Set a percentage of a price you want a customer to pay when shopping with your business online. Add a minimum purchase amount, allowing you to set a threshold for when a customer is required to pay a deposit and control the types of clients who prepay online with the deposit feature.
Requiring a deposit is a great way to protect yourself from significant revenue losses due to no-shows or cancellations.
As an alternative, you can require credit card capture. This allows you to save the customer's credit card on file and charge a fee if they do not show up to the scheduled appointment.
Let's get started!
*Remember, a deposit will only be required when booking an appointment or class. Also, note that this feature is only available to customers in the US.
Mobile Version
1. Tap More at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select Online Shopping Cart under Things We Sell.
4. Under Require Deposit at time of Booking Services, select deposits.
5. In the field under Deposit Percentage, enter the percentage of the service price you want the customer to pay. Select Full Price if you want the customer to pay the full amount of the appointment.
Under For bookings greater than or equal to, enter the minimum payment amount you allow before requiring a deposit.
6. You can specifically require deposit payments for:
- New customer appointments.
- Old customer appointments.
- Outcall services. These are services that are performed at a person's home or another location outside of the business. Click here to learn more about this feature.
- Customers who have a specific number of no-shows or cancellations. In this case, you can enter a specific number in the Number of no-shows or cancellations field. In the example below, we're requiring payment for clients who have at least three no-shows or cancellations.
Requiring Credit Card Capture for Services
1. From the Online Shopping Cart page (Tap More at the bottom of the screen--> Settings --> Online Shopping Cart), select the Capture Credit Card option. This requires the client to enter a credit card number when they book an online appointment.
The customer is not required to pay any amount upfront. The software saves the card to the client's profile. This allows you to charge a cancellation fee if they do not make it to the appointment.
In the field under For bookings greater than or equal to, enter the minimum amount you allow before requiring the client to add their credit card information when booking online.
Tap Save when you're finished.
2. You can specifically require a credit card for:
- New customer appointments.
- Old customer appointments.
- Outcall services. These are services that are performed at a person's home or another location outside of the business. Click here to learn more about this feature.
- Customers who have a specific number of no-shows or cancellations. In this case, you can enter a specific number in the Number of no-shows or cancellations field. In the example below, we're requiring credit card capture for clients who have at least three no-shows or cancellations.
3. If you do not want to require a deposit or credit card capture for services, select the Off option under Require Deposit or Capture Credit Card at time of Booking Services.
Tap Save at the bottom of the screen when you're finished.
Requiring a Booking Deposit for Classes
1. From the Online Shopping Cart page (Tap More at the bottom of the screen--> Settings --> Online Shopping Cart), select the Deposits option under Require Deposit at time of Booking Classes.
2. In the field under Deposit Percentage, enter the percentage of the price you want the customer to pay.
Enter the minimum payment amount you allow before requiring a deposit in the field under For bookings greater than or equal to.
Under Require Payment for, you can require that the following types of customers pay:
- New customer class sign-ups.
- Old customer class sign-ups.
- Customers who have a specific number of no-shows or cancellations. You'll be prompted to enter a specific number in the Number of no-shows or cancellations field. In the example below, we're requiring payment from clients who have at least two no-shows or cancellations.
3. Tap Save at the bottom of the screen.
Requiring Credit Card Capture for Classes
1. From the Online Shopping Cart page (tap More at the bottom of the screen --> Settings --> Online Shopping Cart), select the Capture Credit Card option under Require Credit Card at time of Booking Classes option. This requires the client to enter a credit card number when booking an online class.
The customer is not required to pay any amount upfront. The software saves the card to their profile. This allows you to charge a cancellation fee if the client does not make it to the session.
In the field under For bookings greater than or equal to, enter the minimum amount you allow before requiring the customer to enter their credit card details when booking online.
Tap Save when you're ready.
2. You can specifically require a credit card for:
- New customer class sign-ups.
- Old customer class sign-ups.
- Customers who have a specific number of no-shows or cancellations. In this case, you can enter a specific number in the Number of no-shows or cancellations field. In the example below, we're requiring credit card capture for clients who have at least three no-shows or cancellations.
3. If you do not want to require a deposit or credit card capture for classes, select the Off option under Require Capture Credit Card at time of Booking Classes.
Tap Save when you're finished.
Viewing Deposits on the Transaction List
Once the deposit transaction is processed on the Checkout, you'll be able to view it in the Transaction List Report (Reports -> Transaction List).
