Building Client Loyalty in Aesthetics: Why Retention Matters More Than Acquisition
The aesthetic clinic industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, but with that comes fierce competition. Every week, it seems like another clinic opens down the street, another practitioner launches their own practice, or a new chain enters the market. In this environment, many clinic owners make the same mistake - they pour thousands into acquiring new clients while their existing ones quietly slip away to competitors.
But here's what the research tells us: retaining existing clients isn't just easier than finding new ones - it's dramatically more profitable. Studies consistently show that acquiring a new customer costs five to seven times more than retaining an existing one. In the aesthetic industry specifically, loyal clients spend 67% more than new ones over time.
According to Corinne Sawers, CEO of Patient Perfect, "Many clinics are spending a huge amount of money on acquiring new clients and just missing this low-hanging fruit of retaining existing clients. It doesn't make sense to be pouring thousands on Meta ads for new clients unless you solve that problem first by holding onto your existing clients and making the most of them."
How Loyalty Schemes Retain Clients: The Psychology Behind It
Corinne Says: “The question isn't really whether loyalty schemes work - it's why they work so effectively in the aesthetic space. And honestly, I think it comes down to something pretty fundamental about human psychology.
When clients feel like they're part of something exclusive, when they're earning rewards for their loyalty, and when they have a direct connection to your clinic with your app on their phone, they start to see you differently. You're no longer just another treatment provider - you become their go-to wellness partner.”
Loyalty schemes retain clients through several key mechanisms:
Creating Emotional Investment: When clients accumulate points or progress toward rewards, they develop what economists call "sunk cost bias." They've invested time and money into your system, and walking away means losing that investment.
Building Habits: Regular check-ins, automated reminders, and reward milestones create positive habits around booking with your clinic. Instead of shopping around each time they want a treatment, clients default to you.
Providing Ongoing Value: Beyond just treatments, loyalty schemes can offer educational content, exclusive access to new services, and community events. You become a trusted source of information, not just a service provider.
Reducing Decision Fatigue: In a crowded market with endless choices, loyalty schemes simplify decision-making. Why research a new clinic when a client knows exactly what to expect from yours, plus you get rewarded for staying?
Why Client Retention is Critical in Aesthetics
The numbers in the aesthetic industry are pretty compelling when you look at client lifetime value. A client who comes for a single facial might spend €100. But a loyal client who returns quarterly for facials, adds in occasional peels, tries new treatments, and refers friends? We're talking about thousands of euros over their relationship with your clinic.
According to research by Bain & Company, increasing client retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by 25-95%. In the aesthetic space, this is even more pronounced because treatments are often ongoing - skincare isn't a one-and-done purchase.
But there's another factor that's particularly relevant for aesthetic clinics: the trust element. These are intimate treatments where clients need to feel completely comfortable with their practitioner. Once that trust is established, clients are naturally reluctant to start over somewhere else. The key is maintaining that relationship and giving them reasons to stay engaged.
How Loyalty Schemes Increase Client Spend
Corinne says: “One of the most interesting things I've learned about loyalty programs in aesthetics is how they naturally increase spending - not through pressure tactics, but through education and opportunity.
Here's what typically happens: A client comes in regularly for facials through their membership. During those visits, they hear about new treatments, see results from other procedures, and develop a deeper relationship with their practitioner. They're more likely to try that new PRP treatment or book a course of microneedling sessions.
What you find is clients who are members are more likely to come to you for things they aren't even paying for in their membership. You become their default practitioner."
The data backs this up. Member clients typically:
Book more frequently (every 6-8 weeks vs. every 3-4 months)
Try more services (average of 3.2 different treatments vs. 1.4 for non-members)
Spend 40-70% more annually than non-member clients
Have higher average transaction values
But perhaps most importantly, they refer more friends. And referred clients tend to be higher-value and more loyal themselves - creating that virtuous circle Corinne mentioned.
Protection from Competition: Building Your Moat
In business strategy, there's this concept of an "economic moat" - something that protects your business from competitors. For aesthetic clinics, client loyalty programs can create a powerful moat.
Think about it from a competitive perspective. If a new clinic opens nearby and offers 20% off treatments to attract clients, who's more likely to be swayed? A client who occasionally books treatments and pays full price each time, or a member who's already getting value through their monthly membership, earning rewards, and feels part of your community?
Switching Costs: Loyalty programs create "switching costs" - not just financial, but emotional and practical. A client with three treatments left on their package, halfway to their next reward, and comfortable with your team faces significant barriers to trying somewhere else.
