Customer loyalty is in the Hairdressing Trade This has always been a central theme. But how can we successfully carry this traditional sense of connection into the digital age while also appealing to a broad audience?
We had the opportunity to meet Petra Grill, Head of Marketing at KLIPP Frisör, Austria’s largest hair salon service provider. On the “hello again” podcast, she shared exclusive insights into her experiences and successes in the area of digital customer loyalty and told us what other hair salons can learn from them.
The starting point: Why an app at all?
KLIPP is known for its strong customer loyalty. What was the reason for expanding your analogue customer loyalty instruments with an app?
Petra Grill: It was actually a mix of various factors. One thing was the request for an app from our team and customers themselves. But a very essential point was the lack of data, which we lacked. The Corona pandemic made this particularly clear.
We knew how many customer visits we had, but not how high the Share of loyal customers was or which Age Structure our customers had.
Since we are a walk-in hair salon, we also had no Customer Data. We really wanted to shed some light on the matter to better understand our customers and personalized offers to be able to offer.
Digitalization has simply been a huge topic in the company—and for all of us, really—in recent years.
Petra Grill, Marketing Manager at KLIPP Hair Salon
Digitalization for Everyone: Target Audiences and Rewards
Hairdressers have an incredibly broad target group, from young to old. How do you manage to reach this diversity of customers and stay relevant at the same time?
Petra Grill: That is actually a challenge, but also a huge opportunity! Our goal from the beginning was to reach all target groups.
That's why, in addition to the app, we also have a traditional Customer Card introduced as a fallback solution. It was extremely important to us not to exclude anyone, especially our long-standing, older customers who are often not digitally active.
This allows us to ensure that they also benefit from the advantages of our loyalty program. The advantage of the app is of course the Push Notifications and personalized offers, which we can tailor to the respective target group.
The Frequency Discount: KLIPP's Recipe for Success
Are there any specific rewards or other features that are particularly well-received by your customers?
Petra Grill: Absolutely! Ours Frequency Discount is an absolute hit. Customers receive 10% discount on their haircut if they return to us within five weeks. The redemption rate has doubled since the loyalty card days!
One reason for this is the push notifications we send through the app. When a customer receives a message like, „Your discount is good for one more week!“, it’s incredibly motivating.
Thereby we were able to Customer Frequency demonstrably increase. It's a win-win situation: Customers are happy about the discount and the new haircut, and we record more visits.
| Building block | What's Behind It |
|---|---|
| Bonus Club App | Digital platform with push notifications and personalized offers |
| Classic Loyalty Card | Fallback solution for non-digital audiences |
| Frequency Discount | 10 % discount if returned within five weeks |
| Push Notifications | Personal memories that motivate people to redeem them |
| Team Integration | Salon Managers Actively Involved in the Rollout and Testing Phases |
Lessons Learned for other companies
You have managed to inspire over 280,000 customers for the bonus club. What advice do you give to other companies who are thinking about a digital customer loyalty program?
Petra Grill: The most important learning is to really take the time and think about it carefully, what one wants to achieve. Who are my customers? What added value do I want to offer them? Think carefully about what you want to give away as rewards.
Another crucial point for us was, to get all stakeholders on board, from the management to the team in the salon. The employees are the direct point of contact with the customers and their commitment is essential for success.
We have our salon managers We actively involved them in the project group, asked them about their needs, and later had them try out the app in test sessions. This helped us tremendously during the rollout and led to a high acceptance of it.
Employee commitment is extremely important for the app's future success.
Petra Grill, Marketing Manager at KLIPP Hair Salon
Even More Insights on the podcast
Listen to the full podcast episode with KLIPP! Here's what you'll learn:
- Why employees are crucial when rolling out a new app.
- How KLIPP achieves such a high sign-up rate for its customer club despite having a broad target audience and not requiring appointments.
- Which specific rewards are best received.
- How and why you should also consider the non-digital target group.
You can find even more real-world examples related to bonus programs in our overview of the Key Tools for Customer Loyalty.
Conclusion: Customer retention in the hair salon industry requires the courage to embrace digitalization
The KLIPP example shows that customer loyalty in the hair salon industry can be achieved digitally even with a very broad target audience—as long as no one is excluded.
Companies that, like KLIPP, involve their team early on and create clear incentives—such as a frequent-use discount—can transform a traditional industry into a modern, digital customer loyalty program.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About the KLIPP Bonus Club
Why did KLIPP decide to create its own app?
The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that important customer data was missing—such as the percentage of regular customers or the age distribution. With the app, KLIPP wanted to close this data gap and be able to make personalized offers in the future. The team and customers themselves also expressed a desire for an app.
Why does KLIPP also offer a traditional loyalty card?
In this way, KLIPP ensures that no one is left out—especially older customers, who often aren’t active online. The loyalty card serves as a fallback option alongside the app. This way, all target groups benefit from the loyalty program, regardless of their level of digital literacy.
What is the frequency discount at KLIPP?
Customers receive a 10 % discount on a haircut if they return within five weeks. Push notifications remind them in advance that the discount is about to expire. As a result, the redemption rate has doubled since the days of the traditional stamp card.
How did KLIPP get employees on board for the app rollout?
Salon managers were actively involved in the project group from the very beginning and were given the opportunity to try out the app first in pilot salons. Their feedback was directly incorporated into the app’s further development. According to Petra Grill, this early involvement played a decisive role in the high level of acceptance throughout the rollout.
How many customers use the KLIPP Bonus Club?
More than 280,000 customers are now part of KLIPP Frisör’s Bonus Club. This makes the program one of the largest of its kind in the Austrian hair salon industry. This was made possible by a combination of an app, a loyalty card, and targeted rewards.
What advice does Petra Grill give to other companies that are considering a customer loyalty program?
She recommends taking the time up front to really think carefully about who your customers are and what added value you want to offer them. It’s just as important to involve all stakeholders—from management to the salon team. The rollout will only be successful if everyone is on board.
