With the somewhat confusing government restrictions around hair salons, EdwardsAndCo founder, Jaye Edwards knows first hand what it's like to have to adapt to the current economic climate to keep his business running.
And though he had to make the decision to close doors to his salons, BD spoke with the iconic Australian hairdresser to chat about the innovative ways he's bring in business, while also helping consumers with their hair care needs.
How is EdwardsAndCo adapting to the current health crisis? What changes has the company had to make?
We made the decision to close our salons after it was announced appointments could only be 30 minutes each, as this rendered us incapable of doing our jobs. Despite this restriction being lifted 24 hours later, we chose to keep salons temporarily closed for the immediate safety of our clients, as well as staff - many of whom had already left the city to go be with their families.
Having said that, we are currently working behind the scenes on getting our salons up and running again. We are working on policies and procedures to ensure everyone is safe before doing so, and are hoping to have everything in place to start welcoming back clients in the coming months.
With salons closed, we have really been able to focus on and grow the e-commerce side of the business, which is up 700% from last year. We have created prescriptive style packs, aimed at addressing key areas of concern that clients can focus on correcting during their lockdown period.
Can you tell us about the At Home Colouring Kits and how this idea came about?
At EdwardsAndCo, we are in the business of transformations and want to keep our clients feeling good, even if that means applying their own colour at home for now.
Our at home kits are perfect for covering up grey hair, touching up regrowth and root shadowing, just to keep you going through the lockdown period. We have a dedicated IGTV episode on how to apply the colour.
You've also started a weekly video series, what does this cover?
We have launched an IGTV series, The Lockdown With EdwardsAndCo, to not only equip viewers with tips and tricks for taking care of their hair at home, but to provide some entertainment.
Episode one is perfect for existing customers, it addresses covering up grey hair, touching up regrowth and root shadowing. In coming episodes we will cover a bunch of other tips and tricks to help keep everyone’s hair looking fresh from home, including 5 minute updos, fringe trims, extension removal and even some beard hacks for the boys.
Why is it important to support local brands during this time?
It's now more important than ever to support your favourite small businesses as they are the most vulnerable. Small business owners are working around the clock just to keep their heads above water to ensure they can reopen when this is all over.
How is EdwardsAndCo providing a sense of community to staff and clients?
While salons have closed we have launched the Rags To Riches Challenge for all staff and the wider community. Essentially staff and clients are challenged to create a video of themselves performing the the no-heat styling trick borrowed from the 1800s.
The result should be a head of bouncy, voluminous curls, however, even our professional stylists have produced some epic fails! Resulting in some very funny content for our instagram followers.
I think it is important for businesses to focus on some lighthearted ways to ensure we all stay connected, while being physically disconnected.
Check out the hair care and colouring packages EdwardsAndCo is offering online, and the view The Lockdown With EdwardsAndCo IGTV series here.
