ADVERTORIAL

Vish explains why it’s more important than ever to reduce colour waste when you reopen your salon doors

Technology has improved so much within the salon. Nearly every successful salon now features a supportive salon software system that does much more than manage appointments and transactions – it acts as the hub of the entire operation.

One area of the salon has resisted this oversight, until now. The colour department was one of the final outposts of a pre-technological world. It is finally embracing modernity and a new methodology of colour has emerged. The result is better margins for the salon, a sigh of relief for hairdressers and an overall greater profitability.

Less colour – same results 

In salons like Karine Jackson in London, Alexander James in the Midlands, and Mayfair & Grace in Tetbury, using the Vish colour management app has meant less colour dispensed, while offering the same great results. Product waste is down, formulas are refined and recorded, and clients are paying for product used rather than leaving the salon to absorb the costs regardless of how much is needed.

“One of the best business decisions I made in 2020 was to install Vish,” says Karine Jackson, who now charges for the service and colour separately. “Using Vish means we know exactly how much colour is used and how much is left over, allowing us to price for it correctly. Our finer-haired clients are paying less than those with long, thick hair, which is fair.”

At Mayfair & Grace, extra colour above a basic service threshold was charged to the client, bringing in an additional £1,800 in revenue in the few brief months of activity last year between COVID-19 lockdowns. 

“We marked up the colour costs by 50 per cent. It was just a few pounds  per client and they barely noticed it, yet it was a huge boost to the salon,” says Jess Sage, Mayfair & Grace salon manager. 

Modern pricing structure

With Vish it is easy to implement a modern pricing structure that fits your business. Using a Bluetooth scale, the colourist mixes what they want and  reweighs the bowl after the service to account for any waste. Vish stores the exact formula for the service, rather than what was mixed initially.

Every gram that was used during the service is automatically recorded and communicated to the front desk. This takes the burden off the busy colourist to let reception know about the additional product used. 

A simple change 

This approach to colour management requires minimal changes. It records precise formulas automatically and does the calculations for the colourist. If a colourist runs out of colour mid-application, they are often in a rush and err towards excess, mixing up the same quantities and writing off the waste. But Vish means this is no longer necessary.

“Vish records all formulas and calculates the maths for us. We can instruct an assistant to mix up a half or quarter bowl. The formula is identical and the consistency the same, there’s just less of it. There is so much less waste,” says Alexander James Beard, owner of Alexander James. He introduced Vish in the first lockdown. “After this lockdown, it is even more important to reduce the margins on colour and push up profitability by cutting back waste,” he adds.

Extra profit post-lockdown

Jess at Mayfair & Grace points out the financial boost of introducing extra colour charges was a major boon to the salon. The next step is to improve margins by cutting down waste. “Vish provides powerful data that can drive changes in the way we deliver  colour. Reweighing our bowls after the service showed that during the months we were able to open last year, we wasted 208 tubes worth of colour. We will use that data to educate the team so they are on board with bringing waste down. That money could go towards bonuses for  everyone,” says Jess.

THE COST OF EXCESSIVE COLOUR REGROWTH
The experience of the first lockdown revealed that
unless salons approach colour differently, costs will go through the roof. Excessive regrowth clients will make profits plummet. Using Vish going forward won’t just help salons through reopening, it will alter the way we do colour forever – lowering quantities dispensed, eliminating waste and transferring colour costs fairly and transparently to clients. It could be a make or break move for some salons. 

ADVERTORIAL

Vish explains why it’s more important than ever to reduce colour waste when you reopen your salon doors

Technology has improved so much within the salon. Nearly every successful salon now features a supportive salon software system that does much more than manage appointments and transactions – it acts as the hub of the entire operation.

One area of the salon has resisted this oversight, until now. The colour department was one of the final outposts of a pre-technological world. It is finally embracing modernity and a new methodology of colour has emerged. The result is better margins for the salon, a sigh of relief for hairdressers and an overall greater profitability.

Less colour – same results 

In salons like Karine Jackson in London, Alexander James in the Midlands, and Mayfair & Grace in Tetbury, using the Vish colour management app has meant less colour dispensed, while offering the same great results. Product waste is down, formulas are refined and recorded, and clients are paying for product used rather than leaving the salon to absorb the costs regardless of how much is needed.

“One of the best business decisions I made in 2020 was to install Vish,” says Karine Jackson, who now charges for the service and colour separately. “Using Vish means we know exactly how much colour is used and how much is left over, allowing us to price for it correctly. Our finer-haired clients are paying less than those with long, thick hair, which is fair.”

At Mayfair & Grace, extra colour above a basic service threshold was charged to the client, bringing in an additional £1,800 in revenue in the few brief months of activity last year between COVID-19 lockdowns. 

“We marked up the colour costs by 50 per cent. It was just a few pounds  per client and they barely noticed it, yet it was a huge boost to the salon,” says Jess Sage, Mayfair & Grace salon manager. 

Modern pricing structure

With Vish it is easy to implement a modern pricing structure that fits your business. Using a Bluetooth scale, the colourist mixes what they want and  reweighs the bowl after the service to account for any waste. Vish stores the exact formula for the service, rather than what was mixed initially.

Every gram that was used during the service is automatically recorded and communicated to the front desk. This takes the burden off the busy colourist to let reception know about the additional product used. 

A simple change 

This approach to colour management requires minimal changes. It records precise formulas automatically and does the calculations for the colourist. If a colourist runs out of colour mid-application, they are often in a rush and err towards excess, mixing up the same quantities and writing off the waste. But Vish means this is no longer necessary.

“Vish records all formulas and calculates the maths for us. We can instruct an assistant to mix up a half or quarter bowl. The formula is identical and the consistency the same, there’s just less of it. There is so much less waste,” says Alexander James Beard, owner of Alexander James. He introduced Vish in the first lockdown. “After this lockdown, it is even more important to reduce the margins on colour and push up profitability by cutting back waste,” he adds.

Extra profit post-lockdown

Jess at Mayfair & Grace points out the financial boost of introducing extra colour charges was a major boon to the salon. The next step is to improve margins by cutting down waste. “Vish provides powerful data that can drive changes in the way we deliver  colour. Reweighing our bowls after the service showed that during the months we were able to open last year, we wasted 208 tubes worth of colour. We will use that data to educate the team so they are on board with bringing waste down. That money could go towards bonuses for  everyone,” says Jess.

THE COST OF EXCESSIVE COLOUR REGROWTH
The experience of the first lockdown revealed that
unless salons approach colour differently, costs will go through the roof. Excessive regrowth clients will make profits plummet. Using Vish going forward won’t just help salons through reopening, it will alter the way we do colour forever – lowering quantities dispensed, eliminating waste and transferring colour costs fairly and transparently to clients. It could be a make or break move for some salons.