Introduce Credit Card Processing to Your Barbershop With Boulevard Offset

Accept preferred payment methods while increasing your revenue

Barbershops play a significant role in the world of self-care businesses. Along with essential grooming services, they foster a sense of connection and community for their clients. But as payment methods evolve and client preferences shift, traditional cash-only models are increasingly becoming a barrier to client satisfaction for barbershop owners. 

This is especially true as credit and debit cards continue to become clients’ preferred payment method, accounting for 60% of all payments made in 2022. Embracing credit card processing isn’t just a trend; it’s a necessity. However, many barbers are concerned about the impact processing fees can have on their bottom line. By allowing your clients to pay the way they prefer, your barbershop can enhance its revenue, improve experiences, and align with current payment trends.

Unlock better client satisfaction with credit card convenience

You might be thinking, “Why should we change the way we do business just for a few clients?” After all, your business provides fantastic service. Clients will make the adjustment, right? Put yourself in your client’s shoes. You’ve probably been there: ready to go out for a meal, snag a coveted souvenir, or treat yourself to a quick shave. You pull out your credit card, only to see a sign saying, “Cash only.”

Studies on the recency effect show that people tend to fixate on their most recent experiences. This means that when a client leaves your barbershop, the last thing they do will be fresh in their minds. The final face-to-face interaction a client has with you is the send-off stage, and making it a positive one is crucial. This stage can significantly impact how clients perceive their experience and your brand. 

One of the most impactful ways to create a positive send-off experience is by providing convenient and seamless payment options for your clients, which includes credit cards. By making a small change to how you process payments, you can send them off with the satisfaction of looking good and feeling good. 

Goodbye hefty processing fees, hello increased margins

What keeps businesses from accepting credit cards? Many continue to avoid this preferred payment method because of the rising cost of credit card processing fees. Those fees reduce a business’ margin, shaving off as much as 3% to 4% per transaction. That’s a significant amount, translating to thousands of dollars every year.

This feature helps you share the cost of credit card processing with your clients, offering them the convenience of card payments while helping you keep more of what you make:

• Save an average of $9,600 per year in processing fees.

• Recoup 99% of your product and service sales on credit card transactions.

• Eliminate stress with a feature that prioritizes legal and card brand compliance.

Boulevard Offset is an optional feature of Boulevard Payments, which can future-proof your business by adding dip, tap, swipe, and contactless card payments, as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. This is a powerful solution for barbershops seeking to optimize their pricing strategies while they enhance their bottom line. 

Businesses that handle a high volume of smaller transactions, like many barbershops, can particularly benefit from Boulevard Offset. Consider this example: A barbershop that charges $25 for a half-hour haircut may pay a processing fee of $0.81, or 3.24% of the order total. Add up a year’s worth of transactions, and those higher chunks of revenue will quickly eat away at your profits. Using Boulevard Offset, you can largely neutralize those costs. Plus, it will help you minimize impact to menu prices, something your clients will surely love as inflation impacts what they pay elsewhere.

Embracing credit card processing also elevates your barbershop's overall experience. It demonstrates your commitment to providing modern payment options and aligns your business with how clients live outside your shop. Clients appreciate this convenience, making them more likely to return for your exceptional services.

They'll breeze through checkouts without fumbling for cash or waiting on you to provide exact change. You won't have to turn away walk-ins without hard currency. You can even track clients’ spending trends with Boulevard’s powerful reporting tools, helping you gain valuable insights and refine your marketing strategies.

Boulevard Offset eliminates the unpredictability and opaqueness of processing fees. Isn’t it time to maximize your revenue by holding on to as much of it as you can?

Getting started with Boulevard Offset

Whether you're a current Boulevard customer or you’re considering an upgrade to the premier client experience platform for appointment-based, self-care businesses, getting started with Boulevard Offset is easy:

1. Register with Mastercard brands and start their 30-day waiting period. 30 days before you want to begin surcharging.

2. Use Boulevard's signage template to inform clients of the upcoming surcharge policy. Display these signs prominently at your entrance and point-of-sale area.

3. Communicate the change to your staff and clients to ensure a smooth transition. Boulevard provides detailed guidance on effective communication strategies.

4. Turn on the feature in your Manage Business settings.  Once Boulevard Offset is live, credit card transactions will automatically be charged the additional 3%. Other payment methods, such as cash, debit cards, or checks, will remain unaffected.

Concerned about negative client reactions? Rest assured, many Boulevard businesses have had a different experience. "While it's natural to feel concerned that your clients might push back on an additional surcharge, we've had the exact opposite experience," said Cali Everts, Director of Operations at Hi, skin, a multi-location provider of customized skincare services. "Our clients have appreciated the transparency and have been more than happy to share the cost of convenience, especially since it enables us to divert those resources to improving other aspects of their experience. Boulevard Offset has been a game-changer for our business."

And even if you ultimately decide Offset is not for your business, you can opt out at any time and revert back to your previous processing rates. Boulevard Offset empowers you to take hold of your costs and optimize your bottom line. The only question left: are you ready to start maximizing your revenue while enhancing your exceptional client experience?