New tools from Square help fuel reopening of beauty and personal care businesses, ensuring good hair days ahead for Canadians

Data shows a 120% increase in personal care appointments as industry reopens across Canada

Canadians are finally having a really good hair day. With salons and spas finally allowed to reopen countrywide following months of lockdowns, customers are flocking to see their stylists and personal care practitioners in a frantic effort to touch up their roots, get rid of split ends and get some cuticle care.

A new survey commissioned by Square, the globally trusted software, payments, and hardware solution for businesses of all sizes, sought to determine which personal care services Canadians missed the most, and hair was by far the top beauty priority, with 45 per cent of respondents saying the first service they sought was a haircut, while another six per cent were in a rush for root touch-ups. Five per cent of Canadians prioritized pedicures and manicures, with other services such as waxing and facials accounting for four per cent of bookings.

“We’re finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s clear Canadians are eager to get back to normal as quickly as possible. A large part of doing so means also feeling normal, which for many means getting back to their personal care and beauty routines,” said Karisa Marra, Business Expert at Square. “It’s clear that after months of at-home attempts at beauty maintenance, Canadians have a newfound appreciation of their stylists and aestheticians.”

This appreciation is understandable given the pent-up demand for services. Data from Square found that bookings for beauty and personal care appointments in Canada surged 120 per cent over June 2020, year-over-year, in anticipation of salons and spas reopening in July.

Prolonged closures forced Canadians to DIY their personal care for months on end. Thirty seven per cent of respondents attempted to cut their own hair during the lockdowns and 15 per cent attempted their own colour. Twelve per cent attempted to shape their own eyebrows, while six per cent braved DIY hair removal.

It’s no surprise then that 41 per cent of respondents say they value their hair stylists and beauticians more than ever, with four per cent vowing to never DIY their hair, nails and waxing ever again.

Square launches new tools in Canada to aid business recovery

While Canadians were home attempting their own haircuts and pedicures in 2020 and earlier this year, beauty and personal care businesses were busy reimagining ways to operate and interact with clients from afar.

One way for beauty and personal care professionals to future-proof and grow their businesses is with Square Appointments, an all-in-one point of sale software for bookings, payments, and more. Other modern, seamless features that Square Appointments recently released in Canada to benefit beauty and personal care businesses and their clients, include:

• Square Online: Merchants can now create an integrated, customizable booking website to match the aesthetic of their business and brand, let customers book with them 24/7, and sell their products and services online for omnichannel capabilities.
• Commissions: Businesses can now incentivize their teams to earn more with flat rate or tiered commissions on retail items sold or services provided. Commissions can be customized per team member based on sales goals, tenure, or seniority.
• Processing time: Clients can book services during appointment downtimes right from a business’s website, which helps merchants streamline bookings, have greater control over the team’s schedule and workflows, and brings more business to the store.

“The beauty industry in particular faced extreme changes and challenges this past year, and in return, demonstrated its resiliency. Beauty businesses are continuing to rebound at high rates, with growth happening for both new and existing businesses,” said Alyssa Henry, Executive Vice President at Square. “We’ve seen the beauty industry take this time to modernize and build direct connections with clients in an increasingly digital world, and Square Appointments is uniquely equipped to help build those relationships across every facet of the business.”

Square also recently launched Square Contracts in Canada, a move welcomed by Courtney Woodward, owner of Polish Me Pretty in Windsor, ON, which specializes in makeup and hair services for weddings and special events.

“I already use Square for my payment processing and invoices, and I am really happy that they introduced contracts. With weddings backed up because of the pandemic, we now have more contracts than we’ve ever had as people make up for lost time,” said Woodward. “I particularly love that each clause can be edited individually instead of needing to create a completely new contract from scratch every time. This saves us a ton of time, as well as money because it’s free.”

Square Contracts allows sellers to create and send contracts right from their online Square Dashboard. The tool lets merchants establish clear service agreements with their customers, secure digital signatures and avoid potential payment disputes — all in one place. Additionally, businesses using Square Contracts in conjunction with other tools like Square Appointments or Square Invoices get the benefit of automated dispute management, with evidence on hand should a dispute arise.

Businesses also have the option to choose from Square’s predefined templates and customize it to meet their needs, or build an entirely new template from scratch. They can create custom clauses from scratch or duplicate, edit and reorder any of Square’s provided clauses. Square contracts also allows for contracts to be sent in bulk to up to 20 recipients at a time — Square will create independent contracts for each recipient and send them separately for signature.