Joe Mills, owner of Joe and Co in Soho, has collaborated with a new at-home hairdressing services platform Shortcut.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, strict social distancing measures and wary clients have greatly reduced barbershop’s capacity.
But Shortcut aims to offer a solution by providing on-demand at-home haircutting services in the UK. They’ve kickstarted their launch via a partnership with London salons Joe and Co and The Lounge which begins on 24 August.
Now Joe and Co’s hair professionals can deliver the best men’s haircut to suit their clients’ style, lifestyle and habits in the comfort and safety of their homes by booking through the Shortcut app.
Session stylist and owner of Joe and Co and The Lounge in central London, Joe Mills, says: “As an industry we need to be dynamic to survive. Similar to US hair pros, our men’s hairdressers have been especially impacted by COVID-19. While we are trying to get back to a new normal, it’s key we respond to client demands and move the business forward.
“Shortcut gives our stylists the opportunity to connect with their regulars, meet new clients outside of the barbershop’s walls, salon owners take control and maximise their income potential and protect the business. We invite salons, groups and barbershops to sign up so we can still service our clients who aren’t happy to come into cities or towns, rather than lose them to other stylists nearer their home.
“Booking through Shortcut, clients know they get a professional service from a salon-based stylist, while the salon owner can have control over quieter times. The salon sets the appointment price and works with the stylist on commission, you can service current clients and broaden your clientele to outside your high street location. Clients wanting home appointments isn’t going to change so as an industry, we need to ensure they are getting a first-class, professional service, without effecting the classical salon structure.”
Shortcut co-founder and COO Will Newton: “Our platform allows haircare professionals and their customers to control the environments they interact in. By partnering with barbershops like Joe and Co, we aim to empower bricks and mortar salons and their staff to meet – and hopefully exceed – their pre-COVID revenue streams under a model that’s reflective of our new reality.”
Will and his team at Shortcut hope to expand the company’s retail partnerships throughout its footprint in both the US and UK.
Will says: “While at-home haircuts are not new, they are certainly in demand – especially as consumer behaviours change. We’re offering an attractive deal that enables salon owner, groups and barbershops owners to bolster earning potential beyond the initial COVID-19 reopening rush, under the necessary safety protocols, following one of the most challenging economic periods in history.”
Salons can set their own schedules, manage their personal book of business, and chat with clients through Shortcut’s technology. Following COVID-19 re-openings, Shortcut has delivered more than 3,000 haircuts and its in-home services are up 600% in the US.