Over a quarter of customers have been loyal to their hair and beauty providers for more than 5 years, and 10.6% for more than a decade
Salon owners cite increasing popularity for microneedling, henna brow treatments and natural Afro Caribbean hair
Expert comments from psychologists and salon owners
Further information can be found here: https://www.liberis.co.uk/blog/hair-beauty-industry-insights-2019
Graphics can be downloaded for use here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/998cchu1bkc4zqg/AACke6gNgwkmZ278IH5iaJ6Ya?dl=0
We discuss more than just small talk with our hair and beauty providers, new research has revealed.
The research, conducted by business finance provider Liberis, revealed that an estimated 10 million Brits feel comfortable disclosing even the most private details about their personal life to hair and beauty providers. More than 40% stated that they have an especially good relationship with their hairdresser or beauty therapist, which goes some way as to explain why they trust them with some of the most intimate details of their lives.
The cities with the strongest relationships with their hair and beauty providers are:
Belfast (58.3%)
Glasgow (57.1%)
Birmingham (52.5%)
Leeds (52%)
London (46.7%)
It appears the emphatic trust Brits have with disclosing personal details to their beauty providers doesn’t end there. 76.6% claim that they also trust their hair and beauty providers to excel on the service they’re providing. Brits do like to repay the favour however, as 64.2% reveal they’d be inclined to tip their hair and beauty providers.
When it came to loyalty, over a quarter (26.1%) of customers have remained at the same hairdresser or beauty salon for over five years, and 10.6% for more than a decade.
Katie Woodland (MSc, BA, dip, MBPsS, SNHS), a psychologist and business coach, and Rob Gillingham, co-founder of Skin Care Clinics, gave some insight into why Brits feel so comfortable in divulging details about their personal life to hair and beauty providers.
Woodland commented:
“Often people find that speaking to a hairdresser/beautician about the difficulties they’re experiencing in life is a lot easier than talking to family members or a trained professional.”
Gillingham said:
“We encourage our therapists to maintain open communication channels as revealing personal details can be a source of comfort for many of our clients. Professionalism aside, our main aim is to keep customers happy and relaxed which in turn brings repeat business and word of mouth referrals which are crucial for our growing business to flourish.”
As well as looking at aspects of trust and the relationship that customers have with their hair and beauty providers, the research also looked at search trends around specific treatments.
Search volumes for currently popular treatments were as follows for March 2019:
Dermaplaning (74,000 searches)
Microblading (74,000 searches)
Olaplex (60,500 searches)
Hyaluronic acid (40,500 searches)
LVL lashes (33,100 searches)
Lip fillers (33,100 searches)
Microneeding (27,100 searches)
As well as looking at search trends to get some insight, we also spoke with Jennie Wallace (Owner of Beyond Skin Clinic in Belfast), Adrienne Lauren (beauty writer and salon owner) and Sade Popoola (a wig restoring expert and director wigs concierge) to discover which treatments keep their customers coming back in 2019.
Wallace said:
“Taking a look at the number of treatments we do monthly there has been a marked increase in the demand for microneedling treatments. Specifically, the number of treatments administered increased by 87% from 2017 to 2018. I think the driving factor is people’s desire for non-surgical anti-ageing solutions. In addition, it is seen as a ‘celebrity’ treatment, with Kim Kardashian and Angelina Jolie said to be fans.”
Lauren shared that:
“Over the last 12 months, we have seen the Henna Brow Treatment (a brow tinting procedure that uses natural Henna in place of traditional tint) literally boom overnight. One of the key factors of why this treatment is so popular is that it is entirely cruelty free and vegan, something that has become more and more important within the beauty industry and with consumers alike.”
Popoola commented that:
“The catwalks, movies and even the news media have influenced decisions and we are seeing the trends. In the cold season a lot of ladies mostly of Afro Caribbean/African decent go for wigs or braids, but there has been a huge rise in natural hair product sales recently. I would say the movie Black Panther was a definite driving force for the draw to natural hair, not to mention Lupita Nyongo’s natural look off and off set.”
More information can be found here: https://www.liberis.co.uk/blog/hair-beauty-industry-insights-2019
Liberis CEO Rob Straathof commented on the findings:
“The most common reason that Liberis’ customers in the beauty industry are taking out funding is to purchase stock – such as for new products and services which they wish to offer clients – closely followed by refurbishment expenses. Purchasing new equipment, expanding business and cash flow are other popular reasons for taking out funding. This investment and focus on growth help businesses to improve their client retention and loyalty, which is a key element to success within this industry.
“When we conducted our research, we found that more than a quarter of Brits are loyal to their hair and beauty providers for over five years. Our research also revealed that – alongside investment – the bond between a client and beauty professionals plays a significant part in improving client loyalty.”
