Booker POS Review: Top Features, Pricing & User Reviews

(Last Updated On: June 28, 2023)

If you own a salon spa and need a POS system to handle your booking, customer management, payments, and marketing, look no further than Booker. This cloud-based point of sale solution allows you to book clients online, through mobile, or your social media channels.

With Booker, you can take online gift card sales online, it doesn’t have to be just at your physical location. With a heavy emphasis on social media, Booker helps you grow your salon or spa’s presence on channels like Facebook and Yelp (ones that are vital to your business’ growth).

Got slow days? If your calendar is not booked enough, Booker helps you get clients in the door by sending targeted email campaigns to your customers to promote last minute deals and openings.

After an extensive review of Booker, the feature that stood out the most is the ability to automate your retention marketing. Your contact list will be updated automatically with each client’s visit based on their purchase history, satisfaction, and interaction with your messaging. This will help you categorize clients and send them targeted offers to keep them coming back.

The software also encourages referrals, automatically promoting the referral program to current clients. Compensate your clients with a gift card or a point system. Booker believes in spreading the word about your business.

Finally, the Business Intelligence Dashboard lets you view your appointments, estimated revenue, cancellations, and other metrics, all in one dashboard. This way, you can see what’s working and where you need to improve.

In this review, we’ll examine Booker’s top features, pricing, hardware options, and more. Let’s take a look at how Booker can act as an online booking, a point-of-sale solution, and a powerful marketing tool all at once.

Who’s Booker POS?

Booker POS focuses on connecting the world to wellness. The concept for the software emerged from the simple idea that small businesses deserve the time to focus on what is important. The platform has transformed this vision into one of the world’s leading services marketplaces that links thousands of passionate health, beauty, and wellness professionals.

Booker POS is an all-in-one management, booking, marketing and point of sale (POS) software that lets salons and spas make paying effortless for clients online, through their smartphones or at the front desk. The solution provides the tools to grow a business's client base, increase revenue and improve productivity.

Using a customizable booking page, clients can schedule their services directly through your website or social media platforms. They can also buy gift cards and products online. A business intelligence dashboard helps salons and spas monitor their growth and performance, get insights into what's working or not, and identify customer referral sources.

To reduce no-shows and ensure that clients remember their appointments, the platform offers a reminder tool that sends emails or text messages to customers at specified intervals before their service. Customers can also reschedule or change their appointment through the system. For the benefit of both staff and customers, the solution also allows businesses to offer discounts through promo cards.

In addition to payment processing, Booker POS is an all-in-one POS solution with features like inventory management, CRM and an innovative messenger AI. The service is PCI Level 1 compliant and uses various security technologies to keep customer data secure.

To process payments, Booker POS integrates with credit card processor Clover. It can also be integrated with PayPal. Depending on the plan, users can choose between an in-house or third-party credit card machine and have the option to add ACH processing as well.

Booker POS lives by their core values. They are committed to the mission of wellness in these aspects:

• Emotional
• Physical
• Intellectual
• Social
• Environmental
• Spiritual
• Occupational

These are the seven dimensions of wellness the brand embraces when they develop each product. The company has a philanthropic nature that encompasses caring for yourselves, each other, and the planet as a whole. The main goal of Booker POS is to strive to always understand the perspective of others.

Booker POS Benefits

• Pricing plans that provide flexibility to accommodate an appointment-based business model.
• Credit card processing that integrates with a POS system.
• Automated scheduling with available appointments and time slots
• Robust network of partner sites.

Booker POS Pricing

Regardless of the size of your industry, Booker POS has planned for it all. They offer affordable pricing plans that make sense for a business of any size. Here are the current plans and pricing to keep an eye on:

Starter – $129/month

This is about the essential tools needed to run and manage a business in the spa and salon space. The package includes text messaging and online booking. It also comes with these features:

• 15 active employee files
• Over 3k SMS notifications and reminders
• 360-degree client and staff management
• State-of-the-art payment processing
• POS system with robust inventory tracking

The package also includes other features like partner networking, reporting, and a consumer loyalty program.

Accelerate – $269/month

This program is intended to build client relationships and foster customer retention. It includes elegant email campaigns and smart contact lists that enable a business to perform efficient digital marketing ventures and reach a wider audience.

The package includes unlimited active employee profiles with two-way SMS notifications and reminders. It also pertains to features like:

• Business Intelligence Dashboard
• Email campaign builder
• Smart contact lists
• Client forms
• Over 35 custom reports and analytics

This package includes all of the Starter features in the main package.

