at your POS or on your website with Casa’s customizable loyalty program landing page.

Pricing: Free plan available. Contact Casa for more info on paid plans.

Toki Loyalty Program & Rewards

Toki has rewards, paid membership, and referral programs. It also works across your online store and brick-and-mortar locations, and can even reward clients for creating user-generated content (UGC) or following your social media accounts. 

Toki has a digital wallet pass that users can access via Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. This gives clients real-time push notifications and lets them easily access their balance or tier. 

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $49 a month after 1,000 orders. 

Best practices for running a salon loyalty program

Here are a few best practices to consider when setting up your loyalty program: 

Offer an additional incentive

Offering an additional incentive—like double points for services booked on your slowest day—is one way to keep customers engaged with your loyalty program. 

If you have a points-based loyalty program, consider offering double or triple points on certain days or for specific products or services you want to promote. The 2025 EY survey on loyalty found this was consumers’ most-wanted loyalty program feature, with 61% of respondents saying they want opportunities to earn double points. 

The next most popular feature, which 56% of respondents wanted, was birthday rewards.

Take an omnichannel approach

A digital loyalty program that integrates with your POS gives customers more opportunities to sign up and use your program. If you sell products or offer appointment booking from your website, consider creating a landing page specifically for your loyalty program.

According to EY, customers mostly sign up for loyalty programs from a company website (35%) or a brand’s mobile app (30%), with 16% signing up in-person at checkout.

Use loyalty discounts to minimize churn

According to a 2024 Square survey, one in three clients have explored other options outside of their main hairstylist. Of that segment, 52% said loyalty discounts could get them to return to these providers. 

When building your loyalty program, analyze when clients tend to leave so you can optimize your offers. For example, if a single repeat visit is a strong predictor of future loyalty, you could offer a discount on a client’s second service.