Today, it can be difficult to set yourself apart in a crowded industry. As the availability of technology grows, so does the number of products, apps, and businesses. Utilizing something like Vagaro’s Branded App is a great way to boost your brand awareness while helping establish a unique identity for your business. In this Vagaro Business Spotlight, we interviewed two businesses that have had prosperous results using their Vagaro Branded Apps. Meet Dulcinea & Olivier de Roany, owners of Humble Bee Sugaring Studio and Tarik Celebi, co-owner of GLO Yoga Studios, as they share their tips and tricks for getting clients to download & book through their branded app. You may be surprised at some of the positive results of having a branded app, like how it's strengthened their client relationships. First up, Humble Bee Sugaring Studio...
Dulcinea & Olivier de Roany, owners of Humble Bee Sugaring Studio
What drew you to begin using the Branded App in the first place? Was there a specific need you were looking to fill as a business at that time?
We had reopened our doors during the COVID-19 lockdown and were looking for ways that we could connect with our clients safely while being able to stand out! We personally had a restaurant booking software startup in the past, actually. We went through multiple software engineers & teams, spent thousands of dollars, and took up countless hours trying to create an app that would satisfy what we were looking for. Our previous tribulations with our software startup absolutely helped our decision to break this cycle of trying again & again, and to give Vagaro's Branded App a shot.
How do you get both your existing & new clientele to download the Branded App? Do you have any specific tactics that you can share for other businesses out there?
Our employees are pretty heavily suggesting the app to our clients. They’ll ask or say things like, “Do you have the app?” or, “How are you making your appointments?” Usually at the end of an appointment they’ll ask, “Oh, how did you book?” We like to use the app for selling memberships, especially. This way, we can show them and say, “Hey, here’s the app and how to sign up for a membership!” Then they can download, book, or purchase all while they’re receiving their treatment. Something else we did was add buttons onto almost every page of our website, too. That way, wherever you are on the site, you see: “Get our app from the Google Play & Apple App Store.” Lastly, should a client reach out to our text message line after 9PM, they’ll typically receive a message saying something like “Oops, you’ve reached us outside of working hours.” We’ve adjusted that message to now also say, “Please download our smartphone app!”
Have you found a main type of client who is most likely to download your Branded App? Is there a specific niche of clientele, or is it a wide spectrum?
It’s everyone. We have younger and older clients all using the app. At first, there was definitely some apprehension, but once you show them how simple it is, they're ready to download the app. It’s really, really user-friendly.
How has the Branded App helped market your business?
The one thing that I’ve noticed is that every time we add a new business location, it automatically shows up on the app home screen. Just by having the app, clients will go, “OMG, they have a new location in Sacramento now!” simply because they saw it from the home screen.
Do you find that more new clients book via the Branded App as opposed to another method?
It’s mostly our existing members who use the branded app pretty heavily. A lot of new clients will call or text us initially, but already have the app downloaded by the time they’re in for their service.
How can the Branded App build a community among your clients? Do you find that it’s helped establish an identity for your business & allows you to stand out in a crowded market?
One thing we’d have to say is that when you have to rely on a third party or more time-consuming method of booking, it puts an extra barrier between the business and the client. When a client has the app, I think they have the sense of being in control of their own experience, and they have this closer relationship with the business that they wouldn’t have otherwise. In that same sense, our clients are able to feel more aligned with us. They feel like they don’t need a phone call or a text to get their self-care booked. It’s almost like a members-only vibe, and that’s a cool thing to see.
What can you say to current Vagaro business owners who may be on the fence about using the Branded App?
I think it’s a culmination of everything that we’ve talked about. It’s money well spent. When developing an app yourself, you could spend $20,000 for an end result you might not even like. You can get blown off by a programmer that doesn’t finish the job. Even if it works out, you then need to worry about how it can connect to your business’s APIs or other programs. Here, we’re all for the ease-of-use not just for us, but for our clients too. The fewer barriers we can put between them and us, the better.
