The health and beauty industry provides a hands-on service for its customers – it might well be the reason you went into the field you’re in! But when you’re working with customers, records must be kept secure digitally – as well as having other software and systems to streamline your business. Technology empowers businesses to work more efficiently, allowing you to enhance customer experiences, and drive growth. With all that in mind, if you’ve got a hair or beauty salon, a fitness business, or similar, let’s take a look at some of the systems and software that you’ll want to consider.
Review management platforms for the health and beauty sector
Maintaining trust is critical for encouraging new customers, and there’s nothing as powerful to convince as someone else’s opinion. 70% of UK consumers who read reviews say they trust reviews more when they are from verified customers Collecting and displaying feedback through a third-party review management platform is the way forward, since it affords you the opportunity to respond to customers and to show that you care.
Key features to look for in a provider/platform:
- Collecting and displaying genuine customer reviews
- The ability to respond to feedback
- Customer insights from this content
- Widgets and integrations for your other systems, like your website and social media
It is worth us mentioning that not all review management platforms ensure reviews collected are genuine, leaving you open to fake reviews that potentially damage your reputation. Learn more about the differences between review management platforms and open vs invite-only platforms.
Customer reputation management tools for the health industry
To thrive, businesses must understand and address customer concerns promptly. Reputation management tools both help refine services and maintain a positive image. Your review platform is a good place to start, but an additional customer reputation management tool can help you monitor how well your business is regarded across multiple platforms, as well as replying to feedback.
For small businesses, we’d advise starting with a review management system, a website, and a social media scheduling platform, since there may be features built into these systems that can do what you need. The size of your business and where you operate may impact whether you need an additional tool.
Adopting appointment scheduling software
In 2025, we shouldn’t have to tell you to put down your diary and pencil – but there are many businesses that are still taking bookings in exactly this way! Choosing great appointment scheduling software won’t just help your team keep their appointments clear, you’ll be able to send reminders to clients, reduce no-shows, non-payments and maintain more accurate records.
Combined with the reviews your clients leave for you, your records will help you to know your clients on a deeper level too, so you can provide better offers and build loyalty.
Key features to look for:
- Online booking capability for clients
- Automated reminders sent by email, text, or WhatsApp
- Calendar management for your team
- Payment options
When selecting software, look for user-friendly options. Fresha and Timely are both popular in the industry, since they also integrate with marketing and review management tools for a smoother customer journey.
Additionally, you might want to consider a loyalty programme, since 45% of consumers say that a brand who offers loyalty reward schemes would encourage them to stay loyal. Some booking platforms – such as Shortcuts – offer features like loyalty program tracking and customer history insights, helping you tailor your services even further.
eCommerce platforms for gyms, health and beauty businesses
Alongside a great booking platform, your customers are likely to be looking to purchase your products and services online too. By implementing an eCommerce platform, hair and beauty businesses can make additional sales of salon exclusive products, while gyms and fitness studios can sell products like fitness products and dietary supplements for customers who appreciate the convenience of delivery directly to their home and competitive pricing on bulk purchases.
Key features to look for:
- The ability to create detailed product listings, ideally with photos and video
- Easy checkout experience
- Integrations with review platform, accounting software, and other marketing platforms
If you’ve invested in a review platform that has widgets and integrations, you can help to maximise sales through your eCommerce platforms by including verified reviews in the customer journey. You can read more about increasing conversion rates here.
POS systems for health and beauty brands
Point of Sale (POS) systems are increasingly essential for health and beauty businesses. Many busy customers don’t want the hassle of having to remember cash when they’re heading in for their appointment. Even if you take card payments through your booking app, and can take cash, if you have products for sale, a POS system allows you to take those in store.
Features to look for:
- Either an inbuilt inventory management system, or connection to your inventory management system
- Sales performance tracking
- Integrations with your accounting software
POS systems like Square, Clover, or Lightspeed offer comprehensive solutions for health and beauty businesses. These platforms go beyond basic payment processing by providing real-time sales insights, employee performance tracking, and even multi-location management tools for businesses with more than one branch.
However, before you commit to one, check whether your appointment scheduling software has inbuilt payments – Fresha is one example that does. eCommerce platforms may have POS functionality too – Shopify, for example.
Accounting software to manage finances
Every successful business owner knows that keeping track of your cashflow is essential – knowing what you’ve made and ensuring you’ve covered your outgoings is key, especially at the end of the financial year. Whether you’re comfortable to take care of your own accounting needs or you employ a specialist, accounting software is non-negotiable. Since the Making Tax Digital campaign, businesses are required to:
- Keep digital records
- Use software that works with Making Tax Digital
- Submit updates every quarter
If you’re working with an accountant, they probably have a preferred accounting platform – the big three most popular being QuickBooks, Xero, and Sage. You don’t have to be working with an accountant to use these systems, but each has tools to simplify bookkeeping, invoicing, and tax compliance. They’ll help you track your expenses, manage payroll, and provide the financial reporting you need.
Marketing platforms for health and wellbeing businesses
Great marketing is at the core of pretty much all successful businesses – whether you’re aiming to bring new customers in, or you’re focusing on retaining your existing clients, keeping your business visible is essential.
While marketing activity can take up time in your day, with the right platforms, it can be streamlined – and you don’t need to be a designer or a tech specialist to use them successfully.
Systems to look for:
- A great website platform and a well-designed website. You don’t need to be a web developer anymore to create a great business website. If you know how to drag and drop, you can create a great looking website with platforms like Wix, Shopify, or Squarespace, and make use of templates that you can apply your brand colours to and so on.
- Branded emails. While you can use a free Gmail account that includes your business name, the cost of a branded email is so small and has a much more professional impact.
- A design platform that makes branding your social media posts easy. Canva is a popular option with great free features, but there’s plenty of other choices including Adobe Express, Snappa, and Visme – they'll help you create social posts that pop without needing design skills.
- A platform for scheduling your social media posts and replying to comments and DMs. There are many options for this – your website provider may have this built in (as HubSpot does) but you can opt for systems such as Sprout Social, Buffer, or Later.
For a more comprehensive solution, you might consider using an all-in-one CRM and marketing platform like HubSpot or Zoho. These tools allow you to combine email campaigns, social media scheduling, and customer data analysis, helping you make data-driven marketing decisions that drive results.
Wrapping up: Must-have software for the health and beauty sector
Having the right systems in place frees your time so that you can continue to give your customers the personalised, hands-on service that they know and love you for. Keeping track of bookings is simpler, accounting is made easy, and your marketing takes less time – all of which leads you to great reviews, and more customers being attracted to your business. Whatever health and beauty service you’re offering, taking the time to prioritise your business software will pay dividends in the long term.
