How much do no-shows cost your salon?

No-shows per week = appointments per week × no-show rate. Each one is counted at your average appointment value, because the slot was blocked for someone who never paid — and in most salons it is too late to refill it.

The yearly figure multiplies that by your working weeks, so holidays are already taken out. The monthly figure uses an average month (52 ÷ 12 weeks), not four weeks.

Working days lost divides the yearly no-shows by your appointments per day (a five-day week) — the number of full days the team turned up to an empty chair.

Recoverable with reminders applies the reduction you set. The default of a third comes from meta-analyses of SMS reminder trials (pooled odds of attendance 1.62, healthcare settings — the best evidence there is); adjust it to your own experience, and remember that a deposit or a cancellation policy recovers more still.

1. Remind automatically. A message 24 hours before and one on the morning of the appointment, sent without anyone typing them.
2. Make cancelling easy. If a client can cancel from the reminder in one tap, the slot comes back in time to refill it.
3. Write down a policy. A clear cancellation window on your booking page and in confirmations sets the expectation before the first visit.
4. Take a deposit for long services. Colour, extensions and treatments over an hour are where a single no-show hurts most.
5. Keep a waitlist. When a cancellation lands, the next client gets the slot instead of the calendar keeping a hole.