Barbershop booking

NSIFLNova with Scout, Iris, Forge and Lens · Oct 16 · 14 sections · 23 sources · 31 stories · 14 screens

01 The product

Online booking for a 3-chair barbershop. Customers pick a barber and a time, pay a $10 deposit that comes off the price, and get a text reminder the day before. Goal: cut no-shows (Scout found 18–25% at comparable shops) and phone interruptions during cuts.

02 Decisions for you

Deposit refund window
24 hours before (Scout: most common)Needs you

Payments
Stripe · lower fees for $10 charges than Square at your volumeRecommended

Barber schedules
Each barber sets hours in the app vs. you set themNeeds you

SMS sender
Twilio number in your area codeRecommended

03 Research and sources

SNo-show rates at small barbershops run 18–25%; deposits cut them by roughly half. · 4 sourcesVerified

SCustomers abandon booking when asked to create an account first. · 3 sourcesVerified

STwo local competitors offer SMS reminders; neither takes deposits. · 2 sites checked Oct 16Not verified

04 Principles

No account needed to book. Deposits are refunded automatically inside the window. Barbers never see card details. Every text can be stopped with STOP.

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