L’Oréal USA Professional Products Division (PPD), which includes such prestigious brands as L’Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase, Redken, Matrix, Pureology, Shu Uemura, Mizani and Essie Professional, has announced its collaboration with StyleSeat, the online destination for salon professionals and their clients that has become the fastest growing marketplace for beauty and wellness services. StyleSeat not only connects customers with salons, but also offers a suite of integrated digital tools to help salons and stylists run, manage and grow their businesses. According to Melody McCloskey, Founder and CEO of StyleSeat, the mobile and web destination has been able to help beauty professionals, on average, grow revenue by 70% in the first 15 months on platform.
More than three million consumers already use StyleSeat, with over eight million appointments booked, totaling a little over $500 million in just three years. More important, 40% of the appointments booked are done so outside the hours of business operation. “StyleSeat understands the need and expectation for salons and stylists to have an online and mobile presence, which is an extension of their brick-‐ and-‐mortar destinations,” says Pat Parenty, President of L’Oréal USA PPD. Additionally, through this collaboration, StyleSeat will offer L’Oréal USA PPD brands customized tools including online booking; three months of free deluxe services; branded email templates and profile pages; spotlight on StyleSeat.com salon finder; tracking of client history and more.
Celebrity stylist Rodney Cutler, owner of Cutler Salons, is a Redken Advocate and StyleSeat member. “I think it’s critical that salon owners and stylists partner with the necessary people who are going to take us into the future, build out business, make happy hairdressers, happy clients, and not be left behind,” he says.
E-COMMERCE OPPORUNITY COMING SOON
“I think that any savvy marketer realizes that without digital engagement, you’re missing a huge opportunity to speak to somebody about your products, features and benefits,” Parenty says. That’s why later this year, L’Oréal USA PPD will offer qualifying members the opportunity to sell products directly to their clients on their personal profile pages on StyleSeat. In light of the fact that by 2017 the Internet will influence 60% of retail purchases, this decision couldn’t have come at a better time. Still, while online retail continues to grow, it can be a costly venture to navigate, so L’Oréal USA PPD will manage the packing, shipping and confirmation of all products shopped and shipped to customers from the salon’s eStore. To register your business, visit StyleSeat.com/SalonTools.
