Uber X bgx X Balmain
Revolutionary new beauty tech platform - bgx by blowout&go has launched a global partnership with Uber and Balmain Hair. Starting with London, Paris and Dubai, to connect professional salons with their communities, while empowering them to deliver premium beauty services directly to customers on-demand. The convenience of having professional salon styling delivered directly to women in their home, workplace or event is aimed at changing the way salons engage with their urban consumers, many of whom consume premium beauty services on the fly.
This launch also marks the first time a business has fully integrated with Uber to bring reliable and safe transportation to connect businesses with their customers.
bgx co-founders Ali Rafi and Paria Ghorashi built their tech platform on the back of years of work actually delivering home beauty services to women in their base of Dubai as blowout&go. bgx was born when the founders realised that busy women don’t always have time to plan and book appointments in advance, even to their home. A truly on-demand service was needed, and there wasn’t anyone in the world doing it.
Logistics was the main challenge. As customers, we have all become quite demanding and expectations are at an all-time high. We expect delivery of all kinds of high quality services immediately and transparently via our mobile phones – whether it be food delivery, transport, or parcels – and beauty is no different, Paria Ghorashi says. The Uber platform has already brought step-change improvements in transport and food delivery services – we see hair and beauty services as the logical next step. She continued, Customers will be able to book a stylist to their home or office directly from their smartphone. The app will provide a convenient and fast service for busy people on the go.
The customer app is available on iOS and Android smartphones. Each interface will enable customers to book a high quality blow-dry and styling by a top stylist at a moment’s notice whether they are at home, at work or at a hotel. Partnering with Balmain Hair, the premium, fashion hair brand, ensures a luxury experience for consumers using the best in professional styling products.
Richard Guliker, Art & D Director of Balmain Paris Hair Couture adds:
Service and Style at the press of a button! What more could a consumer want? Balmain Paris Hair Couture has years of experience of styling hair at different locations outside the salon through our network of professional backstage and editorial stylists. Therefore it fits our brand to support this on an even larger scale. It brings catwalk style right into the consumer’s home. bgx provides the consumer and the salon with a unique opportunity to have a luxury on demand service.
bgx only partners with premium salons for the service, to ensure a high threshold for competence, service quality and professionalism. Balmain Paris Hair Couture is also our strategic and educational partner ensuing salon partners and their teams are able to offer the best on demand service. Hundreds of premium salons are already on board with the central London launch, with several cities in the USA, Europe and Asia scheduled to be activated in a second phase later in the year.
bgx Founder Ali Rafi added:
It is a win-win scenario for customers and salons. The consumer gets the convenience of a hair treatment on demand in the privacy of their own home, hotel or office. The salon will gain access to thousands of potential customers in their vicinity who may want to use their services, but may not have known about their offering. Connection happens at the click of a button. Importantly, salons will also have the ability to earn incremental revenue from customer acquisition activities, using under-utilised staff and capacity, and without increasing overheads or their cost base.
Erik Diepering, Head of Uber for Business in Europe, said:
We’re thrilled to partner with bgx in bringing on demand styling services to people’s homes at the push of a button. More than 65,000 companies are currently using Uber for Business, but this is the first time we’ve allowed a company to fully integrate with the Uber for Business platform.
Key Service USPs
- On demand service powered by app from app store on android and apple – app is BGX
- Uber automatically sends cab to salon location and returns stylist, automatic billing to consumers account
- Client is automatically billed for service via app – so no money handled by staff for on demand service
- Safe/help button on app for stylists safety
- Locations, journey and current status shown on app throughout appointment
- Users and salons complete a vetting and registration process
- Six key blow-dry services available for consumers to choose from at £65 per service
- Client washes hair ready for when stylist arrives or can opt for dry blow/style
- Balmain styling used to create a luxurious runway experience
- Client can rate their appointment/stylist
- Access to a truly on demand service at the touch of a button
- Salons sign up for the service at no cost to salon
- Historic data indicates key user times are early mornings and late afternoon/early evenings, when salons are traditionally quieter
- Allows salons to utilise stylist down time in salon with no added overhead costs to salon, whilst generating revenue for salon
- Salons have the choice to accept or ignore on demand appointments on the app – salon chooses what works for them
- Directs new local consumers back to the salon for further in salon experiences for colour/cut services – lead generation
- Salons can rate customers