We go to Instagram for the latest color trends, to connect with our curlfriends, for healthy a dose of curl envy, and soon we’ll even be able to book our salon visits on the app. Bloomberg reported this week that Instagram will soon be rolling out a new booking feature.
Instagram already serves as an up to the minute portfolio for many stylists and salon owners all over the world, and cuts out the unwieldy effort of updating a website or salon listing. Enterprising stylists will now additionally be able to use the app as a tool to convert IG-fans into paying customers with a simple click.
James Quarles, Instagram’s head of business, told Bloomberg that the new feature will give Instagram’s more than 1 million advertisers a way to measure the impact the app has on their bottom lines. “When someone books an appointment, that’s not a ‘like’ or a ‘follow,’ that’s actual action,” said Quarles. We may see even more tools for businesses in the future, like the option to add reviews. Yelp and OpenTable may be feeling the heat right about now.
In the curly community almost all of us have had at least one traumatizing trip to a salon, and for many of us disappointing cuts are the norm and not the exception. As a result, choosing a stylist is often preceded by polling our friends, family, and random women we see on the street with great curls for recommendations and testimonials. That’s precisely how I found my last stylist.
Social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are often the first stop for women looking for inspiration for their next cut or color. The next stop? If you have curly hair, then you’re going to be reading a stylist’s reviews. Over the last 18 years we’ve received over 40,000 reviews of salons and stylists from curly community members, and the Salons section is in the top three most visited sections of NaturallyCurly. We know how important it is to our readers to find a stylist they can trust, and we’re excited that it’s becoming even easier for curlies to find a stylist, and for stylists to reach their clients.
Watch out for the new feature to launch within the next couple of months.
