Take heart from a survey released today which bears witness to what happens when salons are forced to close. During October, Salondipity talked to nearly 250 people aged 18-65+ and reports that while only 64% of people have already returned to the salon, and 20% returned to a different salon from usual, 83% do say they expect to visit a hairdresser just as often as pre Covid once things get back to normal. AND happily, despite numerous reports of a thriving underground salon trade during the enforced closures in the Spring and early Summer, only 1 person admitted they had sourced an illegal stylist.
Result!
The survey went on to report that 62% of clients questioned have had their hair coloured professionally since salons re-opened ( a very slight dip from a previous 64% prior to Lockdown). One of the key concerns for many salons is losing clients particularly due to geography. And this is borne out by the stats: Salondipity reports that 69% and 67% of respondents respectively put the factors of location and price in the top three reasons for moving salon. Followed by recommendation (46%) and choice of services (42%).
The salon’s values, refreshments and the digital offering (websites and social media) were much lower. However, younger people (18-34s) were more likely to say that social media and recommendations are their top reason to choose a new salon. They were also less likely to be concerned by safety measures.Although less of a reason to change salons than price and location, a quarter of respondents did put Covid safety precautions as one of their top 3 potential considerations..
Other key findings
- Most people are planning to return to salons as frequently as they were before, which is good news for the long term future of the industry. But with one third of people yet to return, salons continue to face a challenging time.
- There is a smaller ‘heavy’ group of people (10%) that visit salons more regularly than every 6 weeks. Identifying these people, rewarding them and building long-term relationships represents a promising opportunity.
- A significant minority of people who have not visited a salon since the first lock-down ended (20%) say it is because they have not needed to. This shows there is still a real need for more client education.
- As with many retailers and services, location and price are key to pulling in new customers.
- Covid safety is not ranked above other reasons like price and recommendations as a reason to change salons, however it is not one or the other. A covid-safe en-vironment is not a driver of visitors in its own right but without good covid-proce-dures a significant proportion of customers will stay away.
Thanks to the team at Salondipity who offer marketing advice, resources and training to salons. You can find out more at www.salondipity.co.uk
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