Market research: Barber booking
Buyers are independent barbers and small shops in Germany, roughly 12,000–15,000 by vendor estimates (no official count). Most still book by phone, paper or Instagram DMs. Paid plans run €15–50 a month and free tiers cover one chair. The best route is direct outreach: visit shops in one city, set up a booking link on the spot, and sell SMS reminders plus deposit-based no-show protection.
Demand
- In a survey of 173 salons, 59% kept a paper appointment book before adopting software; about three-quarters of those without online booking are open to it.
- 76% of salons using reminders report fewer no-shows; daily booking calls fell from 7.0 to 3.2.
- BarberBook charges €24.99 a month for one barber and claims 500+ shops (self-reported).
Competitors and their prices
| Who | Price | Threat |
|---|---|---|
| TerminTiger | Free for 1 chair; Pro €29/month | high |
| Glambook | Free; Pro from about €25/month | high |
| Avana | From €15/month | high |
| BarberBook | €24.99–89.99/month | medium |
| term-in | From €29/month | medium |
| Boekzi | €29.95/month, up to 8 barbers | medium |
Path to market
Several rivals send email-only reminders, or keep SMS and WhatsApp for higher tiers. A tool that gets a solo barber live in ten minutes, with SMS reminders and deposits at a flat price, answers the problem better than the free plans.
- Visit shops in one district, set up the booking link on the spot (€0–50, 10–15 h a week)
- Instagram DMs to barbers (€0, about 5 h a week)
- Free beta with “Powered by” in client reminders (€0, about 10 h to build)
- German-language guides on cutting no-shows (€0–50 a month, 3–5 h a week)
- First move
- Visit or DM 20 barbers in one district this week. Set up their booking link free for a month, and ask each one what they would pay afterwards.
- First month
- About €100–200 in the first month, and 40–60 hours of your time.