Amazon Delves Into Hairdressing Business

The Company Will Open Its First-Ever Hair Salon In London, Where New Technologies Will Be Explored, Including Augmented Reality.

Parcel delivery at home is no longer enough for Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN. The company aims higher and branches out into beauty. How? By announcing the opening of his first-ever hair salon in East London.

Amazon First-Ever Hair Salon: You heard it right, the Amazon Salon will be a 1,500 square-foot space spread over two floors in a building located in Spitalfields, a lively East End area populated by artists and quirky shops in London. The venue will be open seven days a week, although initially only to Amazon employees. Members of the public will be able to make bookings by calling, emailing, or visiting directly the salon, but it is not yet clear when they will actually be received.

On The Hunt For Available Hairdressers: Hopefully, this will happen soon. In fact, the British have been on the hunt for available hairdressers since activities' closure extension due to the pandemic. “At present, Londoners would be ready to make any appointment,” commented Simon Menashy of MMC Ventures to CNN. And Amazon is ready to jump at the opportunity.

Technology On The Front: According to the company's own statements, the salon will be mainly employed as a workshop to experiment with new technologies – such as augmented reality, that will allow customers to see what they look like with different colored hair, for example. On the other hand, the new “point-and-learn” technology will enable customers to point at a product in the salon and view information on a display screen. If they wish to order the item, they can scan a QR code that will redirect them to the related product page on Amazon.co.uk. CNN also reports that Amazon will provide each customer with one of its Fire tablets to use during their appointment, in order to “experience some of the best technology, hair care products and stylists in the industry,” as revealed by John Boumphrey, U.K. country manager at Amazon.

Anti-COVID-19 Regulations: 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 sanitizer, and temperature checks will be carried out.

The Partnership With Neville Hair & Beauty: The Seattle tech giant said Elena Lavagni, who owns the Neville Hair & Beauty salon in London, will provide its customers with hair care and styling services. “I am delighted to be part of this project — the salon combines classic hairdressing services with technology to deliver a completely unique experience for clients,” disclosed Lavagni. “Our creative team of stylists, whose flair for hair is as intrinsic as their love for technology, will put the client at the heart of everything they do,” she added. “I feel proud to use our 40 years’ experience in the industry to help bring this salon to life.”

This article originally appeared on Financialounge.com and was translated from Italian to English. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited. For news coverage in Italian or Spanish, check out Benzinga Italia and Benzinga España.