Barbageddon!

ahead for future obstacles. David was in a senior management role in a global hair product company and saw first-hand what happened to the industry when barbers refused to follow long hair change trends. He saw how hair salons adapted quickly to change and barbershops went into decline because young men went to the hairdresser and not the barbershop.

David sees customer service being the focus now and recommends Barbers build rapport by creating strong friendships and having the right feel to the business that makes clients keep wanting to come back. The barbershop must feel like a safe space to encourage an environment where all topics can be discussed inhouse. A Barbershop is an institution for making customers feel great about themselves, both physically and emotionally.

David also supports barbers to look at aftercare programs. This means supporting clients with homecare options of products and tutorial and keeping in touch with them on a regular basis through some form of communication channel.

Ash Benson from regional barbershop, Benson’s Barbershop in Port Macquarie, also has felt there is a strong need to understand long hair trends and cutting techniques and has staged some one-on-one training sessions with a professional educator focusing on scissor work. Ash has seen a slow take up of long hair and is confident with ongoing training he can keep up with the styles coming through. He was very apprehensive to do long hair styling but is enjoying the scissors skills they are learning.

BARBERS STAYING OLD SCHOOL AND SET IN THEIR WAYS SOON FOUND THEY WERE PHASED OUT, WITH TOWNS LOSING 5 OF THEIR 6 BARBERSHOPS DURING THAT POINT IN HISTORY.

Paul Valentine from Tarakona Brands visits hundreds of barbershops annually and talks to lots of barbers. He says that the chat on the ground is trends are slowly changing and more barbers are gradually adapting to new longer hair styling and most see the importance of scissor work for long hair layering. He is also seeing trends for colour treatments that is not normally offered in traditional barbershops. Paul’s tip is to adapt and recognise that you must keep innovating so you don’t get caught sitting on the fence.

Is Barbageddon going to happen? Maybe, but it might be a slower transition than first thought. One thing that is always predictable in life is change.