When do clients book? What timedule's online booking data since 2022 shows

According to timedule data, 44% of online bookings are made outside weekdays 8–18 or at the weekend: in the evening, early in the morning, on Saturdays and on Sundays. Those are the hours when a business that takes bookings by phone usually doesn't answer. We counted the bookings that clients made themselves through online booking software, timedule's booking pages, from December 2022 to November 2026. For an owner, it means that if you take bookings only by phone during opening hours, you aren't there for more than four bookings in ten.

timedule: in use since 2022. From €14/month, no commission. We move your clients over for free. Try it free for 14 days.

Bookings by hour of day

In timedule data, the busiest hour is 11:00–12:00 (7.9% of all bookings), and the working day from 9:00 to 17:00 is the peak. But the curve doesn't drop at closing time. Every hour from 19:00 to 22:00 brings about 5% of the day's bookings, more than the first working hour from 8:00 to 9:00 (3.6%). 20:00–21:00 (5.3%) brings slightly more bookings than 17:00–18:00 (5.2%).

• 27% of bookings are made between 18:00 and midnight.
• 18% are made after 20:00.
• 6% are made between midnight and 8:00.

Clients book when they have time: after work, after putting the children to bed, on the sofa in the evening. That is exactly when nobody is at the reception desk.

Bookings by weekday

In timedule data, Monday is the busiest booking day: 22% of all online bookings are made on a Monday. After that the number falls day by day until Friday (12.5%). Saturday (9.2%) and Sunday (9.5%) together bring almost one booking in five, and Sunday brings slightly more than Saturday.

• Monday: 21.9%
• Tuesday: 16.6%
• Wednesday: 15.8%
• Thursday: 14.5%
• Friday: 12.5%
• Saturday: 9.2%
• Sunday: 9.5%

Most businesses are closed on Sunday, or at least nobody answers the phone. Online, Sunday is a normal booking day.

How far ahead clients book

Most clients plan ahead. In timedule data, 62% of online bookings are made a week or more before the appointment, and only 16% for today or tomorrow.

• Same day: 4.0%
• Next day: 11.6%
• 2–6 days ahead: 21.9%
• 7–29 days ahead: 43.7%
• 30 days or more ahead: 18.7%

Bookings made weeks ahead are the ones most often forgotten. A reminder a day before the appointment makes the difference here: see how reminders reduce no-shows.

Salons: 55% outside working hours

For salons, the share is even higher. In timedule data, 55% of online salon bookings were made outside weekdays 8–18 or at the weekend. A hairdresser or nail technician with a client in the chair can't answer the phone during the day either, so online booking matters twice over.

Estonia: 4 bookings in 10 outside working hours

For businesses in Estonia, timedule data shows that 40% of online bookings were made outside weekdays 8–18 or at the weekend. For businesses outside Estonia, the share was 63%.

What it means for an owner

If bookings come only by phone, the 44% made in the evening and at the weekend reach a voicemail or a missed call. Some clients call back the next day. Others book with whoever lets them book right away. Online booking takes those bookings for you, while reminders make sure the client also turns up:

1. Put your timedule booking link where clients are in the evening. Every timedule account gets its own booking page. Add its link to Instagram, Facebook and Google, and a booking button to your website.
2. Open the calendar weeks ahead. 62% book a week or more ahead. In timedule, set Booking website → Booking rules → Maximum days in advance to at least 30 days.
3. Turn on reminders. timedule sends an SMS or email reminder before the appointment, which brings back clients who booked a month ago. Calculate what missed appointments cost you with the no-show calculator.

timedule has booking pages for salons, physiotherapy and massage, car service, dental clinics and driving schools.

How we counted

• Data: timedule's own booking database: online bookings created between 20 December 2022 and 4 November 2026.
• Online booking: a booking the client made on a timedule booking page or website widget. Bookings that staff added by hand in the calendar are not counted.
• Outside working hours: made Monday to Friday before 8:00 or from 18:00, or at any time on Saturday or Sunday, in the business's local time.
• Included and excluded: cancelled bookings are included, because the client still booked at that time (without them the share is 43%). Unpaid prepayment bookings, timedule's own accounts and business owners' test bookings on their own page are excluded.
• Privacy: only aggregated counts were used. No client or business data is published. Sector and country figures are shown only with at least 300 bookings and several businesses behind them.

Please quote these figures as "timedule data" with a link to this page.

Take the bookings that come after closing time

44% of clients book when your phone is quiet. With timedule they can book at 21:00 on a Sunday, and you see the booking in the morning. From €14/month, no commission, and we move your existing clients over for free. Try timedule free for 14 days.