Short answer: describe what you measure, how you measure it, and what you do with it. Evaluators are not looking for a particular percentage. They are looking for a salon that knows how often clients return, understands why, and has a routine for improving it — with every figure taken from its own booking records.
Why repeat bookings make strong award evidence
Almost every nomination says that clients love the salon. Very few show it. A repeat booking is a decision a client makes with their own time and money, so a clear record of clients returning is one of the most persuasive things a salon can submit. It speaks directly to service quality and consistency, because people rarely rebook after an appointment that fell short, and to client experience design, because return visits usually follow a well-planned journey from consultation to aftercare.
Retention evidence also has a practical advantage: most salons already hold it. Booking systems, appointment books and loyalty records contain the raw material. The work is in choosing what to show, explaining it simply, and making sure every statement can be supported if the awards team asks.
What to measure before you write
- Rebooking at checkout: how often clients book their next appointment before they leave
- Return visits: how many first-time clients come back for a second appointment within a period you define
- Long-standing clients: how many clients have been visiting regularly for a year or more
- Visit frequency by service, for example cuts, colour, nails or grooming, where rebooking cycles differ
- Clients who follow a stylist, barber or therapist through the team, showing that the salon keeps clients as people progress
- Referrals recorded at booking, where clients name a friend or family member who sent them
- Feedback routines: how you ask for feedback after appointments and what changed as a result
- Membership or series bookings, where your salon offers them, described plainly and without pricing claims
Show the evaluators why clients come back
Hair salons, beauty salons, nail studios, barbershops and salon groups can all nominate. It is free to submit.
Explaining how you calculated each figure
A number without a method is hard to assess. For every figure you include, add one plain sentence explaining where it came from: the booking system or record used, the period covered, and what counted as a return visit. If your method is simple, say so; a simple method applied consistently is easier to trust than a complicated one described loosely.
Keep figures specific to your own business. Avoid comparing yourself with other salons or with industry averages you cannot support, and never present an estimate as a measured result. If you are unsure of a number, describe the pattern in words instead, for example that most colour clients rebook at checkout, and be ready to show the record behind it.
Describing loyalty: general claim vs. evidence-led version
| General claim | Evidence-led version |
|---|---|
| “Our clients are very loyal” | “Over the last twelve months, the share of clients who rebooked before leaving was [figure from your booking system], measured across all services” |
| “People keep coming back” | “We follow up every first-time client after their appointment and track whether they return; this is how many did over the period [figure and period from your records]” |
| “We have a great reputation” | “New clients are asked how they heard about us at booking, and personal referral is recorded as a source in our booking system” |
| “We always listen to clients” | “Feedback is requested after each appointment; when clients mentioned waiting times, we changed how appointments are spaced and tracked the result” |
Preparing the retention section of your entry
- 1. Pull the records first
Export or note the booking data you plan to use before writing anything, so every statement starts from a real record.
- 2. Choose two or three measures
Pick the measures that best describe your salon, such as rebooking at checkout and second visits by new clients. Fewer, clearer measures are easier to assess than a long list.
- 3. Explain the routine behind the result
Describe what the team does to earn return visits: how consultations are recorded, how rebooking is offered, and how first-time clients are followed up.
- 4. Remove all personal data
Use summary figures only. Leave out client names, contact details and anything that could identify an individual unless you have clear permission.
- 5. Check every figure once more
Read each number against its source. If you cannot point to the record, rewrite the sentence as a description rather than a figure.
Retention across different salon types
The measures that matter most depend on the service. Barbershops and nail studios work on short rebooking cycles, so visit frequency and rebooking at checkout tell a clear story quickly. Hair salons often show the strongest evidence in colour clients who return on a regular cycle. Beauty salons can show how clients move from one service to another over time, and salon groups can show whether retention holds across locations, which speaks to consistency.
Whatever the type, link retention back to the people and processes behind it. If clients follow team members as they progress, the team training and career progression guide explains how to present that development. If the client journey itself is your main strength, the Customer Experience Awards are built around it.
Keeping retention evidence accurate and fair
Retention evidence is persuasive because it is factual, so it needs to stay factual. Describe services in plain terms and do not suggest guaranteed results from any treatment; clients return for many reasons, and the nomination should focus on service, consistency and care rather than outcomes. Leave out comparisons with named competitors and any comment about other businesses. The evaluators assess your salon on its own evidence against the published criteria, and the nomination writing guide covers how retention fits into the rest of the entry.
See how recognised salons present themselves
Browse past winners, then check which category fits your strongest client evidence.
Client retention evidence — FAQs
Does client retention count in World Salon Awards?
Yes. Retention and repeat-booking evidence supports two of the six published evaluation criteria: service quality and consistency, and client experience design. It is one of the most direct ways to show that good service is delivered reliably rather than occasionally.
Do we need to share exact retention percentages?
No. Figures help when they come from your own records and you can explain how they were calculated, but a clear description of what you track and how it has changed is also useful evidence. Never estimate or round up a number to make it look stronger.
What if our salon is new and has little booking history?
Describe what you have and say how long you have been trading. A shorter period, measured honestly, is better evidence than a vague claim. You can also show the systems you have built to encourage return visits, such as rebooking at checkout and follow-up after a first appointment.
Will our client data be published?
Nomination material is used for evaluation. Share summary figures only, leave out names, contact details and any personal information about clients, and check the privacy policy if you are unsure what to include.
Can we include client reviews alongside retention data?
Yes. Short review excerpts that you are entitled to use can add colour, but they work best next to booking evidence rather than instead of it. Reviews show how clients felt; repeat bookings show what they did.
Is retention evidence relevant for barbershops and nail studios?
Very much so. Services with short rebooking cycles, such as cuts, fades and nail maintenance, build up booking history quickly, which makes repeat-visit patterns easy to show and easy for evaluators to follow.
Which category should a salon with strong retention enter?
Retention supports any salon category. If the client journey itself is your main strength, the Customer Experience Awards are designed for it; otherwise enter your main salon category and use retention as supporting evidence. The Find My Award tool gives a quick recommendation.
Is it free to nominate a salon for World Salon Awards 2027?
Yes. Submitting a nomination is free. Winners are selected by the Jury team or the Management of Golden Tree against the published criteria, and there is no public vote.