How to set up a salon referral programme
A salon referral programme rewards clients who introduce friends with fixed-amount discounts. In Bella Booking, each client gets a unique link from Account → Refer a friend. The friend uses a welcome reward on their first appointment; once that first paid appointment is checked out (non-zero value), the referrer earns automatically. Professional plan — separate from loyalty.
Why referral programmes work for salons
Word-of-mouth is still one of the strongest ways beauty and wellness businesses grow. A structured referral programme turns informal recommendations into something you can track and reward.
- Friends arrive already trusting the recommendation — warmer than cold ads
- Both sides can earn a clear, fixed discount (no percentage maths at the till)
- Rewards issue automatically when the friend’s first paid appointment is checked out
- You keep a report of conversions and reward value instead of guessing
Keep rewards simple: a fixed amount in your currency for the friend and a fixed amount for the referrer. If you need two sentences to explain it, simplify it.
Referrals vs loyalty
Referrals and loyalty share the same Professional plan feature, but they are separate programmes with their own settings. You can run referrals with loyalty paused — and the opposite.
| Referrals | Loyalty | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Reward introducing new clients | Reward repeat spend / visits |
| Reward type | Fixed currency amounts only | Points redeemable for fixed-amount rewards |
| When earned | Friend’s first paid appointment is checked out | On completed appointments / spend rules you set |
| Client surface | Account → Refer a friend | Points balance / rewards |
| Can run alone? | Yes — loyalty can stay paused | Yes — referrals can stay paused |
Setting up your referral programme
Configuration lives under Settings → Referrals (or Programmes → Referrals).
- 1Go to Settings → Referrals.
- 2Set a fixed friend reward and a fixed referrer reward (currency amounts only — never percentages).
- 3Choose how many months issued rewards stay usable before they expire.
- 4Optionally cap how many referrer rewards one client can earn per month — useful if a few clients share widely.
- 5Switch the programme to Active.
- 6Brief your team: clients share from Account → Refer a friend; staff can copy any client’s link from Clients → Wallet → Referrals.
- 7Mention it at checkout and in your usual client communication so people know the link exists.
Rewards are always fixed currency amounts. There is no percentage-off option — that keeps the discount clear at checkout.
How earning works
- 1A client opens Account → Refer a friend on your online booking site (or your team copies the link from Wallet → Referrals).
- 2Their friend opens the unique link, books, and uses the welcome reward on their first appointment.
- 3When that first paid appointment is checked out (and has a non-zero value), the referrer’s fixed reward is issued automatically.
- 4Optionally, the Referral reward earned automated message notifies the referrer by email.
Important timing
The referrer earns after the friend’s first paid appointment is checked out — not at booking time, and not for zero-value appointments. That protects you from rewards on no-shows, cancelled first visits, or complimentary bookings.
My profile on the booking site is for contact and consent only — it does not include referrals. Point clients to Account → Refer a friend.
Tracking results
Use the referrals report under Insights → Reports (or Programmes) to track conversions, rewards issued and redeemed, and reward value. Review monthly whether the friend and referrer amounts still feel fair for your average ticket.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing referrals with loyalty — they solve different problems
- Promising percentage rewards — Bella only supports fixed amounts
- Expecting the referrer to earn at booking time — completion is required
- Hiding the share page — clients need Account → Refer a friend (or a staff-copied link)
- Setting rewards so high they erase your margin on the first visit
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