The Best AI Tool for Salons?

Why Showcase is the one tool I'd invest in tomorrow if I still owned a salon

“It's really quiet at the moment. You should do some marketing.”

If you own a salon, I'd bet one of your stylists has said some version of that to you. As if it was your sole responsibility to provide this never-ending flow of new clients. 

As the salon owner, marketing is just one of the many jobs you have to do. But what if some of the marketing of the stylists' skills and services was their responsibility.

What if every stylist in your salon had their own marketing machine built into your website?

That's what a tool called Showcase does. I've seen plenty of products come and go in this industry, and there isn't anything like it. If I still had salons today, it's the one AI tool I'd invest in straight away.

What is it?

Showcase was created by Phil Evans, the founder of Salon Guru, who has spent 20 years building salon websites.

It brings three things onto the website you already have: a detailed profile for every stylist, a gallery of each stylist's work, and your client reviews, each review linked to the stylist the client saw.

It works on any website, so you don't need a new website or to be a Salon Guru client. A small piece of code adds it to the pages you already have, and it looks like part of your site rather than a bolt-on.

A new client can land on your colour page, filter your work to see only coppers, click on the one she loves, read that stylist's reviews and book with them, all without leaving your website.

Why I love it

My number one reason is what it does for your team.

Showcase gives your stylists a vehicle, inside your own salon's website, to promote their expertise and their portfolio. The stylists who make the most of it will attract a clientele that reflects the type of clients they want.

So the next time someone tells you it's quiet, you have an answer. “Your profile is there. Your gallery is there. Fill it with images of your work and ask your clients for reviews.” For a motivated stylist, that's like pouring petrol onto the fire.

Showcase also shows the bookings and booking value each stylist is generating, so the whole team can see it working. It even sends automatic nudges when a stylist's profile or gallery needs attention, so you're not the one doing the chasing.

It works whether your team is employed, self-employed or a mix of both. Every stylist gets a profile, a gallery and a reason to be part of the salon's story.

The right client with the right stylist

Then there's the AI Matchmaker. A potential client uploads a photo of the hair she wants, swipes yes or no on your team's work, and gets matched with the stylist whose work fits best. Or she chooses by what matters to her: experience, speciality, price or language. Phil compares it to a dating site, and he's spot on.

You and I both know how it usually goes. The phone's ringing, reception is busy, and a new client gets put in with whoever is free. Sometimes that works out. Often it doesn't.

That matters, because only around 35 to 40% of first-time clients come back for a second visit. 

Connect each new client with the ideal stylist from the start, and you increase retention, utilisation, client satisfaction and salon revenue. Your stylists' wages go up with it. It's a win-win for everyone.

The early signs

Showcase is still new, but the first salons using it have seen the number of visitors who leave their website without doing anything fall by more than half.

And for the first time, you can see where every booking came from, what it was worth, and which marketing channels and stylists are bringing in the money.

See it for yourself

The best way to understand Showcase is to see it. Phil and I recorded a webinar where he walks through live salon websites step by step. You can watch it here

Or book a demo with Phil at showcasehair.studio and he'll show you how it would work in your salon.

So, is it the best AI tool for salons? I think it might be, and I'd love to see it on every salon website.

To your success,

Antony

Grow My Salon Business has a paid partnership with Showcase. We turn down hundreds of these opportunities and only partner with a handful of companies we believe in and recommend to our own coaching clients.