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Mirror, mirror on the hair salon wall, who is the fairest of them all? According to piiq, you are.
But who and what is piiq?
World, meet piiq; the world’s first in-salon digital mirror. Yes, that’s right, a digital mirror inside the hair salon. The same mirror you stare at yourself in for one to three hours (four, for the Rapunzels out there), sizing yourself up. The same mirror you critique your roots, examine your ends and lionise your new locks in. Yes, that mirror is about to go digital and it’s all thanks to three very clever, very innovative Australians; Richard Kavanagh, Richard Matthewman and David Mannah (Kavanagh is actually another Kiwi we’ve claimed, think the Russell Crowe of the hair world – without the drama).
The smartest salon mirror you’ll ever meet, PIIQ is embedded with technology proven to take your hairdressing experience to a whole new level. Walked out of the salon with a bob when you asked for a “bit”? Asked for “blonde”, left brunette? PIIQ is here to change that, one mirror at a time. Developed as the solution to a hassle-free salon experience, it’s there to alleviate the awkwardness that so often besets a hair appointment.
And co-founder Richard Kavanagh should know. The four-time Australian Session Stylist of the Year winner and all-round editorial hair whiz, Kavanagh knows the ins-and-outs of salon life like no other. “We found that 95% of stylists believe they do a full and thorough consultation with each and every client while 7% of clients feel they have only ever experienced a thorough consultation once*,” he explains. “It’s apparent that there’s a real disconnect for the client experience at hair salon, mostly leaving the customer feeling dissatisfied with the hair consultation process.”
Enter piiq, the digital mirror to bridge the gap between client and stylist and change the consultation experience for good. With piiq, you’ll be able to find your celebrity hair match with its facial recognition technology, select the very best products for your hair type and style and share your new look instantly on social media. Perhaps most importantly, at the end of your piiq experience, the 360 degree camera featuring integrated beauty lighting will capture your new finished look, which will be stored alongside your records ready to refer to on your next salon visit (very important for both you and stylist).
The ultimate consultation upgrade; here’s a snapshot into the piiq experience. Your hair appointment never looked so good.
HOW IT WORKS:
1. You’ll sign into the piiq App when you arrive for your appointment – remember that your privacy is of the utmost importance to us, and none of your personal info will ever be shared without your consent.
2. The next step is piiq and your stylist getting to know you with a quick, interactive visual lifestyle quiz, which will help your stylist understand your personal style, aesthetic, hair history and styling habits.
3. If you want to – and we know you’re going to want to – you can share a snapshot of your lifestyle profile instantly with your friends on social media at the tap of a button.
4. Next step is for piiq to go to work with its ground-breaking 120-point facial recognition technology, which will give you an instant face shape and eye colour analysis and will also match you with five celebrities who share the same features. You can then explore your chosen celeb’s latest hairstyles to use as inspiration in deciding on your new do’. Your hair stylist will be on hand to talk through the different hair styles with you.
5. So, now you and your stylist know all there is to know, and your new look is underway – you’ll soon be prompted by piiq to ask your stylist about the ultimate haircare regime for your hair type, or what styling products you should be using at home to maintain your new style. Your stylist will make their recommendation based on your hair’s needs today and will hand you their suggestions on piiq’s specially-designed, hand-held tablet. You can then read all about the recommended products, and if you’d like to purchase, you can choose to collect the products on your way out or have them shipped to your home.
6. You’ll now be coming to the end of your piiq experience and your stylist will be ready to take a 360-degree capture of your new finished look, which will be stored alongside your records ready for your next salon visit.
7. Oh, and while you’re sitting there looking your best with piiq’s enhanced beauty lighting, you might as well grab another quick selfie and share your new do’ with the world…
