Beauty Service Marketplace Development

Provider profiles with biography, service specialisms, certifications, and portfolio photo gallery. Service menu with descriptions, duration, and pricing per service -- including variant pricing by location (salon vs. mobile), add-ons, and service upgrades. Each provider is onboarded as a connected account in Stripe Connect so payout routing is handled at the payment infrastructure level rather than manually by the marketplace operator. Coverage area configuration for mobile beauty professionals: providers set their travel radius or specific postcodes they cover, and geolocation matching surfaces them in search results for clients within that area. Provider verification status is displayed on the profile page -- document verification, DBS check status, professional certification upload -- so clients can see the verification tier before booking. Product catalogue management is included where providers sell beauty products alongside services, with variant management for colour, size, and formulation, giving clients the option to add products to a booking without leaving the platform.

Provider-managed availability calendars showing real open slots rather than a contact form -- providers set their working hours, block off unavailable time, and the calendar reflects live availability to clients without manual updates. Clients select a service, pick a date and time from the live availability display, and confirm without leaving the platform. Location selection for providers who offer both salon and mobile services, with the mobile option capturing the client's address for the appointment record. Buffer time between appointments is managed by the provider at the service level: a 90-minute colour treatment can have a 15-minute buffer set so back-to-back bookings do not create schedule conflicts. Existing salon systems that providers already use -- Square, Vagaro -- can be synced via their API so availability shown on the marketplace reflects appointments booked through those tools as well, preventing double-booking. Booking confirmation goes to both client and provider with full service details, price, and location. Push notifications via APNs (Apple Push Notification service) and FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) deliver appointment reminders to clients and providers on both iOS and Android devices. Cancellation and rescheduling workflows enforce configurable notice periods and cancellation policies, with the relevant fees deducted or refunded automatically at the payment layer.

Provider-controlled service catalogue -- add, edit, and remove services without platform admin involvement. Service records include name, description, duration, base price, location variants (salon price vs. mobile surcharge), and add-on options. Variant management supports services that differ by colour, treatment formulation, or product used -- for example, a balayage service with three price tiers depending on hair length, without requiring three separate service listings. Minimum booking notice and advance booking window are configured per provider: a provider who needs 48 hours notice for mobile bookings sets that independently from a salon-based provider who accepts same-day bookings. Package and bundle pricing for multi-service bookings -- for example, a facial and eyebrow threading package at a combined price -- is set by the provider and enforced at checkout without custom admin involvement. Promotional pricing for new clients, seasonal offers, or quiet period discounts is time-limited and automatically reverts to standard pricing when the promotional window closes. Loyalty points are awarded at configurable rates per transaction, with the loyalty engine tracking the client's points balance and allowing redemption against future bookings -- giving providers a retention tool without manual management.

Review requests sent to clients automatically after a booking is completed and marked as fulfilled -- the review invitation goes out via push notification (APNs/FCM) and email at a configurable delay after the appointment, typically 2-4 hours to give the client time to assess the service. Reviews are structurally linked to the completed booking record: the review flow opens only via the review invitation token, which is tied to a specific booking ID and the client's authenticated account. Only clients who booked through the platform and had a confirmed completed appointment can leave a review for that provider and service -- there is no open submission form. Verified purchase verification is enforced at the database level, not by manual checking. Provider response capability allows public replies to reviews within the platform, with the response visible on the profile page alongside the review. Review moderation queue surfaces flagged submissions for platform admin review before they are published. Ratings are aggregated overall and broken down by service category so clients researching a specific service type can see the provider's performance in that area rather than only their overall average. Rating aggregation also feeds the search ranking algorithm so providers with higher verified review scores appear higher in relevant category searches.

Client payment at booking using card, digital wallet, or saved payment method, processed through Stripe Connect's multi-vendor marketplace model. Stripe Connect handles the split payment automatically at the point of transaction: the platform fee is retained by the marketplace and the provider's net amount is routed to their connected Stripe account without manual settlement. Platform commission rate is configurable per provider tier, service category, or promotional status, allowing the marketplace to offer different commission structures for featured providers or new onboarding incentives. Provider payout runs on a configurable schedule -- daily, weekly, or monthly -- directly to the provider's bank account via Stripe's payout engine, which handles currency conversion for multi-currency markets. Payout dashboard gives providers real-time visibility into earnings per service, platform commission deducted, pending payouts, and payout history, so providers can reconcile their earnings without contacting support. Refund handling applies a configurable split based on cancellation reason and notice period: a cancellation within the notice window may trigger a partial refund to the client while retaining a portion for the provider, all enforced at the Stripe payment layer. Square and Vagaro API integration is available for existing salon operators who want to continue using those systems for in-person payments while routing marketplace transactions through Stripe Connect for accurate split accounting.

Search by service type, location, price range, and availability -- with geolocation for nearby salon and spa discovery, using the client's current device location or a searched postcode to return distance-sorted results. Geolocation matching uses PostGIS (PostgreSQL spatial extension) or a geospatial index to calculate provider-to-client distance accurately, filtering by the provider's configured service radius for mobile professionals. Filters include provider type (salon-based vs. mobile), price band, availability window (today, this week, or a specific date), service category, and minimum rating. Provider rating and review count are available as sort options alongside distance and availability. Featured provider placement for promoted listings surfaces sponsored providers within relevant category and location searches, with clear labelling as promoted. Category pages for each service type -- hair, nails, makeup, skincare, massage, lashes -- are crawlable static pages optimised for service-plus-location search queries, combining dynamic provider listings with location-specific metadata. The discovery layer surfaces relevant providers for long-tail searches like "mobile nail technician available this Saturday" that a generic map directory cannot answer, because availability data is live rather than static.