Treatwell

Treatwell operates as a comprehensive digital marketplace for the beauty and wellness industry, connecting consumers with a wide network of salons and spas across Europe. The company was originally founded as Wahanda in London in 2008 by Lopo Champalimaud. Champalimaud, with a background that includes co-founding an online market research company and serving as a managing director at lastminute.com, identified a gap in the market for online booking of hair and beauty services.

The company's history is marked by strategic evolution. Initially, it adopted a 'daily deals' model inspired by Groupon, but made a pivotal shift in 2012 to focus entirely on real-time appointment booking. This transition, though initially causing a significant drop in revenue, proved crucial for long-term growth by concentrating resources on solving the core problem of digital booking for salons. A series of acquisitions fueled its European expansion, including Salonmeister in Germany and eventually the Dutch company Treatwell in 2015. Following this, Wahanda was acquired by the Japanese firm Recruit Holdings and, in a strategic move to unify its international presence, rebranded under the Treatwell name in 2016.

Treatwell's business model is a two-sided marketplace that provides value to both consumers and businesses. For consumers, it offers a 24/7 platform to discover, compare, and book a wide array of services such as haircuts, manicures, and massages, with transparent pricing and user reviews. For its salon partners, which are predominantly small independent businesses, Treatwell provides a suite of digital tools for appointment management, marketing, and customer retention. This system helps salons increase their visibility, attract new clients, and reduce no-shows.

Revenue generation is multifaceted. The primary stream comes from a commission fee charged to salons for new clients acquired through the platform, set at 35%. A key feature of this model is that subsequent bookings from these repeat customers are not subject to commission, fostering a partnership approach with the salons. Instead, a small processing fee is charged for repeat bookings made via the platform. Additionally, Treatwell offers premium subscription packages that provide salons with enhanced visibility and promotional features to further boost their bookings.

Keywords: beauty booking, salon management, online marketplace, wellness services, appointment scheduling, European market, commission model, SaaS, two-sided marketplace, client acquisition