According to new research carried out by Phorest Salon Software, 23% of the Irish public turn to their hairdresser, barber, or beauty therapist when they need someone, outside of their friends and family, to confide in. This compares to just 15% of people who share their life experiences with their spiritual leaders (such as a Priest, Imam, Rabbi etc.) and only 12% who share with a therapist or counsellor. Phorest Salon Software conducted this research, polling over 1,000 Irish people, as part of a new week they have coined ‘Salon Appreciation Week,’ which takes place the week beginning November 1st, 2021.
The last 18+ months have been tough on us all, but especially for those working in the beauty industry who have experienced so much uncertainty. To show appreciation to the salons and beauty therapists who we have missed so much, Phorest have created ‘Salon Appreciation Week’ and are calling on the public to share their personal salon experiences. In a series of emotive videos created by Phorest, salon owners and clients can be seen and heard sharing what a trip to the salon means to them.
Tara Byrnes, a client of Oslo Beauty, spoke about how a trip to the salon is not just about receiving a specific beauty treatment, it’s about being part of a wider personable experience full of laughter and conversation which in turn creates a special and memorable moment. This is something we can all resonate with, even more so in these challenging times.
Ronan Perceval, CEO of Phorest Salon Software, commented: “Working with salon owners every day, we see the passion and care they put into looking after their clients. They are such an important part of every local community, so the results of this research are no surprise to us. After the gruelling year that salon owners have endured - with the stress of lockdown closures, adding social distancing fitouts to their salons, staff training on PPE and distancing for reopening, only to close again - we wanted to shine a light on the impact that hair and beauty professionals have on people’s lives.”
In fact, when asked if they felt there were any groups (aside from healthcare workers) whose place in society had gone under-appreciated until the pandemic, 26% of the Irish public chose hairdressers, barbers and beauty therapists. This is just behind retail staff (40%) and teachers (28%), and ahead of other important groups like police (24%), hospitality staff (22%) and politicians & government health advisors (16%).
To celebrate Salon Appreciation Week, Phorest is calling on the Irish public to give their favourite salons some much needed support, love and appreciation for the chance to win €1,000 to spend on treatments at the hair, nail or beauty salon that features in their social media shout out. Entrants need to leave their salon a passionate 5-star review on Google or Facebook, and share a screenshot of their review to their own social media accounts, tagging both the salon and @phorest.ukie with the hashtag #SalonAppreciationWeek. All entrants must be following @phorest.ukie