Information Asymmetry: Through regular communication via your app or program, you stay front-of-mind while competitors remain invisible between treatments. You can announce new services, share educational content, and maintain engagement when clients aren't physically in your clinic.
Network Effects: As more clients join your loyalty program and community, the value increases for everyone. Exclusive events, member-only treatments, and the social aspect of being part of your clinic's community become harder to replicate.
According to Corinne, "Some clinics really use it like a VIP community. It's not just about the treatments - they frame it more as a community and it involves in-person events. It really ties into the whole loyalty part because by being part of a community, they're really not going to go somewhere else for those treatments."
The Defensive Strategy That Actually Works
Successful loyalty programs in aesthetics are not just about offense (increasing spend, encouraging referrals) - they're incredibly effective defensive strategies.
In an industry where clients can easily be lured away by promotional offers, having a structured loyalty program means you're not competing solely on price. You're competing on value, relationship, and experience. That's much harder for competitors to replicate.
Consider this scenario: A competitor runs a "50% off first treatment" promotion. For a transactional client, that might be compelling. But for a member of your loyalty program who's getting ongoing value, knows exactly what to expect from your service, and is working toward their next reward? That discount becomes much less attractive.
Brand Stickiness: Loyalty programs increase what marketers call "brand stickiness" - the tendency for customers to continue choosing your brand even when alternatives are available. In aesthetics, where personal relationships and trust are crucial, this stickiness can be incredibly powerful.
Predictable Revenue: Perhaps most importantly for clinic owners, loyalty programs and memberships create predictable monthly recurring revenue. Instead of wondering whether last month's facial clients will return, you have a base of committed members providing steady income.
Data and Insights: Loyalty programs provide invaluable data about client preferences, spending patterns, and satisfaction levels. This allows you to proactively address issues before clients consider switching, and to tailor offers and communications to individual preferences.
The Evidence from the Ground
The real-world results speak for themselves. According to Corinne, "By about three months in, if you're using a tool like Patient Perfect well, among app users, you see increased spend that varies clinic by clinic, but between 4 and 10% increased spend. If you're using it strategically with promotions and really building membership programs, you could drive that increased spend up to double digits."
But perhaps more telling are the qualitative changes. Clinic owners report that member clients are more understanding about scheduling changes, more likely to follow aftercare instructions, and generally more pleasant to work with. They've moved from a transactional relationship to a partnership.
“One of our clinic owners used the tool to gauge interest before investing in a new device. She announced treatment packages for the device through her Patient Perfect loyalty app and secured £18,000 in pre-orders in a single day - completely de-risking the investment.”
Building Long-Term Value
What is most compelling about loyalty programs in aesthetics isn't just the immediate financial benefits, though those are significant. It's the way they transform the entire business model from reactive to proactive.
Instead of waiting for clients to book and hoping they return, you have ongoing relationships. Instead of competing primarily on price, you're competing on value and experience. Instead of treating symptoms (low revenue, irregular bookings), you're addressing the cause (weak client relationships).
The aesthetic industry is evolving rapidly, with new treatments, technologies, and competitors entering the market regularly. In this environment, the clinics that thrive won't necessarily be those with the latest equipment or the lowest prices - they'll be the ones with the strongest client relationships.
As Corinne put it, "It's such an exciting market in terms of innovation, all the regenerative treatments, all the wellness treatments. There's so much opportunity to take an existing client who's coming in every six months and help them explore these other treatments. Most clinics just don't do this effectively."
A well-designed loyalty program isn't just about points and rewards - it's about creating a framework for deeper, more profitable, and more sustainable client relationships. In an increasingly competitive market, that might be the most valuable investment a clinic can make.
Corinne Sawers
CEO Patient Perfect
Corinne brings 17years of experience helping businesses grow stronger and more sustainable. Passionate about empowering women, she founded PerfectPerfect to support professionals in the aesthetics industry—providing tools that combine technological innovation with commercial excellence to fuel clinic growth and success. Inspired by the many entrepreneurs in this sector, Corinne is dedicated to giving back to the industry she loves and helping others thrive at the top of their fields.
High-impact client retention and growth solution
PatientPerfect is a platform for health, wellness and aesthetics clinics looking to fuel their marketing and elevate client experience. It enables you to offer your clients rewards, treatment financing, one-click purchase and referrals, all in your clinic's own elegant mobile app. It’s entirely designed to engage your clients, keep them loyal and returning, and supercharge any referral mechanism to attract new clients.
To find out more about how Patient Perfect can help your business, book a demo