In a significant move for the wholesale beauty supply distributor, SalonCentric, which is a L’Oreal USA subsidiary, has announced the expansion of its partnership with SalonInteractive. SalonCentric recently made a minority investment in SalonInteractive, which complements an existing commercial agreement between the two companies.
For those unaware, SalonInteractive is an API (Application Programming Interface)-based platform that connects salon management software and apps to provide four online services:
- An auto-replenishment salon inventory management system (B2B ordering).
- An ecommerce boutique which stylists and salon owners can conduct retail sales.
- A CRM software that helps salons and stylists better manage customer relationships and market new products/services.
- A comprehensive data panel to ensure salon owners can measure the success of their salon business activities.
At the moment, SalonInteractive has already signed agreements with seven major salon management software companies—EnvisionNow, Inspire by STX, Meevo, Phorest Salon Software, Rosy Salon Software, Square, Vish—and others are in discussions, as well.
With the minority investment from SalonCentric, SalonInteractive will be able to continue building a robust and innovative platform that serves the industry. Additionally, SalonCentric will be the go-to provider of comprehensive support to SalonCentric stylists and salon owners who integrate the SalonInteractive platform into their professional beauty business.
“This expanded partnership with SalonInteractive enables us to fully develop our strategic commitment to building an industry ecosystem that provides independent stylists, suite owners, and traditional salons with a variety of business solutions that help them run and grow their businesses,” said Bertrand Fontaine, President of SalonCentric North America. “As SalonCentric’s ambition is to be the one-stop destination for products, education, and business support services, this partnership with SalonInteractive is an essential piece of this new ecosystem that allows us to work closely with curated digital partners to provide innovative solutions that modernize and grow the salon industry. SalonInteractive will remain connected to their existing independent distributor partners, as I believe their roles are essential to the industry.”
“Strengthening our relationship with SalonCentric helps us execute our vision of building an inclusive ecosystem for salon professionals,” said Jim Bower, President of SalonInteractive. “When we have both technology and the supply chain working together, everyone benefits—and the SalonCentric partnership is critical to the success of SalonInteractive. When SalonCentric joined the partnership, not only did we see excitement about SalonCentric products and services, but we also saw considerable growth in retail sales of SalonInteractive’s independent distributors. This is because salons want all the brands they carry in their salons to also be available in their online stores. We are working together to truly build the future of the salon industry.”