Ultimate – $429/month

This can help a brand take their business to the next level through automated marketing and customer feedback tools. In addition to all the features included in the Accelerate program, the Ultimate package also includes:

• Automated email and text campaigns
• Customer feedback, ratings, and reviews
• Personalized and custom drip campaigns
• Incentivize referrals
• Advanced marketing reports

It should be noted that all pricing is for U.S. customers only. If you are interested in the platform and are based outside the United States, you need to contact the company for pricing.

Branded Mobile Apps – $199/month

Increase your brand exposure, retain clients, and improve sales with your own branded app. Booker offers the ability to build an app with your own colors, logo, and style. They then list it in their app store for greater exposure.

Bowtie by Mindbody – $179/month

You will never miss a customer again because the Bowtie extension will convert missed calls into paying customers. You can automatically and instantly respond to a customer 24/7. A business can also message clients on their favorite platforms, like Facebook and Twitter.

Integrated Credit Card Processing

Provide the ultimate convenience for your business and customers with integrated credit card processing. Cut costs and earn more revenue with low transaction rates. Customers will always enjoy flexible payment and purchase options.

Booker’s credit card processing includes:

• No activation fees.
• No sign-up fees.
• No bank routing fees.

This program allows you to save money on merchant processing through special negotiated rates with Booker’s payment partners. You can also earn more revenue with online ecommerce and gift certificate sales. Additionally, protect the business by charging no-show and cancellation fees.

Although Booker does not offer a free trial, they are happy to take you through a free guided demo of the product. You just have to request one.

Features

Booker software runs on any device. It has a gazillion features and is a highly flexible program. The advantages of the software are broken out into five categories:

• Book
• Sell
• Attract
• Manage
• Retain

Book

The most important feature Booker offers involves the ability to appoint and book clients. These benefits include:

Online Booking

The Booker online booking page integrates seamlessly with your existing website. Customize the design of your booking flow to match your brand and empower customers to:

• See available time slots.
• View a “Book Now” button on your website’s homepage.
• Schedule multiple services.
• View detailed descriptions of services.
• Add additional guests.
• Automatically add client and prospect email addresses to your Booker account

Mobile and Tablet Booking

Don’t be chained to a desk all day. Booker is designed to be accessible from any device, anywhere. Customers receive the same mobile-optimized experience when booking. This gives them the freedom to connect with you while on the go, they simply:

• Select the service.
• Select the preferred date and time.
• Specify service provider.

Scheduling

The calendar is the center of your business and Booker’s scheduling features are designed with that in mind. The program allows you to effortlessly:

• See available time slots.
• View daily appointments by time and stylist.
• View detailed descriptions of services.
• Manage all resources, staff, equipment, and facilities required to power availability.

Sell

When you’re looking to sell, Booker offers several features for doing so, which include:

Point of Sale

Keep the customer experience stellar with an effortless checkout system. Booker’s POS software connects with a credit card processor to process transactions in real-time. You can also:

• Connect your POS with customer profiles to process payments using a card on file.
• Securely manage and analyze transactions.
• Track customer purchases over time.
• Accept multiple payment types including cash, credit, debit, gift certificates, and loyalty points.

Credit Card Processing

Who carries cash these days? Providing an option to pay with credit or debit is essential to running a modern business. Booker’s credit card processing integrates with the POS system and your account so you can take payments securely and capture sales data from every sale.

The online booking page is a 24/7 store where customers can book appointments, purchase gift certificates, make deposits, and buy products online. Other benefits include:

• Safe and reliable processing that complies with PCI and security standards.
• Quicker checkouts to improve customer experience.
• Competitive credit processing rates.

Mobile Payment Processing

Mobile payments provide the ultimate convenience for both your customers and employees. Booker turns any tablet or smartphone into a payment terminal. This allows a business to capture and authorize charges anywhere in your store. You can also perform tasks like:

• Send receipts via email.
• Accept signatures directly on a device.
• Provide fast and reliable payment processing.

Gift Certificates

Give the gift of convenience with customized gift certificates. Booker also offers:

• Print and email delivery options.
• Balance tracking and syncing customer records.
• Personalized designs branded with business logo.
• Sales from your store, Facebook Pages, and website.

Attract

A business also needs tools to attract new prospects and retain the customers you already have. Here are a few features to attract people:

Booker Marketing Network

Advertise all open appointments with the Booker Marketing Network. Display unfilled time slots across Booker’s network of partner sites to fill up your book during slow times. Booker’s distribution partners include:

• Bing
• Yahoo
• Yellow Pages
• SuperPages
• And more…

Social Promotion

Booker gives a business the ability to create and publish specials and offers to prospects and customers on channels like Facebook, Twitter, and other leading networks.

Booking Page

The customized booking page integrates with a website’s flow and design. This makes it easy to demonstrate your services to prospects and facilitate booking an appointment. During the process, customers can select criteria that will help get the best in-person experience, like:

• Preferred time and date.
• Specified service provider.

