THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT

In an industry first, L’Oreal Professional Products Division Australia has launched The Long and Short of It: the 2014 Hairdressing Industry Report. A long time coming, the report presents an informative review of our dynamic industry and identifies future opportunities which will enable continued growth and prosperity. It aims to stimulate and encourage growth within the field by:

Raising the profile of hairdressing
Driving traffic into salons
Recruiting new qualified workers
Introducing new beauty routines
Developing new business opportunities
Forecasting key hair trends
Highlighting innovation and future research

A recent Australian survey has revealed that most people rate their hair as their #1 beauty feature followed closely by skin, clothing, makeup and accessories. L’Oréal’s recent research revealed that 71% of women and 65% of men have remained loyal to their hairdresser and haven’t visited any other in the past year. The relationship between a hairdresser and their client is fundamental to the success of the salon business with word of mouth being the most influential factor when choosing a salon. The report also highlights men and baby boomers as providing the largest growth opportunity for the hairdressing industry over the next 5 years. Brad Ngata from Brad Ngata Hair Direction recognises the recent increase in male clients in his salon and says, “With the rise of the hipster barbers, it’s important to have your men’s services spot on”. Likewise, Caterina Di Biase from Heading Out Hair and Beauty recognises the importance of male customers: “The increase in male clientele has been significant and there is much more of a focus on male grooming these days”.

The Report also unveils L’Oréal Professionnel’s Salon E-Motion initiative which sets out to ‘re-enchant’ the customers emotional journey with a sensory experience more akin to a day-spa. E-Motion teaches salons how to re-invent the salon’s appearance by placing the clients experience first to maximise business success.

FAST FACTS

In Australia, over 21,000 small to medium hairdressing and beauty enterprises are expected to contribute a revenue of $3.8 Billion to the Australian economy in the 2013-14 financial year.
Hairdressing continues to be the largest growing employing occupation in the personal services sector + the largest employer of female trades.
39.7% of salon revenue is generated form people aged 35-54. This market segment has the greatest discretionary income.
86% of clients claim that the Shampoo phase is their favourite part of the salon visit.