Who’s Driving the Uber-fication of the Beauty Industry?

The observation from Beyou’s Charlotte Green and Nawal Alkhedairy comes following the announcement that Kylie Jenner, 21, has become the youngest self-made billionaire in history and a true global beauty icon.

Charlotte says: “The beauty industry is undergoing a seismic shift. This is being fuelled by on-the-go innovative tech, which is redefining and reshaping the way we engage with people, information, and brands in our every day lives.

“It’s based upon the Uber -fication effect, in the way we want our goods and services delivered to us. It’s revolutionised expectations. The shifts are happening in real time and quicker than ever before.”

She continues: “Within beauty, the Uber-fication effect – expert services coming to your door on demand – is, undeniably, a serious challenge to the existing, traditional salon models.

“Now, with a swipe of a smartphone everyone can have the indulgent experience of a trip to a salon, with all the service and results you expect from an elite makeup artist, at a price they choose – and in the comfort of their own home, workplace or hotel – in fact wherever they like.

“This burgeoning trend helps eradicate the common inconveniences of visiting a salon, such as the getting there, the waiting around, the parking, the expense, and inflexible and often inconvenient working hours.”

It means the time-poor can still have bespoke beauty routines – by a pro.

It also helps those who are ‘salon-shy’ – those who don’t want to be in public for their makeovers, or perhaps bridal parties who are after a more intimate experience before their Big Day.

This is the future of the industry: the fusion of tech and a personal experience from a professional.

“Portable, on-demand, glam-on-the-go apps address all of these points and, in addition, a hugely popular feature that we have at Beyou is that the price is set by the client.

“This is arguably why we believe this trend is such a positive revolution – because it democratises beauty,” explains Charlotte.

But who is driving the evolving uber-fication and democratisation of the UK’s £10bn beauty industry?

“Millennials (25-39) represent the largest age demographic for us at 44%, followed by Generation X (40-60) at 32% and Generation Z (16-25) at 20%, whilst the over-60s represent 4%,” confirms Nawal.

“This is likely to be because they are the first generation that grew-up with the internet.  They are ‘digital natives’ – unconsciously competent users of both computers and of the internet and now smart devices.”

She continues: “Even though Generation X are not our biggest demographic, our feeling is they could be on a par with Millennials by 2020 as this age group is becoming increasingly familiar with beauty apps and they are increasingly seeing the benefit of workplace beauty experiences.

“Indeed, over 12 months our workplace bookings in general – for all ages – have risen by 100%.”

Charlotte Green concludes: “The evolving uber-fication and democratisation of beauty is questioning traditional approaches and it is a trend that is set to grow exponentially over the next few years as the world becomes ever more tech-driven.”

“Through innovation, the shift is bringing new perspectives and driving strong customer connection and engagement,” adds Nawal.