Future of salon industry post-COVID

Every crisis gives businesses and economies a chance to evolve and come out stronger. The pandemic of COVID-19 is doing the same, it’s giving industries across sectors a chance to innovate and bring about a change that was, in hindsight, much needed.

From stringent hygiene measures to be more environmentally conscious, brands are taking steps for a better and safer tomorrow.

The beauty and salon industry is one sector that is experiencing a major transformation. The services that this industry provides are personal & physical in nature. Instead of fretting over the situation, it is advisable to keep improving and looking for newer solutions. Adapting to the new normal is the only solution. The solidarity of the industry plays a huge role in the comeback of the demand.

Before the pandemic hit us, hygiene and sanitization were observed and adopted in our daily lives which were satisfactory but not stringent. Now a major attitudinal shift is seen in customers, which is very natural. Customers are very cautious and mindful of their purchase behavior, especially on the contact front.

Only a handful of branded salons have been since inception following hygiene standards diligently. Never too late for the others to brace up. Embrace the change and move ahead.

As a company, you should do everything to adopt a transition from fear to trust. Few measures that you should adopt are:

1. You should provide the customer with a personal protection kit comprising, mask, gloves, body robe, shoe cover, ABS key, sanitizer

2. Likewise, provide the salon team with a similar kit with additional components like face shield mask and headcover

3. Cash and Mobile sterilizer

4. Pedal sanitizers at the salon entrance

5. Sensor-based sanitizers inside the salon

6. StepnPull mechanism to pull the door without touching the hand

7. A dedicated area for multiple services to ensure no exposure for long hours across various salon touchpoints.

10. Glass separators for nail color service and facial have been arranged to ensure distance is maintained.

11. Threading with tweezers

12. Waxing – only cartridge wax to ensure single-use

13. Likewise, continuous disinfection, sterilization before and after services, and many such granular levels detailing has been factored in the new hygiene SOP

Salon Industry will continue to thrive because beauty is not just about “looks” it’s about “feeling good” it’s about “self -esteem”. It is a means to become more confident, feel better about oneself. It’s about self-care, a regime which most of the people now have it in their monthly to-do lists! This need will never go away. Habits like working from home, may initially “liberate” people from grooming and dressing up. But eventually, the desire to feel good for your own self will be what matters the most.

To be on top of the game, it’s important for brands and the Indian salon industry at large to observe the best practices that are being adopted across the globe since it’s a global pandemic. Hence this is going to be seen more as a collaborative effort rather than competitive, to share intelligence and practices across the industry for everyone to get through this crisis together.

The salon industry will, therefore, continue to connect passionate practitioners and committed customers. It is just the interface between them that will change. People will start living with new norms gradually.

This crisis will pass maybe in a few months or maybe in a year. It’s a matter of how we all cooperate, stay strong and focussed.

This article is written by Vikram Bhatt, Founder, Enrich Salon.