Cornovarius and the Beauty Industry – my honest assessment of what’s coming

There’s no point fluffing it up, the Coronavirus is not a good thing.  No-one in this industry is happy about it.

The lockdown in the UK has been extended, and it’s a scary time for many. People are worried for themselves, their family and friends, and the economy.

It’s impacting livelihoods and health.

Over the past few weeks many salon owners have asked how will Coronavirus affect the beauty industry. How will it affect Beauty Salons, Spas and Clinics when we’re allowed to re-open, and in the immediate future. As a leading company in this industry I felt it was my duty to address this question as honestly as possible.

Where we are right now

Right now thousands of Beauty Salons, Spas, Hairdressers and Skin Clinics are closed throughout the whole country.  Activity has come to a standstill. So what does this mean?

It means that customers are having to go without their hair colour, their waxing, their nails, skin treatments and also their precious ‘me’ time.

While this is not a good thing for the clients right now, it will certainly increase their ‘craving’ to get an appointment when salons open again.  I have seen countless ‘memes’ on social media of ladies stampeding the high street to get to their local salon first when it’s over.  While it’s not going to be exactly like that, there’s definitely some truth in it!

Some salon owners are worried about whether clients won’t need their expertise any more? Client’s have been resorting to DIY hair removal jobs at home, DIY brows and so on.  Does this mean they’ve become experts at it – no! It’s a case of needs-must.

Let me tell, I may well have worked out how to make bread and cakes at home, but that doesn’t mean I want to carry on doing it.  The same is true of skin, beauty, hair and spa treatments.

The industry must be ready to service their clients as soon as the lockdown ends.

Will it be the same again?

Can life be the same again? Will business be the same again?  Probably not for a long time.  It’s possible that restrictions will be places on every industry to limit contact to begin with.  So businesses will have to work out how they’re going to do that.

In this time of stillness, I certainly have not been still.  I’ve been working on my businesses – Radiant Living and Radiant Skin Liverpool.  I’ve been analysing the biggest and the smallest details including booking options and website links, costs and pricing, as well as clearing out and re-designing shelves.

The smart businesses will have been doing the same.  The coronavirus lockdown, is actually going to create growth and innovation. It might feel painful now, but it will lead to improvements.

The best things Salons can do right now is to carry on serving their customers.  I don’t mean sneaking out cutting their hair and doing their nails.  I mean keeping in contact, sending out kits for homecare, giving them tips and advice.  Just being there and showing that we care can go a long way.  Even just a simple email or text message saying hello, we’ve been thinking of you and hope you’re staying well.

As well as that, business owners should be working on themselves and their business. So if you’re a Salon, Clinic or Spa owner, and you’re worried, let’s get going and take the opportunity to:

• Update your website and make sure it’s user friendly. Check every page and every link.
• Sort out your booking systems, so your clients can book more easily.
• Aim to delight your clients every step of the way – work out how can you improve their experience.
• Update your knowledge with online training courses.
• Look at your retail offering.  If something isn’t cutting the mustard, get rid.  Or it may be that you’re just not knowledgable about your own products, so now is the time to test and learn.
• Look at your business overheads, costs and prices.  Trim the excess.  Become leaner, so you can focus your money where you need it most.

There’s light ahead.

It’s true that some businesses won’t survive, but it’s also true that many will thrive.  How will Coronavirus affect the beauty industry many not be a phrase you ever expected to hear… but it will lead to many positives.

I know it’s not ideal.  None of us wanted this.  But we’ve got it and so we have to make the most of it.

While there is going to be uncertainly there is light at the end of the tunnel.  You clients will be looking in the mirror thinking aaggghhhh I need to get this, this and this sorted.   Like me you’ve probably had clients message you with their concerns.  I’ve been doing mini consultations and recommended a whole range of treatments to clients who have asked me to contact them as soon as I am able to open again.

So instead of streaming Netflix 10 hours of the day, we need to get on it now.  Make improvements, learn and grow and be ready for what’s next.  That way you’ll be in the best place to deal with the demand.

The demand will be back before you know it… what out for that stampede after all!