84% of Americans Would Switch Hair Salons to Follow Their Favorite Stylist

Happy woman at the hair salon.
Happy woman at the hair salon.
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According to research from Phorest Salon Software, American customers place huge importance on their relationship with hair and beauty service providers.

In a study that focused on US salon- and spa-goers, 58 percent stay with their tried-and-true hair salon because of this relationship, while 55 percent stay with their spa of choice for this reason. 84 percent say they would be likely to, or very likely to, follow their favorite hairstylist if they were to move locations, while 88 percent say they would do the same for their favorite esthetician. 

Verna Wall, lead researcher at Phorest Salon Software, says, "The beauty industry is unique in the way that it thrives on relationships between clients and service providers, particularly in the United States. This human connection is the life force behind most salon businesses, but it can be worrying for salon owners when they see the potential to lose clients should a staff member get a new job. This makes it essential for salons to focus on attracting and retaining great teams, and this insight is the driving force behind the employee management tools we build into Phorest. Tools like custom commissions, KPI tracking and goal setting features allow salon owners to motivate, empower and reward great employees."

Other top reasons given by participants for their loyalty to their chosen hair salon included quality of service (65%), price/affordability (63%), convenience/location (51%), ease of availability (40%),  hygiene (28%) and lastly, decor and atmosphere (13%).

Meanwhile, when the same question was posed about loyalty to their spa, participants answered price/affordability (64%), quality of service (58%), convenience/location (50%), hygiene (20%), ease of availability (24%) and decor and atmosphere (14%).

Wall adds, "In other industries, the lowest price will generally encourage customers to return, but our research also shows that American salon clients put just as much, if not more, importance on high-quality services as cost. This proves that salons don't have to undervalue themselves. Charge what your services are worth and treat your clients well to build loyalty."

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