Platform overview
The business suite.
Everything in it.
Booking, clients, calendar, payments, discovery, and team tools — flat monthly fee, no commissions. Marketing Intelligence is available when you want it, but you don't need it to get full value from the platform.
Before the tools, the position
Tools work when you know what you're cutting. Read the positioning framework first →
Platform overview
Business suite included. Intelligence when you want it.
9 AM
10
11
12 PM
1 PM
2
Sarah K. · Colour
9:00 – 10:00
Jamie R. · Cut
10:30 – 11:15
Alex M. · Cut
9:30 – 10:00
Blocked
Scheduling
Scheduling that runs itself.
- Drag to reschedule, resize to extend
- Recurring appointments
- Google Calendar bidirectional sync
- Multiple booking modes (time-slot, date-range, custom-duration)
- Blocked times and business hours
- Multi-provider columns
Plain-English intelligence
Merba remembers what matters.
Every booking, client pattern, campaign result, and market change can help the next decision. The point is simple: less guessing, better next steps.
Next steps
Merba notices a useful action, like a slow afternoon or a client who is due to rebook.
Technical
Booking, client, and market signals are scored into a ranked action list.
MBA
The owner gets one high-value move instead of another dashboard to interpret.
Computer science
Events are classified, deduplicated, scored, and attached to a suggested workflow.
Market
Merba shows where your prices and services sit beside nearby businesses.
Technical
Local competitors are compared by service category, price range, and positioning clues.
MBA
You can spot pricing power, underserved offers, and places where your pitch needs to be sharper.
Computer science
External business data is normalized into comparable service and location records.
Business
Merba keeps track of what is happening inside your own business.
Technical
Bookings, revenue, clients, staff activity, cancellations, and services are turned into readable trends.
MBA
You see the operating pattern behind the day-to-day work.
Computer science
Salon events accumulate into reusable metrics for reports, recommendations, and advisor answers.
Creative
Every campaign teaches Merba what angle, tone, and proof worked for your business.
Technical
Ad briefs, outputs, revisions, and ratings inform future campaign recommendations.
MBA
Marketing improves because it learns from your actual market and past creative.
Computer science
Campaign records become feedback data for the next brief and production run.
AI providers help with the work, but Merba owns the product logic, knowledge infrastructure, and quality controls: what to watch, how to explain it, and when an action needs your approval. Providers may change; the Merba intelligence layer is the product.
Merba Advisor
Ask a plain question. Merba answers with the business context behind it, then waits for approval before doing anything.
Core operations
No commission on what you earn. No tab to switch to. One platform.
Provider 1
Provider 2
Sarah K.
Colour
9:00 – 12:00
Jamie R.
Blowout · 12:15–1:00
Alex M. · Cut
Blocked
One calendar. Everything in it.
See every booking, break, and staff shift in one calendar. Drag to reschedule, color-code by provider, and sync with Google Calendar. No side spreadsheet.
Technical
Calendar events, provider availability, blocked time, and Google sync resolve into one scheduling view.
MBA
Less admin time and fewer missed slots means more sellable hours.
Computer science
Appointments, holds, and external events are normalized into one timeline per provider.
Luxe Hair Studio
merba.app/book/luxe-hair
Select a service
Available times
Book without the friction.
Clients pick a service, choose a time, and confirm. No app download. No account required. Your link, your branding, your booking.
Technical
The public booking page reads live services, prices, availability, deposits, and approval rules.
MBA
Removing signup friction increases the chance a visitor turns into a booked client.
Computer science
The booking flow claims a valid slot and creates the appointment without trusting client-side availability.
Sarah K.
12 visits · 340 loyalty pts
Recent visits
Cut & Style
Mar 15Deep Conditioning
Feb 20Colour Touch-Up
Jan 10Chart notes
Prefers warm tones. Sensitive scalp — use gentle products.
Every client has a history.
Keep client details, visit history, notes, tags, and loyalty in one place. Every appointment builds on the last.
Technical
Profiles connect appointments, notes, loyalty activity, tags, invoices, and contact details.
MBA
Better memory creates better service, stronger retention, and easier follow-up.
Computer science
Client records act as the shared key across bookings, payments, notes, and reminders.
Messages
Hi Sarah! Reminder: Haircut tomorrow at 10:30 AM at Luxe Hair Studio. Reply STOP to opt out.
noreply@merba.app
MERBA
Your appointment is confirmed
Haircut with Luxe Hair Studio
Mar 28 at 10:30 AM
123 Main St, Barrie
They show up. So do your clients.
