Analysis from Phorest’s On Behalf Marketing (OBM) programme, which allows professional brands to run co-branded email campaigns through participating salons, found that campaigns tied to bookable services and clear client benefits consistently generated stronger engagement than more product-led messaging alone.
Across 2025, when the OBM launched, campaigns achieved open rates of up to 49%, significantly above the 29% average typically seen for marketing campaigns created and managed independently by Phorest salons, clinics and spas. Click-to-book performance was also strong, with an average 7.75% conversion rate, meaning around 1 in 13 recipients went on to book after engaging with a campaign.
The findings point to a growing opportunity for salons, clinics and spas to work more closely with their chosen professional brands on marketing that feels relevant and commercially useful, rather than purely promotional.
More than 530 salon, spa and clinic businesses took part in OBM campaigns globally in 2025, with over 4 million consumer emails sent. According to Phorest, the strongest-performing activity shared several common traits, including service-led messaging, behaviour-based targeting, concise creative, personalisation, and a clear call to action linked directly to a treatment or appointment.
One standout campaign, created in partnership with a leading professional hair brand, delivered a 64.25% open rate, a 4.48% click rate, and a 22.3% click-to-book conversion rate. In that campaign, more than one in five people who clicked went on to make a booking, more than three times above the wider programme average.
For salon owners, the results suggest that campaigns focused on appointment opportunities and client outcomes such as shiny hair, hydration or improved skin texture are more likely to drive response than blanket product promotion.
For brands, it highlights the value of supporting salons with ready-made, professionally designed marketing that fits naturally into existing client communication.
Avril Kealy, Global Partnerships Content Manager at Phorest, said: “The relationship salons have with their clients is incredibly powerful, and these results show that when marketing is relevant and tied to a service clients can book, engagement is far stronger. It also shows the value of brands and salons working together in a way that feels useful and authentic to the client.”
Phorest says the data reflects a broader shift in the professional sector, with salons increasingly looking for collaborative marketing support that helps drive bookings while reducing the pressure of creating campaigns themselves.
As competition for client attention continues across hair, beauty and aesthetics industry, the findings suggest that better targeted, service-led communications may now be one of the most effective ways for salons and brands to turn marketing engagement into measurable business results.
