Services
Smart Pricing
Smart Pricing
Create dynamic pricing rules that automatically adjust service prices based on the day of the week, time of day, or a specific date — so you can charge more during peak hours or offer discounts to fill quiet periods.
Where to find it — Web: Sidebar → Settings → Smart Pricing (under Policies). Mobile: Smart Pricing (accessible from settings/more menu).
Overview
Smart Pricing lets you:
- Set percentage or fixed-amount surcharges for peak times (e.g. +15% on Saturdays)
- Create off-peak discounts to fill quiet time slots (e.g. -$10 on Tuesday mornings)
- Schedule one-off pricing for special dates (e.g. New Year's Eve premium)
- Control which services are eligible via the per-service Smart Pricing toggle
- Enable or disable rules without deleting them
Smart Pricing is available on all plans. Only venue owners and managers can create, edit, or delete rules.
Creating a pricing rule
On web
- Go to Settings in the sidebar.
- Under Policies, click Smart Pricing.
- Click Add Rule.
- Fill in the rule form:
Rule name
Enter a descriptive name (2–50 characters). Examples: "Weekend Surcharge", "Happy Hour Discount", "Christmas Eve Premium".
Schedule
Choose a schedule type:
| Tab | What it does | Fields |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Recurring | Rule repeats on selected days each week | Day-of-week toggles (Su, Mo, Tu, We, Th, Fr, Sa). Default: Mon–Fri. |
| Specific Date | Rule applies once on a single calendar date | Date picker (YYYY-MM-DD format) |
Optionally check Limit to specific hours to restrict the rule to a time window:
- Start time — default 09:00 (24-hour format)
- End time — default 17:00 (24-hour format)
If you don't limit to specific hours, the rule applies all day (00:00–23:59).
Price adjustment
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| Action | Increase by (surcharge) or Decrease by (discount) |
| Type | % (percentage) or $ (fixed amount) |
| Value | The amount to adjust (e.g. 10 for 10% or $10) |
- Click Create Rule (mobile) or confirm the dialog (web).
On mobile
- Open Smart Pricing from the settings or more menu.
- Tap Add Pricing Rule.
- Fill in the same fields as web — the mobile form uses button groups for day selection and action/type toggles.
- Tap Create Rule.
Tip
Start with small adjustments (5–15%) and monitor for a few weeks before increasing. Customers are more sensitive to visible price differences than you might expect.
How rules are applied
When a customer selects a booking time slot, OpenChair checks all active smart pricing rules to see if any match the slot's date and time.
Matching logic
A rule matches a time slot if:
- The rule is active (
isActive = true) - The slot falls on a matching day of week (for weekly rules) or specific date (for one-off rules)
- The slot falls within the rule's time window (if one is set)
Conflict resolution
If multiple rules match the same time slot, only one rule is applied — rules do not stack.
The winning rule is selected by:
- Priority — specific-date rules (priority 10) beat weekly rules (priority 0)
- Largest adjustment — among equal-priority rules, the one with the biggest absolute adjustment wins
Price calculation
| Type | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Percentage increase | Final price = base price + (base price × value / 100) |
| Percentage decrease | Final price = base price − (base price × value / 100) |
| Fixed increase | Final price = base price + value |
| Fixed decrease | Final price = base price − value |
The final price is never less than $0. Percentage decreases are capped at 100%.
Service opt-in
Each service has a Smart Pricing toggle that controls whether pricing rules apply to it.
- Default: On (new services are eligible for smart pricing)
- Location: Service edit form → Advanced section → Smart Pricing toggle
- Label: "Adjust price based on demand"
When smart pricing is enabled on a service, the form shows:
- If rules exist: "N active rule(s) configured. Manage →" (links to the Smart Pricing settings page)
- If no rules: "No pricing rules configured yet. Set up rules →"
Services with smart pricing toggled off always use their base price, regardless of active rules.
Managing existing rules
Toggling a rule on or off
Each rule card has an Active/Inactive toggle. Tap or click the toggle to enable or disable the rule immediately. This is useful for:
- Seasonal adjustments (disable summer rules in winter)
- Testing the impact of a pricing change
- Temporarily pausing a rule without losing the configuration
Deleting a rule
On mobile, tap the trash icon on the rule card and confirm. On web, use the delete action on the rule.
Rule card display
Each rule card shows:
| Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Name | "Weekend Surcharge" |
| Badge | "Weekly" (grey) or "One-off" (blue) |
| Summary | "Increases price by 15%" or "Decreases price by $10" |
| Schedule tags | Day abbreviations (M T W T F) or date (2026-03-28) |
| Time tag | "09:00 – 17:00" (if time-limited) |
| Status badge | "Disabled" (if inactive) |
| Toggle | Active/Inactive switch |
Empty state
When no rules have been created:
- Web: The settings page shows "No pricing rules configured." with the Add Rule button and a "How it works" section explaining increases (green dot) and decreases (red dot).
- Mobile: A DollarSign icon with "No pricing rules yet" and "Create rules to adjust prices by time, day, or date" with an Add Pricing Rule button.
Platform differences
| Feature | Web | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation | Settings → Smart Pricing (sidebar) | Smart Pricing (settings/more menu) |
| Create rule | Dialog (modal overlay) | Full-screen form |
| Day selection | 7 toggle buttons in dialog | 7 circular day buttons |
| Date picker | HTML date input | Native DateTimePicker (iOS inline, Android modal) |
| Time picker | HTML time input | Native DateTimePicker |
| Delete rule | Delete action on rule | Trash icon with confirmation alert |
| Active toggle | Toggle switch on rule card | Toggle switch on rule card |
| Empty state | Text + How it works section | Icon + text + CTA button |
| Edit rule | Update via dialog | Not available — delete and recreate |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Rule is not affecting prices | Check that the rule is Active (toggle on). Verify the day/date and time window match the booking slot. Also check the service has Smart Pricing enabled in its settings. |
| Prices seem wrong | Only one rule applies per time slot — rules do not stack. If you have multiple matching rules, the one with the highest priority (specific date beats weekly) and largest adjustment wins. |
| Cannot create or edit rules | Only venue owners and managers can manage smart pricing rules. If you are a team member, ask the venue owner. |
| Discount reduced price to $0 | Percentage decreases are capped at 100%. Fixed-amount decreases can reduce the price to $0 but never below. Check the adjustment value isn't too large for the service price. |
| Customer does not see the adjusted price | The adjustment is applied when the booking slot is selected. If the customer is viewing the service list (not a specific slot), they see the base price. |
| Want to apply different rules to different services | Individual services can opt out of smart pricing via the Smart Pricing toggle in the service edit form. However, you cannot target a rule to specific services — rules apply to all eligible services. |
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Last updated: March 2026