As the UK government label the entire hair & beauty industry as non-essential and local authority create a new level of fear in business owners from non compliance. What will be left of our industry in, say four years.
Imagine, It’s 2024.
A hair appointment is now re-branded as a check up and an appointment is on average every six months. The government have subsidised every area in health and wellness sector. Vaccines and virus testing trips are now a more frequent occurrence than haircuts. Are we going to see a split in the industry like in barber history in the 18th century where Barbering and Dentistry (split apart to create to separate industries)
Dentistry is invasive and needs the clinical levels of sanitation, rules and regulation. I don’t think hair and beauty require the same level of sterilisation.
Hair and Beauty is fashion led, it’s persuasive and a customers purchase is based on first impressions and experiences. It’s not based on the amount of certificates they have on the wall.
1 in 3 people have a phobia of going to the dentist. What’s to say the New Normal ends up creating an aversion to ‘going to the salon?’
Are you enjoying the ‘NEW NORMAL?’ I am not and neither are my customers.
I fear the unintended consequence of a faceless & joyless experience of going to a salon post corona will be bad for business.
Your client has to feel pampered or the experience will be a chore. Like a visit to the dentist or a hospital screening. Clients will put off a visit to us and will be inclined to learn D.I.Y techniques for them to do at home. Which not only plays into the product companies hands will create an industry damaging monopoly. Then we will all be finished and forced to work for Tesco’s for digital clubcard points.
Our loyal customers are now fearful to leave their house let alone visit a salon. The future is very uncertain for an entire nation let alone an individual industry that was suffering from declining standards and declining average wage before the pandemic began. What do we need right now?
We need to reject the new normal and fully open up our salons and beauty retreats. Less rules and regulation, get back to basics, encourage freedom of expression and individuality. “Get the social feel good feeling of going to a salon back.” (I know it’s not as catchy as control the virus but we can work on it.)
Give me your suggestions. Let open this conversation up. If you agree with me that’s cool. Let me know. If you don’t? Tell me why. I am open.