- 45% search online when trying to find a new hair salon
- 24% of people follow their hair salon on Instagram
- Phorest’s 2022 Client Experience Awards celebrate the salons dominating online
According to research from Phorest Salon Software, over a third (34%) of British people say that they were influenced to choose their current hair salon based on the business’ online reviews and online reputation, while 28% look to online reviews when choosing a beauty salon.
When attempting to find a new hair salon to visit, 45% of respondents said they searched for salons on Google, while 30% searched on social media. Other online research methods included searching on Google Maps (13%) and viewing the online listing platform Yelp (6%).
Consumers are also using the internet to search for new beauty salons to visit. Of those surveyed, 32% searched for beauty salons on Google, 42% searched on social media, 9% used Google Maps, and 2% used Yelp to find beauty salons in their area.
UK consumers aren’t just using the internet to search for new service providers, however, 24% of participants said that they follow their regular salon on Instagram, while 25% follow their individual hair stylists’ Instagram pages. Beauty salon clients are even more engaged with their salon online, with 43% of those surveyed saying they follow their beauty salon on Instagram and 35% saying they follow their specific beautician, therapist, or technician. British clients seem to be more connected with their service providers online than consumers in many other regions surveyed. In Canada, for example, 70% said they don’t follow their stylist or salon on any social media platforms.
Commenting on the data, Verna Wall, Lead Researcher at Phorest, notes: “These findings show that British consumers are extremely engaged with hair and beauty service providers online-both when trying to find a new salon and when keeping up to date with their current service provider. As a UK salon business, it’s never been more important to nurture your online presence. Ask for online reviews, engage with your client base on socials, and think seriously about how you’re showing up on the internet to current and potential clients. Those who take their online reputation seriously will clearly win business over those who are not paying attention to their online reviews and social channels.”
This month, Phorest will be sending out their annual Client Experience Awards. These awards reward salons who keep a minimum of 60 online reviews above an average of 4 stars over a 12-month period, presenting them with a physical (and virtual) window sticker for their salon.
Verna continued: “Salons love to collect these awards year-in-year-out and display them on their shopfront to broadcast their exceptional customer service. But the greatest benefit for these award-winning salons is the ability to publish their top reviews to their Google Business and Facebook profiles from Phorest, allowing them to capture the market that, from the above research, clearly puts a lot of weight into online reviews. These reviews are important both when choosing a new salon and sticking with an existing salon. We are delighted for the Phorest CEA award winners for 2022 and hope that both their window stickers and their killer review profiles continue to help fill their seats with new clients over the next 12 months.”