The salon reports to check weekly fit on one page. Look at ten numbers: takings against last week, average bill, services per bill, came-back %, rebooking rate, no-shows, discounts given, cash short or over, product sales and sales by stylist. Each one tells you something specific and points to one thing to do. Fifteen minutes on a Monday morning is enough. Compare each number with your own last few weeks, not with someone else’s salon.
Salon reports to check weekly: the ten numbers
| Number | What it tells you | If it moves the wrong way |
|---|---|---|
| Takings vs last week | Whether the business is growing | Find which of the next three numbers moved |
| Average bill | How much each visit is worth | Suggest add-ons, products, packages |
| Services per bill | Whether clients add a second service | Train the desk; build combos |
| Came-back % | Whether clients return | Call lapsed clients; check service quality |
| Rebooking rate | Whether the next visit is booked before they leave | Make “book next visit” a habit at the desk |
| No-shows | Chair time lost | Reminders, deposits for big bookings |
| Discounts given | Money given away | Check who gave them and why |
| Cash short or over | Whether the drawer is honest | Blind counts, find the pattern |
| Product sales | Retail earning its shelf space | Recommend at the chair, not the desk |
| Sales by stylist | Who is busy, who isn’t | Move bookings; coach; check pricing tiers |
1 to 3. Takings, average bill and services per bill
Takings against last week, and against last year
The headline. Compare with last week to catch sudden changes, and with the same week last year to see past seasons: Diwali, the wedding months and summer holidays all skew the numbers. A drop on its own tells you little. Takings are bills × average bill, so look at those two next to find the cause. If bills fell, fewer people came: look at came-back % and no-shows. If the average bill fell, people came but spent less.
Average bill and services per bill
Average bill is takings ÷ bills. If it falls while the number of bills holds, clients are choosing cheaper services or skipping add-ons. Services per bill tells you why: a figure creeping down from 1.6 to 1.3 means fewer clients are adding a hair spa to their cut or a head massage to their facial.
What to do: a short script at the chair (“Your hair’s dry at the ends; a 20-minute spa would help”), a combo at a set price, and a package for regulars. See salon packages and pricing salon services.
4 and 5. Came-back % and rebooking rate
Are clients returning?
Of the clients who visited, how many have been before? Watch new clients and returning clients separately. Lots of new clients and a falling came-back % means you are good at attracting people and not at keeping them. That points to the service, the wait, or simply not asking them back.
What to do: make a list of clients who are overdue against their usual gap and call or message them. Our guide to growing repeat clients has a routine for it.
Rebooking rate
The share of clients who booked their next visit before leaving. It is the strongest sign of loyalty you can measure, and the easiest to improve: the desk asks every client, “Same time in four weeks?” Track it by stylist too. The best stylists usually rebook the most, and others can learn the habit. A client with a booked visit is also far less likely to drift to the salon that opened down the road.
6. No-shows and late cancellations
A no-show is the most expensive empty chair you have, because you kept it free and turned others away.
Count the appointments that didn’t turn up, and the chair hours they cost. Two no-shows on a Saturday can be worth more than a quiet Tuesday’s takings. Look for repeat offenders and for the services most affected, often long colour and bridal trials.
What to do: reminders the day before and a few hours before, and a deposit for long or expensive bookings. See how to reduce no-shows and a fair cancellation policy.
7 and 8. Discounts given, and cash short or over
Discounts as a share of sales should be steady and explained: member prices, festival offers and the odd goodwill gesture. A jump usually means one person is discounting to win favour or to cover mistakes. Look at who gave them.
Cash short or over: one small difference is a mistake; three in a month is a pattern. The weekly view shows patterns that a single night hides. The cash tally guide explains what to look for.
9 and 10. Product sales and sales by stylist
Product sales as a share of takings shows whether retail earns its shelf space. Retail sells best when the stylist recommends it at the chair, using it on the client’s own hair, not when the desk points at a shelf. Check that slow lines aren’t tying up money; see stock control for salons.
Sales by stylist shows who is fully booked and who has gaps. A busy senior with a waiting list may need a price rise; a junior with gaps needs walk-ins sent their way. Look at services done, average bill and rebooking per person, not just total sales.
A 15-minute Monday routine
- Open last week, compared with the week before.
- Read the ten numbers. Mark anything that moved a lot.
- For each mark, find one cause and one action.
- Write the actions down and tell the team at the morning huddle.
- Next Monday, check whether the action worked.
Where these numbers live in Frizzi
Frizzi’s Analytics page shows takings, bills, average bill, clients, new clients, came-back %, services per bill, product sales, discounts, tips, expenses and estimated profit, for last 7 days or any dates. It compares them with the period before or the same dates last year. It also shows the rebooking rate, came-again within 30, 60 and 90 days, staff sales and a busy-hours heatmap. Its reports (daily sales and GST in Basic, all 39 from Plus) include Discounts given, Products sold, Service sales by stylist, Cash tally and Day-wise summary, with Excel and PDF. No-shows are marked on the calendar and gathered in a Clients group. See reports and analytics and client records.
Questions
Which salon report matters most?
If you only look at one, look at came-back % next to new clients. Takings can rise on new clients for a while, but a salon that doesn’t bring people back has to keep paying to find new ones.
Why check weekly rather than daily?
Daily numbers jump about with weather, festivals and one big bridal bill. A week is long enough to show a trend and short enough to act before a bad month is over. Do the cash tally daily, though.
What is a good average bill for a salon?
It depends on your area, menu and clients, so there’s no useful single figure. Compare your average bill with your own last few weeks and the same time last year, and work on raising it steadily.