How to Choose an Online Booking System: Features for Nail Salons, Classes & Studios

Online booking systems come with lots of features, but each business uses different ones 🌸 This post uses nail salons, classes and studios as examples, lists the features worth noting for each, and then compares them with what we can offer.

First, the three options

Our booking feature comes in three options:

• Small Shop & Studio Website: US$20/month, with your website and online booking on the same site and address; a rental with no contract.
• Online Booking System: from US$1,035 a one-time purchase with the source code handed to you. Estimated timeline: 20 to 40 working days.
• Event & Course Registration System: from US$585 a one-time purchase with no commission, and sign-up lists are stored in your own admin panel. Estimated timeline: 14 to 35 working days.

Paying monthly means you don't need a big amount upfront and can switch plans anytime; owning means the code is yours, and someone else can maintain it later if you like ♡

Nails and lashes: work photos and booking together

With work photos and booking on the same site, customers can pick a time slot right after browsing your work. Features worth looking at:

• Booking deposits: the Small Shop Website includes booking deposits (with online payment); the outright-purchase booking system includes deposit collection in the Pro plan at US$1,875.
• Cancellation and rescheduling rules: can be set on the Small Shop Website.
• Customer list and visit history: the Small Shop Website lets you check your customer list and visit history and export to Excel anytime.
• Booking notifications: with the Small Shop Website, you and your customer both get a LINE notification after booking.
• No-show records and blocklist: in the booking system Professional plan.

Courses and hobby classes: spots, sessions, waitlists

Classes often have several people signing up for the same time slot, or buying several sessions at once, so the features to look at differ from one-on-one booking.

• Tickets and class packs: included in the Small Shop Website.
• Spot limits, automatic closing, waitlist and automatic fill-in: included in the course registration system Starter plan at US$585. When someone cancels, the next person on the waitlist is moved in automatically and notified.
• Online card payment, ATM, convenience store payment codes, early-bird pricing and discount codes: in the Paid Registration plan at US$1,230.
• Course series, full-term or single-session sign-up, attendance, renewal reminders, and teacher and classroom scheduling: in the Course and Student Management plan at US$1,875.

The Course and Student Management plan covers hobby classes, studios and short courses; grade management and parent communication books for cram schools aren't included.

Studios: multi-staff scheduling, multiple locations

When you have several staff members or more than one location, scheduling becomes the key thing to look at 💡

• Multi-staff scheduling: included in the Small Shop Website.
• Multiple staff and multiple locations: the Online Booking System Professional plan at US$1,875. The Starter plan at US$1,035 is based on a single location and a single staff member.
• Available time slots, days off, and the admin calendar: already in the booking system Starter plan.
• Reports: the booking system Pro plan has booking reports; the Small Shop Website has monthly stats and operations reports.

Things to check before choosing

• How notifications are sent: LINE Official Account booking reminders are in the booking system Professional plan, and you apply for the LINE Official Account yourself. SMS notifications need an SMS provider account and are charged separately.
• How payments are collected: you apply for the payment account, we handle the integration, and transaction fees are charged by the payment provider.
• Who owns the data: if you stop renting the Small Shop Website, your customer list and booking records are exported to Excel and a zip file for you at no extra charge; for one-time-purchase systems, all source code and files are handed over.
• Connecting to existing systems: connecting with an existing clinic or store system is quoted separately.
• One-time-purchase systems all come with a one-year warranty after delivery, and anything that doesn't match the quote is fixed for free.

You don't need every feature at once; just pick what you'll use now– Small Shop Website plan changes take effect the next month, and the site doesn't need to be rebuilt. To compare all prices, see Pricing & Plans, and feel free to visit Contact Us and tell us how you take bookings. We'll look together at which option will feel easiest to use ✨