Ray Studios solves local regulation payment issue with Stripe
Overview
Ray Studios provides a unique and innovative tattoo removal service, using hydraulic acoustic wave technology to help the customers complete the process faster. It teamed up with Stripe partner Square1 in order to improve its payments operations – gaining time and revenue to support expansion and focus on its commitment to customer satisfaction.
Our Role
Stripe & Payment Integration Payments Payment Links Terminal
The Client
Meet Ray Studios
Ray Studios is a specialist laser tattoo removal company with studios across Europe, operating with a singular and unwavering focus — delivering the best possible tattoo removal results whilst maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and care. Unlike general beauty or aesthetics clinics that offer tattoo removal as one of many services, Ray Studios has built its entire identity and operation around this single discipline, positioning itself as a true expert in the field. With over 60,000 patients treated across its growing network of studios, the company has accumulated an exceptional depth of clinical knowledge and real-world experience, reflected in an impressive Google rating of 4.8 out of 5 based on more than 3,000 reviews from satisfied clients across Europe.
At the heart of Ray Studios' offering is their exclusive RsAP® (Ray Studios Advanced Performance®) treatment method, a proprietary clinical protocol that combines precise skin assessment, optimised treatment planning, and a comprehensive post-treatment care programme to maximise the results of every session. Treatments are delivered using the cutting-edge PicoWay® picosecond laser, one of the most advanced technologies available in the field of tattoo removal, ensuring precision, effectiveness, and optimal skin preservation throughout the process. Ray Studios also offers a transparent and customer-friendly Full Remove plan, providing complete tattoo removal treatment with unlimited sessions for a single fixed price — removing uncertainty and empowering patients to commit to their treatment journey with confidence. With studios spanning multiple countries including France, Spain, and Belgium, Ray Studios continues to expand its European footprint and redefine the standard of care in the laser tattoo removal industry.
Challange
Challenge
Knowing there was a high demand for tattoo removal services, Ray Studios opened its Paris studio in January 2022 before expanding across France, Spain, and Belgium later that year. It had to quickly start taking payments in an easy way for the team to manage, and it also needed to be able to keep track of business development.
In France, tattoo removal is listed as a medical procedure, which means there are separate payment protocols for the doctors and staff. Ray Studios looked for a solution to evenly split payments at the time of the transaction.
The Ray Studios team was also seeking a way to support online and delayed payments from customers and to easily monitor these payments afterward.
Solution
Solution
In October 2021, Stripe suggested to Ray Studios that Square1 could help find a solution that would make accepting payments as straightforward as possible. Square1 took on the challenge and implemented Stripe Payments within a single week. It also trained the studio team to use Stripe Terminal and provided a workshop for the back-office team on the reporting capabilities of the Stripe Dashboard to gain visibility into business performance. Once the testing was complete and the team was comfortable using the system in their own environment, they were ready to go.
It was at that point that an unforeseen use case arose: Ray Studios needed a way to reach out to customers who had forgotten their credit card or who were experiencing payment problems, so that they could pay later remotely rather than having to come back in the same day.
With the addition of low-code tools on top of the traditional API-driven development to customise Stripe's extensive toolbox, Square1 was able to extend the in-clinic application to allow staff to generate customised payment links to send to these customers. With the combination of Stripe products available, this was a two- to three-day turnaround.
The lightweight application built by Square1 on top of Stripe Terminal allows the in-clinic staff to process payments for customers on- and off-site, and add additional context useful for reporting, such as customer contact details.
The ability to generate payment links also addressed another issue around customers failing to attend booked appointments. Stripe was able to give Ray studios a solution by providing payment links for no-shows to cover the cost of missed appointments.
Result
Results
Ray Studios has grown quickly each month since the Stripe implementation. The simplicity of its in-house tool allows staff to effortlessly process payments within the clinic, while the powerful reporting and customer service tools allow it to monitor business growth and keep customers happy. For Ray studios, the most notable benefit is the amount of processing time saved for the team.
Moving to omnichannel payments has also made an impact. Both customers and staff benefit from a more flexible payment process, which allows funds to flow much faster, ultimately saving up to two working days per month.
Splitting payments at the source between doctors and staff was the perfect solution for Ray Studios to operate smoothly in compliance with French regulations.
Having a user experience that is both fast and engaging is helping Ray Studios retain customers – while missed appointments are also generating additional revenue.
Ray Studios is now planning to open new locations in France and abroad. The next phase is to move its custom app to the cloud to make it available from each studio, rather than having to manually install it on a laptop at each location. Stripe Connect will then be used to onboard all practitioners in automatic registration, ensuring that Ray Studios’ finances continue to flow smoothly.
