June 10, 2020
Is Location Important for Your Business? Here is the semi-long answer. Ask yourself the following 4 questions:
If you said ‘yes’ to two or more of the above, then the answer is: absolutely.
If you are a salon, a spa, or a dental practice, location is as important as your quality of service. A recent survey shows that 82% of customers consider the convenience of location a factor in choosing their dentist. Another survey shows that 42% of customers lists ‘location’ as the main reason they would revisit a certain salon.
Why is dental practice grouped with spas and salons, you may ask? Well, more people now than ever go to dentists for the same reasons they visit their hairdressers: to look more glamourous and confident. As customers now consider dentistry a part of the beauty industry,
more factors are in play when choosing their clinic, aside from medical proficiency.
So, what should you put into consideration when choosing the location of your new business?
Place Yourself in a Proper Atmosphere
Imagine this. Your client has spent half of their day pampering themselves at your salon. They had a full hair treatment, a new dye, a new haircut, and a beautiful french pedicure. They feel rejuvenated. They are walking on clouds. Their inner peace can put their yoga instructor to shame. They take a few steps out of your place, and then what do they see?
Is it a crowded street filled with angry drivers who believe they can teleport to their destination if they press their horn long enough? Rejuvenation gone. Clouds dissipated. Inner peace is replaced with inner angst.
You cannot control what your customer will feel outside your shop, but if you choose the location correctly, you can guarantee a sweet aftertaste to your service that can draw them back. If your salon is complemented with surrounding cafes, restaurants, and some nice shopping outlets, you know that your customers will maintain a positive experience long after they leave you.
..Among the Right Crowd
Setting up shop in a busy location guarantees minimum foot traffic, as you won’t run out of random clients who will pop and ask for last-minute appointments. But not all busy locations are equal. The kind of businesses that surround you affect the kind of clients you are more likely to get. Take note of the profile of people who walk in front of your store. What is their age group? What kind of jobs do they have? Will, your price range be considered reasonable for them? Does your shop have a similar vibe to the other places they frequent?
Now, look at your own design and plans for your new salon. Is it more formal or casual? Elegant or playful? Traditional or experimental? Do you see compatibility between your vision and the audience frequenting your chosen location?
..Near Possible Competition
It may sound like common sense to open your shop as far away from competition as possible, but the reality is much more complicated. If you find a location with no competition, most probably the reason is the location is not suitable. Perhaps other people have tried opening businesses in the same vicinity and failed.
“Clustering” is a very common term in the retail industry. Simply put, it means that competing businesses want to locate themselves near the center of their potential customer population. As a result, they eventually end up very near to each other. This is why you may stumble across clusters for computers and electronics shops, entire neighborhoods filled with car mechanics, or five Chinese restaurants within two minutes walk from each other.
..Preferably, With Accessible Parking
Do we need to speak more about the despicable parking situation in Cairo? It is a pain point for almost every business in the metropolis. A parking lot can go a long way in decreasing the existential dread all Cairenes are familiar with. You want your customers to think of happy thoughts when they are booking an appointment. Not wondering how they will solve a problem.
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Choosing the correct location is both a science and an art, and it is one of many factors that can decide a business’s success. However, it is perhaps the most long-lasting decision you will make. You can always upgrade your tools, change your marketing strategy, recruit new talents, but once you set on a location and invest in it, you are with it in for the long run.
Heartwork’s Health and Beauty District will bring together the most prominent healthcare and personal care names in Egypt in the heart of a dynamic commercial neighborhood, a few minutes away from Mountain View III; iCity New Cairo; Palm Hills New Cairo, and directly on the major roads connecting New Cairo’s major developments. Designed with the needs of health and beauty professionals in minds, easy parking and inspiring surroundings such as the zen garden and meditation pool, your legacy of quality care will be part of the new bustling and heartening international hub in the heart of East Cairo.