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Wix Bookings is the integrated alternative to Acuity/Calendly. For service businesses on Wix, it's the right call — no extra subscription, native integration with member accounts and payments. Here's the configuration that actually works.
Who this is forService businesses on Wix: salons, fitness studios, therapists, coaches, consultants, photographers, restaurants taking reservations. Anyone selling time-based appointments who already has a Wix site.
What you'll need
Step 1
Wix Admin → Bookings → enable. Choose between Appointments, Classes, or Courses based on what you offer.
Wix Admin → search 'Bookings' or go to Apps → Wix Bookings → Add to Site.
Wix Bookings is free with Core+ plans. No additional subscription.
Three service types: Appointments (1-on-1, time-slot-based), Classes (group sessions at scheduled times), Courses (multi-session programs).
Most service businesses: Appointments. Fitness studios: Classes (yoga, pilates). Education: Courses.
You can mix all three: a yoga studio might offer drop-in classes + private 1-on-1 appointments + 6-week beginner courses.
Step 2
Bookings → Services → Add Service. Each service has duration, price, color, location, description.
Bookings → Services → 'Add Service.'
Service Name (60 chars): clear and specific. 'Initial Consultation — 30 min,' not just 'Consultation.'
Duration: 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 minute slots typical. Be honest about how long sessions actually take.
Price: full price for paid services, $0 for free intros.
Description (100-200 words): what's included, what to expect, what to prepare. Reduces no-shows + reduces 'is this right?' emails.
Color: distinct color per service. Makes calendar scannable.
Buffer time: 10-15 min after each appointment. Prevents back-to-back overload.
Location: in-person, video (auto-creates Zoom/Google Meet), or customer's location.
Step 3
Bookings → Staff → Add Staff. Assign each service to one or more staff with individual schedules.
Bookings → Staff → 'Add Staff Member.' Even for solo businesses, create at least one staff record (you).
Per staff: name, photo, services they offer, calendar (Google/Outlook for two-way sync).
Set availability per staff: Bookings → Calendar → click staff → Working Hours.
Format: per day, set hours (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). Per service can override (e.g., 'Initial Consult' only Mon-Wed afternoons).
Block holidays + time off: Calendar → Block off time → add dates.
Buffer between bookings: minimum scheduling notice (e.g., 'No bookings within 4 hours'). Prevents last-minute rushes.
Maximum days in advance: how far out customers can book (e.g., 60 days). Prevents booking 6 months out.
Step 4
Bookings → Settings → Payments. Connect Wix Payments or Stripe. Configure: pay-on-booking, deposit, or pay-after.
Settings → Payments → connect Wix Payments or Stripe. Same as Wix Stores.
Per service: 'Pay full at booking' (recommended for paid services), 'Pay deposit' (50% upfront), 'Pay later' (free consults or trust-based).
Cancellation policy: 'Free cancellation 24h+ before, 50% charge within 24h, 100% no-show.' State explicitly on the booking page.
No-show enforcement: configure Wix to auto-charge no-shows. Settings → Cancellation Policy → 'Charge for no-shows' → ON.
Tax: if your service is taxable, configure rate per service. Wix handles per-state tax if you've registered.
Test the payment flow: book a test appointment with real card, verify charge appears in Stripe + Wix admin, refund yourself, verify refund completes.
Step 5
Bookings → Settings → Booking Form. Add questions you need answered before the appointment.
Settings → Booking Form → 'Add Form Field.'
Common questions: 'What\'s your main goal?,' 'Have we worked together before?,' 'Anything I should know?,' 'Phone number,' 'How did you hear about us?'
Keep to 3-5 questions max. 10+ = booking abandonment spikes 30-50%.
Question types: Short text, Long text, Dropdown, Checkbox, Phone. Pick correctly — dropdowns convert better for closed-ended.
Per service: you can use different forms. Free consult might have 2 questions; paid session 5.
Required vs optional: mark only truly essential as Required.
Step 6
Reminders cut no-show rate from 20-30% to 5-10%. Configure email + SMS at the right intervals.
