Covid 19 coronavirus: NZ Timely dating app sees hair growth and beauty reserves

How badly do kiwis want a haircut after six weeks of closure?

Timely, who makes a cloud-based dating app used by beauty and hair salons, saw her clients book 800 appointments within minutes of the Prime Minister confirming that he could get his hair cut on level 2.

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And in the hours that followed, more than 60,000 appointments were booked for the first week of reopening.

“And that number is increasing rapidly,” said Timely CEO Ryan Baker.

It was not immediately known whether ACT leader David Seymour, renamed “Disco Dave” by Sideswipe after The Simpson’s Disco Stu, would be among them.

Beauty salons will be open from Thursday, and hairdressers will receive a special waiver of social distancing rules, as long as they wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

Some 5,000 salons are expected to reopen.

“We have seen thousands of health and beauty companies preparing for this day. It will be a tsunami of demand as customers seek style and health after six weeks in their bubbles,” Baker said.

“Hairdressers, barbers, and other beauty and health professionals have been busy in the past few weeks caring for their clients in the lockout. This has involved pre-consultation, online education, social media, and online dating. Reserve. Now that the tsunami is about to hit. ” “

Barbers across the country prepare to take more appointments than ever with the necessary social detachment for both staff and clients.

“It was amazing to see our customers’ instant response when the Tier 2 restrictions were announced. Online reservations have been a savior: we already have over 500 online reservations and counting. Appointment-free dating is a thing of the past for barbers. at least for a while, “said Ben Scott of Benny’s Barbershop in Christchurch.

Timely’s health and beauty platform is used by more than 40,000 beauty professionals in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Baker said his clients know what they are doing when it comes to security.

“Because the Prime Minister clearly outlined needs for safety and personal protective equipment, we are also seeing that beauty professionals are well prepared around a safety approach to offer their services,” said the founder of Timely.

“The professionalism of our industry has really been evident. These people already take hygiene and safety seriously and it will be no different with Tier 2 requests.”

“We’ve all laughed a bit at the haircut photos being shared. But the truth is, hairdressers, barbers, and other beauty professionals provide immeasurable service to the well-being of our communities. And they don’t get close enough. credit for it. “

• Covid19.govt.nz – The official government Covid-19 advisory website