Located in the trendy Spitalfields district of London, the Amazon Salon has been designed to test innovations in the beauty industry such as augmented reality hair consultations — while also pointing customers to products it sells online. The 1,500-square-foot space is set over two floors and will initially be open to Amazon employees only. General bookings for the public will start in the coming weeks, the company said.
A wide range of hair care and styling services will be provided by a team of stylists from London-based Neville Hair & Beauty Salon. Amazon Salon will initially cater to the company’s employees before opening to the general public.
Much like its move into the brick-and-mortar grocery business — which Amazon is also doing in London — the hair salon concept will feature technology intended to bolster the experience and sell more goods.
- Customers will be able to use AR to experiment with different hair colors and eventually capture their new look in a dedicated creative area.
- With new “point-and-learn” technology, customers can point at a product they are interested in on a display shelf and the relevant information, including brand videos and educational content, will appear on a display screen. Customers can scan a QR code to visit the product detail page on Amazon.co.uk and make a purchase.
- Amazon Fire tablets will be provided for entertainment at each styling station.
The salon is also a way to drive more traffic to the Amazon Professional Beauty Store on its UK site, where it’s catering to beauty professionals with thousands of salon and spa products.
“We have designed this salon for customers to come and experience some of the best technology, hair care products and stylists in the industry,” John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager for Amazon, said 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.”