At the International Salon Spa Expo (ISSE) in Long Beach, California, SALON TODAY took a spin around the show floor to see what was new with most of the salon software vendors that were exhibiting. Tag along with us and see what programs are debuting and which features will help owners grow their business to new heights in 2015:

MINDBODY’sAmanda Patterson gave us a tour of MINDBODY Connect, a client app that already is accessed by more than 1 million users and which connects clients and potential new clients to businesses using MINDBODY. “This app helps users find MINDBODY salons quickly, shows them what services they offer, and helps them book an appointment quickly,” she says.

In addition to designing a sleeker online booking function, Salon Biz Sales Manager Denise Dupuy says Salon Biz Cloud is simplifying marketing with complimentary text confirmations, as well as the ability to do marketing campaigns, such as birthday greetings, targeted messages to overdue clients, offers to clients who don’t buy products and cross-marketing campaigns. “And, Salon Biz Enterprise edition is focusing on mobile checkout to help clients get on their way quicker after an appointment,” says Dupuy.

According to Megan Rollo, Booker (on right, pictured with SALON TODAY's Stacey Soble) is adding new features every six to eight weeks. “Booker’s online booking is customizable to match a salon’s website or branding, and its new marketing program partners with sites like Yelp!, Spa Jour, and Spa Finder to help users find salons and spas in their communities,” she says. “It’s no-risk marketing, because the salon or spa only pays for the new clients after they come into have services, by taking 15 percent off the lowest-priced service no matter how many services the client has.” 

Micah Harms says Millennium Systems International waited to release its new cloud-based program Meevo until cloud technology was sophisticated enough to allow front desk staff to flip between tasks with ease. “Because stylists are so visually oriented, we integrated beautiful design into the program to make even key performance objectives visually attractive,” he explained. “Meevo’s Smart Center can be customized by the salon’s owner to show the team’s current priorities on one screen and the software’s gaming function helps owners engages stylists with camaraderie and friendly competitions.”

STX debuted STX Beacon, a new cloud-based platform at ISSE. “Beacon has a full suite of features, including appointment booking, inventory management, integrated POS and reporting, as well as many feature enhancements, including one-stop marketing capabilities such as email newsletters and integrated client reviews,” says Matt Jantomaso. “In addition, the software comes with a 30-day trial for new subscribers.”

Bail gave us a demo of Vagaro’s Pro App, which he claims is the highest rated salon and spa app offered in the App Store. “It’s $25 a month, and while the Pro App helps owners, managers and stylists manage their business from anywhere, Vagaro’s Client App helps clients buy gift certificates, receive notifications and promotions and track their loyalty points.”

At the Rosy Salon Software booth, John Bertorelli revealed Client Connect, a visually-appealing email marketing program that puts salon efforts on autopilot. In addition, he demonstrated Rosy’s new client app. “Free to subscribers, the app can be downloaded by the salon’s clients and help them link to the website, book online and receive push notifications. “When a client books an appointment, the app shows them recommended products to maintain that service and asks the client if they’d like to reserve those products for pick up at their appointment,” says Bertorelli. “The app also syncs to the salons inventory management function, so the salon can make sure the inventory is on hand to fulfill product reservations.”