Follow these steps once you get to the report:
1. Select a date range. Then tap the filter icon at the top-right of the screen.
2. Tap Select Transaction Type.
3. Select Deposit to include these transactions in the report.
4. Tap Submit at the top-right of the screen.
5. Select Apply Filter at the top-right of the screen when you're finished.
Here are some other things to note about deposits:
-
The deposit transaction will appear as a single line item in the transaction list report. Similar to how you can see if an item is refunded, you'll see be able to see if the transaction included a deposit on the left side of the report. The word deposit will be highlighted in green. Click here to learn more about how to run this report.
- A deposit generates a commission for the service provider who was originally booked. The remaining commission is given to the provider who completes the service (if it changes). If you need to change who gets the deposit, you must modify this in the transaction list report. The software will not do this automatically. Click this link to learn more: How to Change the Service Provider in a Transaction Sale after Checkout.
Desktop Version
1. Click Settings at the top of the screen.
2. Select Online Shopping Cart under Things We Sell.
3. Select the deposits option corresponding to Require Deposit at time of Booking Services.
In the field under Deposit Percentage, enter the percentage of the service price you want the customer to pay. Select Full Percentage if you want the customer to pay the full price of the appointment.
Enter the minimum payment amount you allow before requiring a deposit in the field under For bookings greater than or equal to.
4. You can also require deposit payments for:
- New customer appointments.
- Old customer appointments.
- Outcall services. These are services that are performed at a person's home or another location outside of the business. Click here to learn more about this feature.
- Customers who have a specific number of no-shows or cancellations. In this case, you can enter a specific number in the Number of no-shows or cancellations field. In the example below, we're requiring payment for clients who have at least three no-shows or cancellations.
Requiring Credit Card Capture for Services
1. From the Online Shopping Cart page (Click Settings --> Click Online Shopping Cart), select the Capture Credit Card option. This requires the client to enter a credit card number when they book an online appointment.
The customer is not required to pay any amount upfront. The software saves the card to the client's profile. This allows you to charge a cancellation fee if they do not make it to the appointment.
In the field under For bookings greater than or equal to, enter the minimum amount you allow before requiring the client to add their credit card information when booking online.
2. Under require credit card for, you can require credit card capture for the following types of appointments:
- New customer appointments.
- Old customer appointments.
- Outcall services. These are services that are performed at a person's home or another location outside of the business. Click here to learn more about this feature.
- Customers who have a specific number of no-shows or cancellations. In this case, you can enter a specific number in the Number of no-shows or cancellations field. In the example below, we're requiring payment for clients who have at least two no-shows or cancellations.
3. If you do not want to require a deposit or credit card capture for services, select the Off option corresponding to Require Deposit or Capture Credit Card at time of Booking Service.
4. Click Save at the bottom of the screen when you're ready.
Requiring a Booking Deposit for Classes
1. From the Online Shopping Cart page (Settings --> Online Shopping Cart), select the Deposits option corresponding to Require Deposit at time of Booking Classes.
In the field under Deposit Percentage, enter the percentage of the price you want the customer to pay. Select Full Percentage if you want the customer to pay the full price of the session.
Enter the minimum payment amount you allow before requiring a deposit in the field under For bookings greater than or equal to.
2. You can also require payment for:
- New customer class sign-ups.
- Old customer class sign-ups.
- Customers who have a specific number of no-shows or cancellations. You'll be prompted to enter a specific number in the Number of no-shows or cancellations field. In the example below, we're requiring payment from clients who have at least three no-shows or cancellations.
Requiring Credit Card Capture for Classes
1. From the Online Shopping Cart page (Settings --> Online Shopping Cart), select the Capture Credit Card option corresponding to the Require Credit Card at time of Booking Classes option. This requires the client to enter a credit card number when booking an online class.
The customer is not required to pay any amount upfront. The software saves the card to their profile. This allows you to charge a cancellation fee if the client does not make it to the session.
In the field under For bookings greater than or equal to, enter the minimum amount you allow before requiring the customer to enter their credit card details when booking online.
2. Under Require Credit Card Capture for, you can require credit card capture for the following types of customers:
- New customer class sign-ups.
- Old customer class sign-ups.
- Customers who have a specific number of no-shows or cancellations. You'll be prompted to enter a specific number in the field under Number of no-shows or cancellations. In the example below, we're requiring payment from clients who have at least three no-shows or cancellations.
3. If you do not want to require a deposit or credit card capture for classes, select the Off option corresponding to Require Deposit or Capture Credit Card at time of Booking Classes.
4. Click Save at the bottom of the screen when you're ready.
Example of When a Deposit is Required
The customer will be prompted to pay a deposit during an online purchase.
