Cosmo Prof, a distributor of professional salon products, is partnering with SalonHQ, a new commerce platform that delivers instant e-commerce to beauty professionals, to provide a turnkey solution enabling stylists to set-up custom e-commerce retail storefronts, extending their reach beyond the salon.
Cosmo Prof executives said that after looking into consumer insights and the industry overall, it recognized a gap in meeting stylists' business and entrepreneurial needs. "We understand retail is a significant value driver for stylists," said Denise Paulonis, president and CEO at Sally Beauty Holdings. "However, the upfront costs of managing inventory can be burdensome and overwhelming to take on. With a free and customizable digital platform backed by Cosmo Prof's expansive assortment and fulfillment capabilities, stylists can easily sell products directly to their clients 24/7 while earning commission."
Cosmo Prof says that it knows stylists are the ultimate influencers for their clients, with the ability to directly impact purchasing decisions based on their trusted relationships. "Stylists have already built a reputation with their clients. These new storefronts will amplify those relationships by allowing for connection and personalized product recommendations beyond the salon," said Mark Spinks, president at Cosmo Prof.
He said it was important for Cosmo Prof to enable a holistic solution that removed the barriers the professional community would face. Stylists don't have to worry about shipment, fulfillment, or inventory management — Cosmo Prof handles all orders through SalonHQ's e-commerce technology.
Cosmo Prof and SalonHQ will help educate stylists on how they can promote their online businesses, further emphasizing their dedication to supporting professionals in all areas of their work.
"With Cosmo Prof, we found a partner focused on delivering best-in-class products and support to its stylist community," said Mark Porter, Co-Founder of SalonHQ. "This led to a partnership where our platform enables stylists to instantly set up a digital storefront to sell products sold at Cosmo Prof to their clients online."
The free-to-stylist platform allows for easy customization of the look and feel, curating the product catalog, product recommendation tools, and more. With built-in training, marketing, and support, the platform is a one-stop solution for stylists entering the e-commerce space.
The program is currently being piloted in one territory for Cosmo Prof and SalonHQ to monitor learnings.
Learn more at https://www.cosmoprofbeauty.com/salon-hq.
About Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.
Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. sells and distributes professional beauty supplies globally through its Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group businesses. Sally Beauty Supply stores offer up to 7,000 products for hair color, hair care, nails, and skin care through proprietary brands such as Ion®, Generic Value Products®, Beyond the Zone® and Silk Elements® as well as professional lines such as Wella®, Clairol®, OPI®, Conair® and L'Oreal®.
Beauty Systems Group stores, branded as CosmoProf® or Armstrong McCall® stores, along with its outside sales consultants, sell up to 8,000 professionally branded products including Paul Mitchell®, Wella®, Matrix®, Schwarzkopf®, Kenra®, Goldwell®, Joico® and Olaplex®, intended for use in salons and for resale by salons to retail consumers. For more information about Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc., visit https://www.sallybeautyholdings.com/.
About SalonHQ
SalonHQ is an ecommerce-as-a-service platform powering digital channels for brands and distributors in the beauty industry. Through a suite of APIs, SalonHQ offers a turnkey solution that enables customers to launch, scale and manage their beauty business. SalonHQ is a venture backed startup launched in 2018. For more information please visit salonhq.co.