The Indian beauty hair salon industry is estimated to be worth Rs 100 billion, and the industry reportedly has been on a growth trajectory. While the pandemic has had an impact on this growth graph, reopening of salons and owners adopting to a new normal seems to be outlining a different success story. To ensure safety, the beauty hair salon industry needs to adhere to new norms such as sanitation processes, social distancing, and hygiene policies. However, following these norms have been incurring a cost, and an increase in expenditure can certainly curb industry growth.
“Salons have to function as a fraternity and not as individuals,” says Ashok Paliwal, Director, Prabhat Spa, Salon & Institute and General Secretary, All India Hair & Beauty Association (AIHBA). “They will have to work towards offering balanced discounts, which will not harm the business of their peers. Most importantly, they must inbuild strong confidence in their clients that they are safe in the salon, by being part of the Virus Free Salon campaign.”
Emphasising on the technological advancements and its importance in the robust growth of new-age businesses, Paliwal adds, “Salons and artists these days have access to social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. As a result, they should leverage this and portray their best works there, which will help them regain customers and their confidence.”
Be it in the Tier-II or -III cities or the metros, salons across the country are facing similar challenges. Vaijayanti Bhalchandra, Co-Founder, YLG India, believes that less is more! One must be careful of any spends and conserve cash. She explicitly says, “We expect most markets to slowly recover customer footfall this year. As each salon gets fewer customers in, every possibility of increasing the value of each customer becomes imperative. The best way is once again – go back to basics!”
She suggests, “Monitor every stylist and therapist consultation happening in the salon, listen to your customers’ needs, and ensure that you show and suggest home care products for the customer to use post service.”
The time is now, to adapt to new practices and norms, and emerge as winners in the pandemic battleground.
- Text by Priyanka Parshurami
Photo courtesy: Photo by Delbeautybox from Pexels
