The idea for our Digital Transformation Project was to make an application for a hairdresser. This application would show the customers how they would look like with their new haircut by applying a filter such as on Snapchat. This would be extremely useful for example when you are considering a different hairstyle and you are unsure whether it will suit you.
For our project we opted for the hair salon ‘Hair Design by Lydia’ as it is situated on campus. However, after conducting an interview with Lydia, the hairdresser and owner of the hair salon, we realised there was no need for such an application. Lydia has been running her hair salon on her own for 22 years. She runs it very traditionally. With just an agenda and an arsenal of skills, she cuts her way through the week. She’s very busy, and is never short on customers, which makes sure she is never short on income. Her revenue mainly comes from styling and cutting customers’ hair and selling accommodating hair products to them.
The SWOT analysis and the Porter’s five forces model analysis showed that the industry is competitive, but because it is located on campus and is regulated by the University Support Centre, the threat of new entrants is still low. However, it would be crucial to stay up to date on IT advancements in order to keep up with competitors as a new hair salon business could be started anytime in the neighbourhood.
The main problem with Hair Design by Lydia is that the workload is too high. The hair salon is doing so great that people would just walk in for a hair service, but usually she already has an appointment so that the customer can’t be scheduled straight away. As Lydia runs the store alone, it would be a good idea to introduce a digital alternative to analog planning. We recommend a web app called Salonized. This will save time on both sides, as customers could plan their own appointments without coming to the store or calling Lydia. Most importantly, it will reduce Lydia’s workload. Moreover, as it also more convenient for customers to book an appointment, the customer satisfaction will probably increase. Also, the data of the web app will enable Lydia to keep data on the customers instead of relying on her memory. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to Lydia.
However, there are certain risks to using Salonized as Lydia cannot control the hardware and software and the company that runs the application. And they have to be trusted with the data of the clients. Also, there is the possibility that clients still prefer to call or drop by to make an appointment.
Furthermore, there are a several future opportunities. Salonized offers a way to collect information in a personal profile if the customer allows it. Lydia could use this information to her advantage. Data collection and analysis could enable her to many more functionalities and capabilities.
See our video for more explanation!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBRw3bhCDQY&feature=youtu.be%20
Group 2