Bookings → Settings → Notifications → Email & SMS.
Confirmation email (auto on booking): thank-you + appointment details + how to prepare + reschedule/cancel link.
Reminder email 24h before: appointment time (with timezone), location/video link, what to bring/prepare.
SMS reminder 1-2h before: short and direct ('Appointment in 1 hour. See you at [link/address].'). Wix charges ~$0.04 per SMS — worth it for the 95%+ open rate.
Follow-up email 1-2 days after: thank you + ask for review + offer related service/rebook.
Verify in test booking: confirm all 4 messages arrive at right intervals.
Step 7
Bookings page is auto-created. Customize design, link from menu, test on mobile + desktop.
Wix Editor → Pages → Bookings page (auto-created). Customize design to match the rest of your site.
Add to navigation menu so customers can find it.
Optional: embed Bookings into other pages via the Bookings Widget block.
Test on mobile: real iPhone + Android. Verify the calendar renders, time slots tappable, payment form works.
Test on desktop: same flow. Booking should take <3 min for experienced user, <5 min for first-time.
Friction points to fix: too many services (simplify), intake form too long (cut), payment timing wrong, missing reminders.
Common mistakes
Too many service types (10+)
What goes wrong: Bookers see 12 options, paralyze, leave without booking. CR drops 30-50%.
How to avoid: Start with 3-5 core services. Add more only when customers ask repeatedly.
Intake form with 10+ questions
What goes wrong: Booking flow takes 10+ min instead of 2-3. Mobile bookers especially abandon. CR drops 40-60%.
How to avoid: Cut to 3-5 questions max. Use dropdowns over open text. Mark only essential as Required.
No automated reminders
What goes wrong: No-show rate 20-30%. For paid services, that's 20-30% revenue lost. Manual rescheduling burns goodwill.
How to avoid: Enable email reminder 24h before AND SMS 1-2h before. Drops no-show to 5-10%. SMS cost: $0.50-2/week typical.
Wrong payment timing
What goes wrong: Customer books $200 service, doesn't show, you eat the loss. With pay-on-booking, you keep the deposit/full amount per policy.
How to avoid: For paid services > $50, charge full upfront with 24h cancellation. For services > $200, take 50% deposit. Free consults: pay-after is fine.
No cancellation policy stated
What goes wrong: Customer cancels 1 hour before, you can't enforce a fee without an explicit policy. Becomes a conflict every time.
How to avoid: State policy on booking page + confirmation email: 24h cancel = full refund, <24h = 50%, no-show = 100%. Enforce consistently.
Not testing on mobile
What goes wrong: Booking page looks fine on desktop, broken on mobile (calendar cuts off, payment form unusable). 60-80% of bookers are mobile. CR collapses.
How to avoid: Always test on real iPhone + Android. Fix every mobile-specific issue before promoting.
Recap
Done — what's next
How to set up a Wix site from scratch
Read the next tutorial
Hand it off
Wix Bookings is integrated and free with Wix — much better than paying separately for Acuity/Calendly. But most owners configure it at 40% capability. A specialist at $14-16/hr can audit + reconfigure in 3-5 hours — typically $80-200 — and pay for itself in 30 days from no-show reduction.
See specialist rates
Free with Core plan and higher. No additional subscription. Wix takes no transaction fee on bookings — you pay only your payment processor fee (2.9% + 30¢ via Wix Payments or Stripe).
No — Wix Bookings requires an active Wix site. If you're not on Wix, use Acuity, Calendly, or Setmore for standalone scheduling.
Bookings → Staff → add each staff member. Per-staff: availability, services offered, Google/Outlook calendar sync. Customers can pick a specific staff or 'Any available.' Each booking goes to that staff's calendar.
Yes. Customers can book a recurring slot (weekly therapy, monthly cleaning). Set up: Bookings → Services → click service → Recurring → enable. Customers manage cancellations through their member account.
Yes — native integration with Zoom + Google Meet. Each booking auto-creates a video link, included in confirmation email. Customer joins via the link at appointment time.
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