Entrepreneurial vision
Shabir Afzal Gojwari, Director Moehair India Private Limited, gives his opinion on the trends and future of the Indian salon industry.
Shabir Afzal Gojwari, Director, Moehair India Private Limited, is a strong fervent and jocund entrepreneur. He was passionate about business since childhood. He did his schooling from Burn Hall School in Kashmir and is an alumnus of Delhi University. Taking the lead in his ancestral business of diamond and gold merchandising, Shabir carved out his solution-oriented capital combining deep strategic and operational expertise in various other sectors. He has been the privileged partner of several leading consumer electronic brands such as Sony, Nokia and Samsung. He is an active coal benefactor to many industries and factories in India.
Industry outlook
As a stakeholder in the professional beauty industry, Shabir has observed the evolution of the industry in India, the current state, demanding consumer behaviour and market competition. The health, beauty and wellness Industry in India is now at an all-time high, twice as fast as that of the US and European markets. The urban salon market in India is small by international standards but it is growing at a rapid pace. The size of India’s beauty and wellness market has nearly double to `80,370 Cr in 2017-18 from `41,224 Cr in 2012-13, as projected by a KPMG Wellness Sector report.
Consumer lifestyles along with growing influence of global trends are now changing the face of wellness and making wellness a part of a consumer’s everyday life. The industry is growing due to population’s demand for high-quality salon services, increasing disposable income among the middle class, and media exposure to international brands. As a result, the desire to look good and to pay more attention to personal maintenance is raging among people from all walks of life. They are quite confident about what they want. Salons and spas are mushrooming at a very fast pace as consumer demands have accelerated rapidly. With more brands coming in the market, the competition is huge but the market is big enough to provide everyone their own share, even every product has their own market share. It depends on how one position’s a brand in the market.
Ahead of the curve
Styles are constantly changing and techniques ever evolving! It is very much important for not only for the stylists but also for the brand to keep up with these changes. Education is a fundamental part of the industry. A huge problem faced by the industry is the lack of quality manpower. The demand-supply gap of trained staff is a real challenge. Skill development and vocational training in beauty and wellness need to be geared, not only for the international market, but also to compete with international brands in the Indian market.
Our traditional knowledge of herbal healing is a real boon, but it needs to be related to modern demands and techniques. An important challenge for the beauty industry in 2018 will be the need for professionally qualified personnel. Beauty care as a service sector offers great scope for employment and entrepreneurship for both women and men. An increasing number of people are choosing this industry as a career option. Beauty institutes and academies have sprouted all over towns and cities to cater to this increase in demand.
Education: need of the hour
This is one of the area where government direction, assistance and encouragement is needed. It is necessary to learn about the market and make use of changing conditions, like the internet, commercial advertising methods, e-commerce, different business models, etc. Products and services are needed for the global market and this requires efforts at various levels. Markets need to be explored. Presenting the products in a globally attractive manner is also essential, along with knowledge of the demands of the global market. Government can provide support in identifying markets, trade and promotions. That is why, this year, a great deal of attention has been directed towards research and development, product innovation, improvement in quality, in keeping with international standards and also combining traditional knowledge with advanced scientific techniques. The overall outlook for 2018 has been encouraging, because the beauty industry in India has a great future.