When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and municipalities instituted rules that limited in-person contact, beauty services professionals were left in limbo.
An industry that was traditionally done in-person, at a salon, was left scrambling for alternatives to provide their services safely and effectively. Reduced capacity meant fewer appointments, unsustainable demand and a hit to business.
More frequently, people were turning to at-home solutions. They dug out the rusty, old pair of clippers or scissors to perform a risky at-home haircut.
After years in the beauty industry in a franchising capacity, Tonia Scalzotto felt the pain of these salons and their stylists. She was already deep in the process of developing an application to benefit beauty professionals when the pandemic struck.
“While I was in that industry, there were so many stylists and people in the beauty industry that wanted to become independent and entrepreneurs but didn’t have the business savvy or support or money to do it,” she said. “There was this really great opportunity to help people in that industry realize their entrepreneurial dreams.”
It just so happened that the app she was developing had an ideal fit for the current pandemic environment.
The app, Vayn, offers a variety of in-home beauty services provided by experienced professionals. With haircuts, blowouts, makeovers, facials and more, Vayn connects these professionals with customers looking for services, all from the comfort of their own home.
While Scalzotto debated whether this was the right or wrong time to debut the app, she ultimately decided to forge-on and help out the hurting beauty industry.
Through the app, customers can request a service and time, and Vayn will push that out to its network of over 100 local beauty professionals. A stylist will accept the job and arrive at the specified time and place to complete the service.
Payments, tips and reviews are handled through the application, and the stylist receives 80% of the transaction. After a customer has seen a beauty professional once, they can directly request services from the stylist, on their page within the app.
Scalzotto said the application benefits both sides of the transaction, drumming up additional business for stylists and providing safe, convenient services for customers.
“Now, instead of someone making an appointment for next week, they can order and have it done tonight,” she said. “Instead of you having to work off of the salon’s schedule, now they’re working off of your schedule.”
To maintain safety during the pandemic, Scalzotto said Vayn has implemented strict safety precautions for all appointments. Users can choose to have their service done outdoors or in their garage, as they have complete flexibility with the appointment.
Looking forward, Scalzotto thinks Vayn will provide a crucial service to the beauty industry, during and after the pandemic.
“I really believe that once this starts coming to play, a lot of stylists are going to want to move to this type of a platform to give them more flexibility, freedom and the ability to make more money,” she said. “And I think that clients as well will start utilizing the service because of the convenience factor.”
