Is Post Appointment Pricing Ruining Our Hair Experiences?
Global inflation has impacted all areas of everyday consumer spending, including cuts and color. US-based salons and independent stylists are exploring new pricing models to handle soaring costs and overdue wage increases. Their service pricing menus are evolving at last, as recently reported by Tricia Romano for The Washington Post.
Some of the ways we’ve learned hair service pricing is now structured include:
- Charging by the minute
- Charging by the hour
- Finishing services charged as an add-on and no longer included in grouped services such as a cut and color
- Option to DIY the finishing blow-dry service yourself
- Service memberships
This shift has been positioned as a necessary move by hairstylists to address the longstanding underpayment within the industry and prevent burnout.
But…Has Professional Hair Maintenance Become Too Expensive?
“One of the things that our industry hasn’t done in the last 50 years is give itself a raise,” David Bosscher, the co-founder and CEO of Destroy the Hairdresser in a recent article from The Washington Post.
Whilst a raise for the stylist in this industry ultimately means we’re paying more for our time in the chair, we all seem to agree they’re worth it. These increases mean a stylist can work a normal shift instead of long days with no breaks, and stop double or triple booking clients within the same appointment slot (meaning one stylist doing a client’s color while it’s processing and tending to another client’s cut and blow-dry). This is good news for consumers, as it means more dedicated time and less time spent in the chair.
Vague Price Transparency Needs A Knock On The Head.
We book an appointment noting the duration and price range, sometimes advertised online in the salons booking system. Then comes the good part: a moment of me-time: coffee/wine, magazines, conversation (and sometimes counseling) in no particular order. We all value the outcome of a hair refresh and the mental health boost of feeling put together.
But, then comes the moment of paying for the service delivered and many are left with regret, guilt and dissatisfaction. A budget blow out, has a way of wiping the relaxation away. Did I say yes to every add-on without realizing?
- Was the price articulated during consultation?
- Did this differ from what was advertised when I booked online?
- Are blow-drys still included in the total price? …Damn, I should have just said I’ll leave with wet hair…
So many questions and an awkward moment of vague price transparency.
How This Is Impacting Consumer Behavior.
“To get a pulse on consumer behavior, we ran a poll, and the findings showed us that the total cost still surprises us. However, for regular and loyal clients who have built a trusted relationship (and knowledge to ask for a total cost before the service begins), there are no surprises.”
— Alexandra Campbell, Flossie’s Global Product & Partners Manager
Although this is a small poll with a limited volume of participants, we can clearly see that we still have work to do on ‘getting a quote beforehand.’
“What we’re hearing is consumers are now increasing their time-frames between rebooking their next color appointment and tending to rebook with stylists of lower seniority for their second and third bookings of the same service.” — Alexandra Campbell, Flossie’s Global Product & Partners Manager
Upfront Price Transparency Is Critical.
Recently covered by Hairdressers Journal International, a detailed understanding of color pricing within the industry is sought after. For example, Color Management software, Vish are running a survey focussed on scrutinizing variances in color pricing for salon owners and stylists.
Their goal is to, “Help salons and colourists ensure they are charging the best price for their talented services.” — MD of Vish EMEA, Tom Bentley-Taylor .
From what we gather a survey like this has been positively received within the industry. For the consumer, will it help steer greater transparency on the pricing of color services?
The ‘Gold Standard’ For Merchandizing Hair Services.
There’s a key component of the way the service has been merchandised in online booking. Did it tick all the gold standard boxes?
Think of selling a service as you would physical goods: there’s a key price displayed, and if the product has different volume sizes or add-ons, the price range is shown. Relatable yet inspiring imagery is used, supported with consistent titles of what you’re buying and what it includes.
Pricing is a key component that makes up effective merchandising of services, forcing the business operator to have a definitive idea of the value of their time and how they will best communicate it for complete transparency.
Consumers can respect the individual approach a business operator may take to pricing their creativity and delivery of hair services, but we should expect this to happen at the moment of booking an appointment.
Comment below your thoughts (and experiences) below.
About Us. Flossie is a trusted conduit connecting professional haircare brands to their salon network data. By integrating with existing salon booking and POS software, Flossie enables brands to offer seamless click-to-book experiences and bespoke products for data utilization.
