🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Fresha shifts from bookings to a single business platform

• Fresha started with free salon software, which helped it add users fast and reach its current scale 1.
• It makes money through built-in services. Those include payment processing fees and a 20% cut from the first appointment booked by a new marketplace client 2.
• That approach brought in US$43.4 million in annual recurring revenue in 2024, almost twice the prior year, which helped support KKR’s investment 3.
• The company is also building for larger salon and wellness groups with multiple sites. “Team Connect” handles internal communication, which moves the product beyond booking into wider business management 4.

Fresha’s playbook tracks AI’s role in finding new customers

• Its AI work goes beyond internal features. In Asia-Pacific, Google Gemini and other large language models (LLMs) drive 25% of online booking referrals 5.
• That shift means platforms with real-time booking links and data feeds to AI discovery tools can become a bigger route into local commerce. It may also leave independent beauty and wellness businesses less visible if they lack those connections 5.
• The lesson for industry software firms is clear. They need booking and data systems inside large AI platforms or their business customers may be harder to find.
• Its new AI Concierge works like a digital front desk. It handles calls, messages, plus payments and reschedules while the company also sells AI discovery as a way to bring in new demand 45.