Example of When Credit Card Capture is Required
The customer will be required to add a credit card number during an online purchase.
Checking Out a Customer from the Store Location
1. When you check out a client from the Checkout screen in the Vagaro account, you can see the Deposit that the client paid. In the Deposit column, click the blue link to view more details (the Deposits Breakdown).
2. The Deposit Breakdown provides more information about the deposit that was paid.
3. The Deposit will also appear on the right sidebar. Click Checkout after processing the remaining payment.
Viewing Deposits on the Transaction List
Once the deposit transaction is processed on the Checkout screen, you'll be able to view it in the Transaction List Report (Reports -> Transaction List).
Follow these steps once you get to the report:
- Click the Advanced Filters option.
- Under Transaction Type, click the drop-down. Then select Deposit.
- Click Run Report when you're finished.
Viewing a Deposit on the Calendar
The D icon on the appointment shows that the customer already paid a deposit online.
Here are some other things to note about deposits:
-
The deposit transaction will appear as a single line item in the transaction list report. Similar to how you can see if an item is refunded, you'll see be able to see if the transaction included a deposit on the left side of the report. The word deposit will be highlighted in green. Click here to learn more about how to run this report.
-
A deposit generates a commission for the service provider who is originally booked. The remaining commission is given to the provider who completes the service (if it is different). If you need to change who gets the deposit, you must make this modification in the transaction list report. The software will not do this automatically. Click this link to learn more: How to Change the Service Provider in a Transaction Sale.
Comments
9 comments
It’s very disappointing that the feature of getting a card to secure an online appointment, which was previously including in what I was paying. Is now being taken away to be added into the shopping cart which is an extra charge. I’m ok with new feature being brought in to help improve the experience for others, but taking something away that wasnt previously not an extra charge and making it one isn’t fair to those who don’t have need for the online shopping cart.
Hi Joy. I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment and we appreciate your feedback. I will forward your feedback to our management team.
I agree with Joy. It’s not right to charge extra for something that is already a feature and I e been paying for it since I added the online shopping cart feature . The deposit feature should be an option and charged if chosen for.
Not happy at all about that.
Hi Marcos. I completely understand. I will also forward your feedback to our management team. We appreciate your feedback.
In the event of a no-show or cancellation credit card capture does not always protect businesses from financial loss. Service providers who charge a cancellation and no-show fee at that point may find that the card they are charging has no money on it.
To solve this problem a number of Vagaro businesses requested a Deposits feature that would allow them to take a percentage of the total service / class or the full amount when a customer books a class or appointment online. We responded by introducing deposits as part of the online booking features offered in the Shopping Cart and we committed to keeping the price of the Shopping Cart at $10/month.
Based on our research we are confident that a majority of users who were previously using the credit card on file function will now opt to use the deposit functionality instead as it guarantees their income and therefore better protects their financial health.
In 10 years of business, Vagaro has never raised the base subscription, which remains priced at $25 per month and service provider. Instead we have consistently built new features based on user demand. Businesses can add any or all features to their base subscription as they grow. Our core principle is and has always been: Every business should only pay for what it needs, no more, no less.
The deposit feature is great when clients are booking an appointment themselves, but what about when they are in the salon and a staff member such as the Vagaro admin, receptionist, or stylist is booking a future appointment that requires a deposit?
We offer a high-dollar hair extension service with pricing between $1,300 and $2,785. We have found the ideal process to book clients for this service is to first schedule a consultation with them to identify their need and if they are a good candidate. If they are, we then book their installation appointment for a future date and collect a 50% deposit at the time of booking to cover the cost of ordering the hair extensions specific to the clients needs from our supplier and pre-installation prep time and materials. The deposit is collected by the staff member at the time of booking, and the remaining amount is paid at the completion of service on the installation appointment day.
There doesn't seem to be away for a team member who is responsible for booking a client's future extension installation appointment to collect the 50% deposit that is required to cover pre-installation costs when booking the future appointment.
Hi Sean,
We are working on an update to the Deposit feature that will allow you to accept a Deposit when booking an appointment at your business. This feature should be launching in the next month or 2, so keep an eye out for any emails from us announcing this feature!
I would love to see more customization for the deposits and credit card capture features. Some stylists do not do big projects and would like to stay away from deposits but others do. It would be nice if we could have more options so we can tailor this feature for more specific needs.
Hi Kat,
If you have any suggestions for how we can improve the Deposit feature, please submit your ideas at feedback.vagaro.com so our Team can look into adding them to the software.
Please sign in to leave a comment.