Amazon announced that it is about to open its first-ever hair salon in London. Amazon dominance in sales online continues to explore new lines of business and promote some of the items it sells on its platform.
The Amazon hair Salon, described in a blog post, will be spread over two floors of a building in Spitalfields, a trendy area in London city known for its quirky shops and restaurants and well renounce Victorian Spitalfields Market where can be found crafts and fashion.
The launch of the salon comes as many people in the U.K. are struggling to book appointments for haircuts as a result of a backlog that has been caused by the country’s coronavirus lockdown. “At the moment Londoners will take any appointment they can get,” said London-based venture capitalist Simon Menashy.
Amazon, which is yet to release a price list, said it will use the Amazon Salon to try a number of new technologies.
The 1,500 square foot space — less than a five-minute walk from Amazon’s U.K. headquarters, which has enough space for around 5,000 people, will initially only be open to Amazon employees. Members of the public will be able to make bookings in “the coming weeks” by calling, emailing or visiting the salon.
Hair Colours in Augmented Reality
Augmented reality technology will allow customers to see what they look like with different coloured hair, for example.
Elsewhere, new “point-and-learn” technology will allow customers to point at a product in the salon and view information on a display screen. If they wish to order the item then they can scan a QR code that will take them to a product page on Amazon.co.uk.
“We have designed this salon for customers to come and experience some of the best technology, hair care products and stylists in the industry,” said John Boumphrey, U.K. country manager at Amazon, in a statement. “We want this unique venue to bring us one step closer to customers, and it will be a place where we can collaborate with the industry and test new technologies.”
In order to comply with the U.K.’s ongoing coronavirus regulations, Amazon is planning to use separation screens between styling stations. Customers will also be offered a free face mask and sanitiser, and temperature checks will be carried out.
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Amazon said it will also give customers one of its Fire tablets to use during their appointment.
