The global wellness market is estimated at $1.5 trillion, and grows 5-10% every year!
What does that mean for your salon or spa business? There’s a lot of competition and a lot of opportunity for growth!
One of the best ways to catapult the success of your business and make your mark in this growing market is to stay up to date with spa trends, and trends in the salon industry.
Knowing what your guests want (and what they don’t) matters. Trendspotting and continually educating yourself on emerging beauty and wellness movements helps you take steps to keep your salon or spa top of mind for new and returning guests.
To cut down on your Google search time, we’ve rounded up the top five beauty and wellness trends that are shaping the industry this year.
Keep reading to see how your business can adapt by owning one (or more!) of these salon and spa trends.
1. Clean Beauty is Becoming an Expectation
Guests today are growing ever more conscious about the environment and the impact of their actions.
A recent study by IBM found that nearly six in ten consumers are willing to change their shopping habits to reduce their environmental impact and nearly eight in ten indicate that sustainability is important for them.
When thinking about the past 18 months, it makes sense that sustainability has become top of mind for so many of us.
As lockdowns spread around the world, something remarkable happened: the planet started to heal. We saw decreases in carbon emissions, skies in cities known for smog became clearer, and the water in the Venice canals became bluer. While time will tell if these changes will be long-lasting, we know for sure that this showed us how much of an impact our behavior has on our planet.
A lot of individuals have viewed this as a learning opportunity and a chance to move forward in a way that minimizes their impact.
To learn more, read our blog about salon referral program
What does this mean for salons and spas?
Firstly, guests now want to know what’s in the products you’re using, and they want these ingredients to be as sustainable as possible.
Consumers value businesses that are taking steps to adopt more sustainable practices in their daily operations, including:
- Replacing cotton towels with biodegradable ones.
- Eliminating paper appointment cards and diaries.
- Conserving water usage.
Not only can this increase satisfaction among existing guests by showing them you’re committed to green practices, but it can also draw new guests to your brand.
Another option is to join Green Circle Salons, a program that empowers some 16,000 members to recover up to 95% of their beauty waste.
At Zenoti, our solution enables your guests to easily add an environmental fee to their booking, if they chose to.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out what global brands such as L’Oréal, Estée Lauder and AVEDA are doing. Their commitments include carbon-neutral goals, 100% vegan products, and testing the world’s first shampoo bottle made from captured and recycled carbon emissions.
To learn more, read our blog and discover more ways to reduce your environmental impact.
2. Digital Solutions are Here to Stay
Modern guests expect brands to meet them where they’re at — online! Make it easy for them to find and engage digitally with your brand, by:
- Providing a seamless online booking experience.
- Building a strong social media presence.
- Enabling guests to communicate with you via text.
Consider implementing technologies that provide a touchless, elevated experience for guests before and after their service. These solutions provide the convenience and independence to carry out a lot of the steps involved with their appointment booking.
Touchless Check-In: With geofencing technology, guests can instantly check-in on arrival, avoiding unnecessary contact and wait times at the front desk. As soon as they get close to your center, they’ll receive an alert to check in with the touch of a button, directly on their mobile phone.
Referral Campaigns: Incentivize loyal customers to recommend your services by offering both them and a friend a reward when they visit for an appointment. Offer multiple digital touchpoint options and make it easy for guests to share a unique code with their friend directly from your branded app.
Digital Forms: This option empowers your guests to complete forms in advance, at a time that works for them. No more arriving 10 – 15 mins early to fill out forms or using the salon’s dry erase marker to complete a laminated form on checklist boards that remind us of school trips.
Artificial Intelligence: Salon technology trends show that artificial intelligence technologies are now being used deliver a more personalized experience. You’ve likely heard about virtual skincare apps that analyze face structures and skin to identify concerns and share recommendations, or tools that allow people to visualize a hairstyle on themselves before they book an appointment.
Drive sales, improve the guest experience, and add value to your brand. Learn how you can easily implement these solutions with Zenoti."
3. Increasing Demand for Immunity-Boosting Treatments
With the events of 2020, immune system health is at top of mind for many of us.
According to a 2020 study from Social Nature, 82% of Americans and 79% of Canadians are taking more proactive action toward health management than they were a year ago. And they’re looking to brands that can help them with things like reducing stress, improving sleep, and supporting their immune system.
People have been turning to spa and medspa treatments and products that help strengthen their immunity. These include lymphatic massages, infrared light therapy, reflexology, crystal salt therapy or essential oil add-ons for massage treatments.
In addition to these offerings, there is a range of newer treatments—such as detoxification, activated charcoal, and CBD services.
To take your guest experience to the next level, consider offering health-focused food and beverages, with ingredients like citrus and ginger that are known to benefit immune system function.
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4. Minimalism Takes Center Stage
Many of us have had little reason to get dressed up for work, events, or social activities over the past 18 months. And as a result, our beauty routines have become much simpler, with a “less is more” approach called “Skinimalism” taking center stage.
This trend is manifesting in the form of minimalist nail art, lived-in hair color, and low maintenance hairstyles. As stated in a recent Byrdie article:
“…quarantine showed us all a new perspective on how minimalistic we can be and gave us a chance to really grow confident in our own skin. Coming out of this pandemic, I think we will look to easy, minimal styles with less maintenance.”
Looking ahead, when your guests start going to social events, heading back to the office, and booking vacations, we’ll certainly see them start to reactivate their long-dormant routines. But salon trends show there will be a focus on minimalism and a desire for more natural skin and beauty routines.
That doesn’t mean that your services are obsolete. On the contrary, there's still a need for beauty and hair services as we head into the post-pandemic beauty boom.
Salons and spas can continue to provide guests with products that support and complement their new beauty regimes in between appointments such as vitamin C serums or face masks.
Need some more ideas when it comes to the wellness at-home trend? Check out our recent blog.
5. A Growing Desire for Inclusive Beauty
As someone in the beauty and wellness industry, you know that it’s critical to make everyone feel welcomed and valued. And that your clientele should be reflected in your marketing and advertising efforts.
People want to visualize themselves sitting in your chairs.
68% of US consumers said they would like to see more diversity in advertising for beauty and grooming products, while 47% of respondents said that they had looked for or brought from inclusive brands.
Ensuring your marketing and website images are representative of your local population goes a long way towards showing guests and prospective new customers that they’re welcome and you’re the right choice for them.
Beyond advertising, salons and spas can increase inclusivity by offering a wide range of products for people of all races, ethnicities, and identities.
This includes offering gender-neutral services and products, a demand for which has grown with the desire for brands to embrace gender inclusivity.
Take The Ordinary as a prime example of genderless skincare. They’re known for their simple, plain packaging and gender nonspecific products.
But it’s about more than marketing, packaging, and images.
It’s about ensuring you’re clear on your values and that everything from your marketing materials to your staff, to the products and services you offer are aligned. Consider reflecting on these questions:
- Who is the most marginalized in my community and client base, and how am I meeting their needs?
- Do the images on my website and social media platforms include them?
- Does my salon or spa have easy access for all?
- Do the products I offer work for all skin and or hair types?
- Are my staff trained on what inclusivity means to our brand and do they know how to meet the needs of all guests?
Answering these questions and adjusting where possible, ensures that all guests who walk through your doors leave feeling seen, heard, and cared for.
A Whole New World
The beauty and wellness industry is constantly evolving, and adaptability to new trends is key to success.
Ready to see how Zenoti can help you adapt?
Book a demo today!
