Q] What kind of consumer walk-ins are you seeing since the lifting of the lockdown restrictions on salons?
Initially the consumers were hesitant to visit as services involve touch but once they were aware and experience the safety protocols taken by Enrich, they feel safe to visit. Initially, we had more of men walking in, but now with festivities underway and overall confidence building up we see a surge in women visitors too. In Sept20, we closed at 70% of the previous year.
Q] What are some of the steps you’re taking to encourage consumers to bring them back to the salon for grooming, self-care and other needs? Tell us about your media outreach for the same.
Well established salons like Enrich have been following strict SOPs for over 10 years. However, some brands who have recently adopted hygiene and safety protocols, will have learning curve issues.
Thus, as a company, we do not have any new challenges in terms of adopting to safety and hygiene. Over the last 8-10 years, Enrich has adopted technology and our employees are tech savvy. We are the only salon in India to be CIDESCO (Switzerland) certified for safety.
Also, we are following 50% occupancy rule at any point of time to ensure distance is well maintained and service is hassle free. We are working with 50% manpower to ensure social distancing is practiced inside the salon and have planned to keep the salons open seven days a week.
Our appointments are full. The feedback received on the measures adopted are very positive, and clients are quite happy.
While all this helps in building the trust, it’s important to also showcase this effectively to the consumers. Through our social media outreach – influencer tie ups and consumer testimonials, we have been able to do this consistently. We have also released some interesting narration style videos which showcase the safety protocols and addresses consumer doubts, and those have received a great response as well.
Q] Companies today like Urban Clap are encouraging consumers to try home salon services for safety reasons. Are you going to focus largely on Belita (your home service offering)?
The home salon service is now a part of the mainstream offerings of the brand, where therapists from Enrich salons in the catchment would render the expert services.
As of now, we are focusing mainly on the digital campaigns to showcase the convenience and safety of services in the comfort of one’s home. We have produced a creative, heart-warming poem which focuses on home service. Since it is an extension of Enrich which is well established, we expect people to appreciate the detailing and care we take in our services.
Q] Looking ahead, how do you expect the salon/retail business to change? What are some of the big focus areas for you, going forward in this new normal?
Sustainability and hygiene will be the two big focus points for businesses. This lockdown has sensitised people, and hence conscious consumerism has been on the rise. We also plan on taking on sustainability in the big way and want to be completely sustainable by December 2021.
An in-house sustainable brand which would cater salon services and retail productions is on the cards. Home salon is another big vertical to focus on since the convenience of it attracts customers.