Merba sends confirmations, reminders, cancellation notices, rebook nudges, and daily briefs by SMS and email.
Technical
Appointment state changes trigger the right customer message at the right time.
MBA
Reliable reminders reduce no-shows and protect booked revenue.
Computer science
Side effects are dispatched from scheduling events instead of being handled manually.
Cut & Style — Jordan M.
Tue, Mar 25 · 2:30 PM
Colour — Sofia R.
Tue, Mar 25 · 4:00 PM
Cut & Style — Jordan M.
via Merba · 2:30 PM
Dentist appointment
Personal · blocks Merba
Google Calendar sync
Your Google events block time in Merba. Your Merba appointments appear in Google Calendar.
Technical
Two-way sync keeps personal events and Merba appointments from colliding.
MBA
You avoid double-booking without forcing your life into a new calendar.
Computer science
External calendar events become availability constraints and Merba bookings become outbound events.
Your haircut is worth more.
Three nearby salons charge $65-70. You are at $55.
luxe.hair.studio
Sponsored Reel
Merba found the pricing gap, wrote the caption, and made the Reel.
Ready to publish
Instagram connected
Instagram Reel publishing
When your video ad is done, post it to Instagram as a Reel from Merba. The caption is ready. You approve the post.
Technical
Instagram connection, video file, caption, and publish action live in the marketing workflow.
MBA
Less handoff means campaigns move from idea to public post faster.
Computer science
OAuth tokens authorize a controlled publish request after the rendered asset is ready.
Intelligence that acts
Market signals, competitor moves, client patterns — ranked by what to do next.
Quiet Tuesday ahead
→ Run a promo block
Cuts 18% below market
→ Raise price to $68
3 clients lapsed 60+ days
→ Send rebook nudge
Outcomes tracked 14 days after action
Your next move, already ranked.
Merba points out the next useful move: a slow Tuesday, an underpriced service, or clients who are due for a rebook. One recommendation at a time.
Technical
Booking, client, service, and market inputs are scored into ranked action cards.
MBA
The highest-leverage action gets pulled forward so the owner is not buried in reports.
Computer science
Signals are deduplicated, scored, and converted into a recommended workflow.
What no one else has
Market intelligence, discovery map, chain booking, and Merba Specials.
Competitors
3
within 10km
Market avg
$118
per service
Your position
Aligned
↑ +4% vs avg
Price position
Nearby competitors
Glow Studio
0.4km away
$80–$160
avg $118
Luxe Aesthetics
1.2km away
$95–$200
avg $142
The Skin Bar
2.1km away
$60–$130
avg $94
Where you sit in your market. Exactly.
See how your prices, services, and offer compare with nearby businesses. Know where you are strong and where you are leaving money behind.
Technical
Merba compares local services, price ranges, and demand clues against your business profile.
MBA
It shows pricing power, market gaps, and where your offer can stand out.
Computer science
Competitor and salon records are mapped into comparable service categories before analysis.
Luxe Hair Studio
10:30 AM
Zen Massage
1:00 PM
Promo -15%
Found. Booked. No algorithm between you and the client.
List your business on the map so nearby clients can find services and book. Chain booking lets someone plan more than one local stop in one flow.
Technical
Discovery combines business profile data, categories, coordinates, services, and bookable availability.
MBA
Map visibility creates demand without handing a commission platform a cut of each booking.
Computer science
Geo and service filters produce eligible businesses, then booking state is claimed through the same availability engine.
Slow slots become sought-after slots.
Discount a slow time block and show it on your booking page and the map. Fixed discount or stronger offer as the slot gets closer.
Technical
Promo blocks attach discount rules to specific availability windows.
MBA
You trade a controlled discount for revenue on time that may have gone empty.
Computer science
Discount rules are applied when eligible slots are generated and booked.
Business controls
Payments, invoicing, approvals, and team management — without the paperwork.
Invoice #1042
Luxe Hair Studio
Paid directly. No middleman.
Take deposits, charge no-show fees, send invoices, and get paid through your Stripe account. Merba does not take a booking commission.
Technical
Stripe Connect powers deposits, direct payouts, cards on file, invoice payment links, and fee handling.
MBA
You keep the transaction relationship and protect cash flow before the appointment happens.
Computer science
Payment intents, invoices, and appointment events are linked to the same salon and client records.
