Survey reveals 6 surprising nail salon consumer trends for 2026

2026 Trend alert: Nail salons are emerging as the unexpected leaders of customer experience innovation in the beauty industry.

While many assume nail clients are casual, low-touch consumers, new data tells a different story. They’re among the most time-sensitive, convenience-driven, and open to automation across all beauty categories.

A new survey of over 1,000 U.S. salon and spa clients reveals that nail customers not only book more spontaneously but also demand faster responses, flexible hours, and seamless digital experiences.

From comfort with AI receptionists to expectations for instant service, nail clients are setting the pace for how modern salons must evolve.

These six trends highlight what’s driving their behavior, and how their preferences are shaping the next era of customer engagement in the industry.

The findings highlighted here focus on nail salon regulars — loyal clients who visit frequently and represent the industry’s most engaged consumers.

Even in 2025’s app-driven world, the phone call isn’t dead. But, it is evolving. Across all beauty categories, 51% of salon and spa regulars said calling is still the easiest way to manage appointments, and another 26% “mostly” rely on it.

Yet, nail salon regulars are the most call-reliant group of all: 64% said they always find calling easiest, higher than 59% of hair and beauty salon regulars, and far above 51% of regular spa-goers.

At first glance, this seems old-fashioned. But it actually reflects a new kind of dependency, one built on urgency and reassurance. Nail clients are the most likely to book spontaneously or at short notice, and 43% say they often need to call after hours (compared to 35% of hair salon clients).

They’re not rejecting digital tools, they’re seeking certainty and flexibility that current systems often fail to provide. For them, a quick phone call is faster than a failed online form, and more comforting than waiting for a chatbot reply.

The survey also reveals a new pattern: nail clients are more impatient with delays and friction in booking than any other customer group.

Over 83% of regulars said they’ve skipped a booking because they couldn’t get through or found online booking too hard — the second highest of all service industries surveyed (just behind spa regulars at 86%).

Traditional booking hours no longer match modern life. 

Nearly 66% of nail salon clients said they often need to call after hours, and 38% said they’re much more likely to choose salons that offer assistance outside of regular hours

Picture this: it’s Thursday night, and a client packing for her Saturday birthday trip notices two chipped gel nails. She has meetings until lunchtime on Friday and a flight the next day. She needs a quick fix but can’t reach her regular salon to confirm an appointment.

She goes to bed frustrated, hoping there’s a spot left by the time someone picks up the phone in the morning.

For many clients, that moment of uncertainty determines loyalty.

Half of nail salon clients are already ready to talk to AI. In fact, 50% of nail salon regulars say they’re “very comfortable” interacting with an AI receptionist, with another 19% somewhat comfortable. Only 15% said they’d be uncomfortable at all.

That means nearly seven in ten nail customers now view AI as an acceptable — even preferred — part of the booking experience.

This level of comfort surpasses every other beauty segment surveyed, suggesting that nail salons are becoming the gateway for AI adoption across the personal care industry.

The reason may lie in the nature of nail services: shorter, more frequent appointments that benefit from speed and scheduling ease rather than deep personalization. For these clients, an AI receptionist represents efficiency and immediacy, not a loss of warmth.

When clients interact with a receptionist — whether it’s a person at the front desk or an AI assistant — they’re really experiencing the salon’s responsiveness and care. For nail salon regulars, that expectation is growing.

In fact, accuracy (56%) ranked as the most valued quality in a receptionist, followed closely by friendliness and warmth (54%) and speed/responsiveness (51%). The message is clear: clients now see efficiency as part of great service, not separate from it.

Unlike spa clients, who tend to emphasize privacy and personalization, nail salon customers want fast, precise, and friendly interactions that match the quick rhythm of their visits.

Loyalty in the nail industry is increasingly transactional: it’s earned through ease, not just familiarity.

The data makes this clear: 57% of nail salon regulars said they’d be much more likely to do business again with a salon that lets them book or change appointments 24 hours a day, and another 28% said they’d be somewhat more likely.

In other words, nearly nine out of 10 clients now tie loyalty directly to accessibility and convenience. Flexible scheduling, instant confirmations, and effortless rescheduling are no longer “nice-to-have” features — they’re the foundation of retention.

If 2026 marks anything for the nail industry, it’s a shift from scheduling to connection. Nail clients have made it clear: they don’t just want to book an appointment. They want to be understood, accommodated, and responded to immediately.

This new definition of service blends speed, accuracy, and empathy — a balance that only hybrid human-and-AI systems can truly deliver. The front desk of the future isn’t a person or a bot — it’s a partnership, designed to keep pace with the rhythm of modern beauty consumers.

As 2026 approaches, nail salons that embrace 24/7 accessibility, automated scheduling, and real-time responsiveness will be the stand outs. The manicure may still take 45 minutes, but everything leading up to it needs to happen in an instant.