Survey Reveals Economic Downturn Doesn’t Hit Salon Chairs

March 30, 2009 - PRLog -- As women around the country seek ways to trim their budgets, a brand new study, Mane Attraction: Salon Experience Survey by Design Essentials finds that many of them aren’t willing to forgo their good looks for greener wallets.  If anything, the unstable economy has them examining the services they are receiving at their regular salon and possibly considering taking their business elsewhere – as long as it won’t put the squeeze on their hair care routines.  

At the forefront of keeping a pulse on professional hair care products and education for consumers and stylists, Design Essentials surveyed 500 women of all ethnicities with various hair types in October 2008.

A few Salon Experience highlights:

• The Price of Hair. Women who go to hair salons spend an average of $40 per visit and are willing to spend $19 more for a cut, color or other service.

• Willing to Spend. Women visit a salon nearly every two months (an average of 7 times a year), which could add up to more than $400 on visits over the course of a single year. Women who say they have difficult to manage hair typically shell out $45 per visit, but they’ll nearly double what they pay and spend up to $84, compared to the $51 those who report their hair is easy-to-manage would be willing to fork over for a visit.  African-American salon-goers currently spend an average of $55 per visit, and are willing to pay nearly double for a hair treatment or service - $107!

• Voting for Change. Nearly six in ten (59%) salon visitors would like to see some changes made at the salon they frequent most often. The price of the services is at the top of the list of things to change for nearly half (48%) of these women.

• Shear Cheater. Four in five (80%) salon-goers who visit the same stylist regularly admit they’d have no problem being caught in the chair of another.

• In Need Of Some Salon Time. Women typically go to the salon when they need a trim or treatment (32%), or just need a change (24%). Only 17 percent of ladies would be willing to forgo a visit for budgetary reasons and admit they make their appointments based on when they can afford to pay for it.

“Educating consumers and stylists are top of mind,” says Sholanda Armstrong, Director of Marketing for McBride Research Laboratories (MRL), the family-owned & operated company which launched Design Essentials. “Especially in these topsy-turvy economic times, Design Essentials is committed to helping women and their stylists understand the importance of connecting the maintenance of healthy hair with top-notch customer service and valuable benefits while visiting a salon.”

Armstrong continues, “One thing the economy is doing is causing women to really take stock of whether a visit to their current salon is worth the price or if they should spend their money at a different salon.  So, this study is extremely beneficial to salon owners and stylists to ensure that they are knowledgeable about the best business practices since their clients tend to remain loyal. In fact, we found that more than half (52%) of salon-goers have been seeing the same hair stylist for more than a year.”

Focused on empowering the professional hair care industry, Design Essentials’ core education initiatives teach salon owners and stylists fundamentals that exceed the basics of cosmetology. As stylists embrace professional education within their salon, their client base doesn’t have to decline if they are willing to educate their clients on how to maintain their hair in between salon visits. One in five (20%) women seek hair product recommendations from their regular stylists.

For most women, a trip to the salon is a break from the reality of the day-to-day challenges they face managing their own hair. Design Essentials Mane Attraction is the source to arm women and their stylists with essential information to enhance the professional salon experience.

For more information on Design Essentials and its Mane Attraction: Salon Experience Survey and/or to arrange an interview, contact Nneka Egwuatu at 678-884-4008 ext.714.

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About Design Essentials: Design Essentials Salon System was launched in 1990 by McBride Research Laboratories, which provides direct distribution of premium, quality hair care solutions engineered to infuse hair with a natural balance of organic ingredients, vitamins and proteins that promote healthy and manageable hair. Today, MRL offers more than 40 premium beautification products through e-commerce and direct-to-hair salons network of independent, exclusive distributors in the United States, Caribbean and the United Kingdom.