New client request
PendingJordan M. — Haircut
Tomorrow at 2:30 PM
You decide who books.
Require approval for services or new clients. Requests wait for your yes before they lock your calendar.
Technical
Approval rules can hold a booking request before confirmation.
MBA
You protect your schedule from appointments that need review first.
Computer science
Pending appointments transition to confirmed only after a valid approval action.
Anna K.
Owner
Jamie R.
Stylist
Mike P.
Stylist
Multiple providers. One calendar.
Run multiple providers with their own schedules, colors, permissions, and commissions. Everyone sees what they need.
Technical
Team members can have separate availability, roles, permissions, services, and payout rules.
MBA
Owners get operational control without turning every staff member into an admin.
Computer science
Membership roles scope what each user can read, edit, and report on.
Marketing
Research. Brief. Production. No agency required.
Growth engine
Video ads built from your real market.
Merba checks your business, nearby competitors, and customer angle before it makes the ad. Then it renders a finished video with motion, music, and a post-ready format.
Step 1
Add your site
Step 2
Guide the strategy
Step 3
Get your ads
Finished landscape output
Plain English included
- Custom ad made for your business
- Nearby market research before the script is written
- A clear reason clients should choose you
- Motion graphics and licensed music
- Copy pulled from your real services and brand
- Review the result before posting
- Delivered by email, ready for social
Operational details
The practical stuff, clearly handled.
Payments, invoices, scheduling, client experience, teams, and growth tools are built into the same place you manage bookings.
Payments
Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Clients can pay deposits at booking or pay the balance at checkout through Stripe.
Direct payouts
Money goes to your Stripe account. Merba is not sitting between you and your client.
Deposits by service
Set a fixed deposit or percentage for any service. The rest can be paid later.
No-show protection
Charge a saved card when your policy allows it, with a clear record attached.
No booking commission
Direct bookings stay yours. Merba does not take a percentage of what you earn.
Invoices
Online payment links
Send a branded invoice by email. Clients pay by card without creating an account.
Manual or automatic
Create invoices yourself or let Merba generate them for no-shows and late cancellations.
Any line item
Invoice for services, products, consultations, packages, or custom work.
Taxes and PDFs
Add tax, line items, due dates, and a clean PDF your client can keep.
Scheduling
Business hours and overrides
Set your weekly hours, then add holiday or special-day changes when needed.
Provider schedules
Each provider can have their own availability, services, and booked times.
Flexible booking modes
Offer fixed time slots, date requests, or custom-duration bookings by service.
Google Calendar sync
Personal events can block time in Merba. Merba appointments can appear in Google Calendar.
Approval before confirmation
Hold certain requests for review before they become confirmed appointments.
Team controls
Role-based access
Owners, providers, and reception staff see the tools and data they need.
Private by default
Limit client details, reports, and revenue access by staff member.
Commission tracking
Track rates, splits, earnings, and payout summaries by provider.
Multi-provider calendar
See separate columns, colors, and schedules without losing the full business view.
Client experience
No app required
Clients book from a simple link on their phone. No download and no forced account.
Automatic reminders
Confirmations, reminders, cancellations, and rebook nudges can go out by SMS or email.
Self-serve changes
Clients can use secure links for allowed cancellations or follow-up actions.
Your brand, not Merba's
Booking pages use your business name, services, pricing, and accent color.
Growth tools
Discovery map listing
Show up where nearby clients can find your services and book directly.
Merba Specials
Turn slow time blocks into limited offers on your booking page and the map.
Video ad workflow
Merba checks the market, writes the brief, renders the ad, and prepares it to post.
Instagram Reel publishing
Post approved video ads to Instagram from Merba when your account is connected.
The honest comparison
Compare the tools in plain English.
Some platforms take a cut of each booking. Some tools are too heavy for a small business. Basic calendars cannot help with marketing or market changes. Merba keeps the core work in one flat-fee place.
| Capability | Merba | Commission | Enterprise | Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat-fee pricing (no per-booking cuts) | ||||
| Online booking with branded page | ||||
| Client profiles and visit history | ||||
| Clinical chart notes | ||||
| SMS + email reminders | ||||
| Stripe Connect direct payouts | ||||
| Discovery map for new clients | ||||
| Chain booking across providers | ||||
| Intelligence campaigns with market strategy | ||||
| Approval workflow | ||||
| Loyalty program | ||||
| No booking commissions |