Tarik Celebi, Owner and Founder of GLO Yoga Studios
What drew you to begin using the Branded App in the first place? Was there a specific need you were looking to fill as a business at that time?
For us, this was a crucial part of getting operations online. We wanted to make it as easy as possible for customers to sign up. Most may find the free Vagaro app good enough, and yes it works; however, when trying to build your brand, [it’s important to place yourself front & center to your clientele.] The fact that Vagaro even offers a free app that is polished is pretty amazing, but the branded app keeps [clients in close contact with] your brand. Simple as that. We actually went so far as hiring a team and trying to develop an app ourselves but soon realized the challenges and logistics of making it all work together.
How do you get both your existing & new clientele to download the Branded App? Do you have any specific tactics that you can share for other businesses out there?
We had a great tactic that worked quite well to get people onboard. We actually did this fun giveaway where anyone who downloaded then booked a class would have their name put in a box for a free yoga mat. We had multiple winners. Everyone ate it up and we had an incredible amount of people participate and start booking classes! We kept the momentum going by putting QR codes for both the Android and iOS versions all over the studio, on our A-Frame outside the studio to our bulletin board. For customers who signed up online, upon their first visit we actually show the QR code as part of their initial tour.
Have you found a main type of client who is most likely to download your Branded App? Is there a specific niche of clientele, or is it a wide spectrum?
Interesting question. I have! I noticed that in our demographic, the 25–44 age group are incredibly on point to download the app, and most of the time they’ve already downloaded the free Vagaro app in advance of their first class. The 45+ age group, I found, wanted to sign up in-studio, or if they signed up online, they would simply download the app once guided in the studio. The 55+ crowd typically asks if they can just “come in” or they ask if they have to sign up in advance. However, when we had a giveaway, it seemed that everyone wanted to make sure they downloaded it and participated, even the 55+ age group!
How has the Branded App helped market your business?
Great question! I would say, so far from the marketing side, it has added trust and credibility out of the gates. We get comments like: “Oh, you have your own app?! That’s great!” I actually believe it to be stronger on the retention side of things by adding our social media to it and [because] someone can dive deeper into our company and not go elsewhere. This is a very key feature that is not talked about.
Do you find more new clients book via the Branded App as opposed to another method?
Yes, we do, and the reason for that is simplicity. The customer picks up their phone and simply types GLO Yoga to search for the app; they don’t have to go outside the brand. It’s easy because [it] makes booking extremely simple. One less thing for them to get confused about.
How can the Branded App build a community among your clients? Do you find that it’s helped establish an identity for your business & allows you to stand out in a crowded market?
It does help build a community—it allows the customer to explore all of our social media from TikTok to LinkedIn, letting them further build their knowledge of our brand and even get excited about what’s to come! It helps establish our [brand] identity; literally, the app icon is our logo and has become synonymous with our brand. It helps people build the brand by way of visual repetition of our logo. When thinking in terms of growing and scaling your business, this is vital.
What can you say to current Vagaro business owners who may be on the fence about using the Branded App?
Yeah, that’s an easy one. As an owner, you spend a lot of time trying to grow your business, trying different things to see what can get the best results for your money. The goal is to be effective with your spending. One way to do that is investing in your brand. This builds trust with your client who then refers your business to their friends. The Vagaro Branded App does just that—it helps build value for your customers, which turns into trust, which hopefully will lead to referral-generated business. The branded app also just keeps clients engaged with your brand. I can’t emphasize it enough: The free Vagaro app is great, but having your own branded app is the difference-maker.
So, there you have it! A big thank-you to both Humble Bee Sugaring Studio and GLO Yoga Studios for taking the time to sit down with us! Dulcinea with Humble Bee Sugaring and Tarik with GLO Yoga will also both be participating in panels at our iconic.23 conference this September, so don’t forget to grab your tickets, ASAP! By reading these success stories from some of our very own Vagaro businesses, we hope that you now have a greater understanding of how using Vagaro’s booking & business management software, and the Branded App feature, can help you establish not just a brand identity, but a community of loyal individuals who regularly book with you as well! Click HERE to start your own free trial today!