Business Intelligence Dashboard

The majority of small businesses don’t know if their marketing even works. Understanding where your customers are coming from is key to driving business.

The Booker Business Intelligence Dashboard provides insights that are actionable for sales and marketing efforts. This type of tool helps to intelligently grow a business and better understand if their marketing truly works. With the dashboard, you can easily:

• Track customer referrals.
• Understand how much your customers are spending.
• Know which marketing initiatives drive repeat business vs. new business.

Manage

Employee Scheduling Software

It’s extremely time-consuming to manually update a schedule. It can lead to lapses in coverage or double-bookings. Booker’s employee scheduling software and payroll management help reduce errors so you can spend more time growing the brand. Additional features include:

• Mobile schedule access for your staff with automated shift reminders.
• Employee schedules that sync with your calendar.
• Flexible options to support a compensation structure.
• Centralized reporting on staff hours, tips, and service deductions.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customers are the heart of your business. The system has in-depth profiles and reports that will help you build better relationships with new and existing customers. Booker allows a business to:

• View real-time total sales.
• Track customers’ first and last visits.
• See appointment history and preferences.
• Robust reporting across all consumer activity.
• Track marketing campaigns and membership information.

Inventory Management

Managing inventory isn’t a favorite task. That’s why Booker offers simple and reliable tools to help you track product and vendor inventory for both online and in-store sales. The inventory management feature allows you to:

• Optimize inventory based on in-person and online buying patterns.
• Take physical inventory.
• Oversee purchase orders.
• Manage product lines by manufacturer.
• Identify trends in staff performance, product usage, and customer purchases.

Reporting

Data only benefits your brand when you’re using it to make good decisions. The Booker reporting suite provides real-time reports that are designed to help you analyze key performance stats and gain valuable insight into:

• Customer trends and behaviors.
• Booking and sales.
• Employee compensation and hours.
• Inventory turnover.
• Marketing campaign performance.

Retain

Email Campaigns

Booker allows a business to create, schedule, and send emails to an entire mailing list or a single customer in just a few clicks. Design beautiful emails and put them in campaigns to customers to increase engagement.

Email Campaigns

When done right, email campaigns provide an incredibly effective way to reach your customers. It’s one-to-one communication that isn’t interrupted by ads, and it can help grow your business. The key to success with email is the ability to create and deliver content that is relevant, valuable and enticing to your audience.

An email campaign is a collection of emails that are sent out to your customers over time. There are many different types of email campaigns, each with its own purpose. For example, re-engagement campaigns are sent to inactive subscribers to try and re-engage them or to determine if they can be removed from your list altogether. Other common examples of email campaigns are the welcome email series, which is sent to new subscribers, or abandoned cart emails, which are sent to customers who add items to their cart but don’t check out.

When it comes to email campaigns, every business will have a different strategy that they use, so it’s important to test and find what works best for you. It can be helpful to focus on a specific goal, such as boosting sales during slow periods, or driving traffic to your website.

For example, Brooks Sports was able to capitalize on Desiree Linden’s historic win at the Boston Marathon by creating a special email campaign that focused almost entirely on their running shoes and apparel. This allowed them to stay top of mind for their target audience and highlight their brand loyalty to their most loyal customers.

Additional features include:

• Send newsletters, holiday greetings, special offers, and more.
• Target a few customers or your entire list with the Smart Lists feature.
• Build professional emails in a few simple clicks using the email builder.

Marketing Automation

The Booker Marketing Suite syncs effortlessly with your schedule to send the right message to the right people, at the right time—automatically. You can create customized, programmed texts and emails from templates and then send them based on your criteria. Control what specials and services you promote to keep clients coming back for more. Other benefits include:

• Convert drop-ins.
• Rescue lost customers.
• Remind clients to book again.
• Fill last-minute openings and slow days.

Booker POS Customer Service and Support

Booker customer support can be reached via phone, email, or social media. They offer a variety of resources for customers that include:

• Case Studies
• Blog
• Customer Stories
• Manage Email Subscriptions
• Guides
• Checklists

The brand also offers a help center with several types of content like:

• Training videos
• “New to Booker” section
• MINDBODY One – Booker forum of professionals
• Helpful articles

Support is available Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-9 p.m. EDT.

The Final Say

Booker is one of the best POS systems for scheduling and booking clients. They specifically cater to stores like:

• Spa
• Salon
• Float Spa
• Cryotherapy Spa
• Lash Salon
• Blow Dry Salon

You can always get a custom solution if you contact the brand directly. Overall, if you need a robust system for appointing customers in an automated fashion, Booker is your prime choice.