Over the past two years, the ongoing global pandemic has had a dramatic impact upon almost every industry, with repeated lockdowns forcing many bricks-and-mortar businesses to close their doors for extended periods and the need to pivot into the online space greater than ever.
Hair and beauty salons have undoubtedly been some of the worst hit, as unlike restaurants and bars, fitness studios and the like, their services cannot be offered digitally – but nevertheless, some have managed to think outside the box and come up with some innovative and creative ways to keep their customers engaged. From live Instagram tutorials to online masterclasses, these new offerings have created a new and lucrative dimension to businesses that is here to stay – but with what looks to be another challenging year ahead, what can we expect from them next?
We can certainly expect to see an increased uptake of technological advancements as the industry continues to embrace the digital age, and we’ll see approaches to marketing and customer satisfaction becoming ever-more sophisticated.
Here, we take a look at four of the top trends set to shape the beauty industry in 2022.
Advanced booking systems
Online booking is nothing new when it comes to lining up our beauty treatments and appointments, but as technology gets even smarter, beauty salon software is set to come into its own. For customers, the latest set-ups will allow for a faster and more efficient experience, with more of us than ever opting to log onto a user-friendly app rather than phone or make contact via social media, and for salons, no-shows will become a thing of the past.
As businesses battle to keep their heads above water in light of the pandemic that has blighted the world for the past two years, maintaining a steady profit is essential, and this is one investment they won’t shy away from making to ensure that revenue remains steady.
Conversational commerce
Staying connected and building stronger relationships will remain a key focus of the beauty industry, and conversational commerce, facilitated by automated technology, will be at the forefront of that as we head into 2022. Allowing businesses to communicate digitally with customers in real-time through various channels including apps, chatbots and push notifications, this new trend makes it easier than ever to keep the conversation flowing, both online and off, with all types of customers catered to in a way that works for them.
An increase on online offerings
Traditionally, hair and beauty salons have been geographically limited in terms of their customer bases, but with the pandemic having spurred on a dramatic move into the digital age, all of that could be about to change. As we continue to see online conferences, digital lessons and masterclasses and the like transform the way we live and work, the beauty industry will also be taking note, and offering online makeup and hair tutorials and making use of livestream technology is set to propel them into a new age of engagement – growing their reach nationally and even internationally, as well as keeping current customers engaged.
Expansion into retail
Hair and beauty salons have been recommending and selling their favourite product for decades now, but in 2022, we’ll see a greater focus on this as a lucrative additional stream of income. With the help of social media and other online technologies, marketing and promotion is now easier than ever, but we’re already seeing an increasing number of salons branch out from simply selling from their bricks-and-mortar businesses and creating online stores to up-level their offerings and provide greater accessibility for customers.
As we all know, convenience is key when it comes to winning over customers and turning a profit in the current age, and those who act quickly could experience a dramatic boom in business as a result.
