Nigeria’s fashion industry has continued to grow in size and sophistication and is estimated to be worth $4.7 billion, according to a report by Euromonitor. The industry comprises people offering different services from nail technicians, hairstylists, dressmakers and textile makers to body sculptors and makeup stylists.
Fashion entrepreneurs are always offering services to customers whether for birthdays, owanbe (weekend parties), events and other regular activities. As these services become important and in high demand, apps that connect customers to service providers make it easier for people to easily get beauty services when they need them.
Glammer is a beauty-on-demand app that helps beauticians put their services online where the right customers can find and request for them. It has two versions: Glammer pro and Glammer. The Pro version is for beauticians to sign up and create accounts while the other is for customers to make requests.
From bookings to a live chat, Glammer packs some good features
After installing the app and creating an account, Glammer opens a dashboard that immediately shows an array of beauty services that customers can request for. Some fashionpreneurs available on the app include masseuses, body sculptors, fitness instructors and hairstylists.
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Selecting any of the beauty services on the app generates a list of the beauticians who are nearby and ready to offer their service. I selected Hairstylist and was presented with options of about 19 people located around me and are ready to provide the service. There are additional details attached to each professional.
The view info option attached to each person provides details about their services, gallery and reviews. Services display the types of hairstyles, makeup or another specific service that the beautician renders as well as the price. Getting a new hairdo on Glammer costs about N5,000 while relocking dreadlocks costs around N6,000. Depending on the beautician, the costs may differ slightly for different beauty services.
The payment feature on Glammer allows people to pay using ATM cards. The app uses Flutterwave’s payment gateway to process payment by users. Alternately, users can pay by cash if the card is not a feasible option.
Glamers Pro is where beauticians sign up so that customers can find them. In addition to the user’s name, email and phone number, the app requests for an identification document as well as a training certificate. Details such as areas of expertise and working hours will be set and submitted by the service provider. Glammer Pro’s admins will go through the documents before it is allowed to go online.
Both mobile apps have an active live chat feature through which users can ask questions or lodge complaints about anything on the app. I used the alive chat to ask if training certificates are accepted from any fashion brand and got an immediate response. Certificates by different trainers are accepted as long as they are verified and genuine. The certificates are requested as a form of ensuring that only qualified beauticians are presented to customers on Glammer.
An emergency button is also available and it can be used to reach out to emergency contacts in case something goes wrong while the beauty service is being provided. The emergency contacts can be added through the ’emergency contact’ feature.
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Glammer takes a commission on services paid for
On each service that a customer books and pays for, Glammer removes 5.5% as it’s commission and pays the rest to the service provider. Payment is made every Friday for the total jobs completed that week.
Setting up accounts on both Glammer and Glammer Pro is quite seamless and there are beauticians for the services listed on the platform. So far, the reviews from users have been positive.
Adebola Omobo is one of the beauticians on Glammer Pro. On the Playstore, she said the app is “Perfect for freelance Beauticians to earn good cash and be their own boss”. Another user, Ayomide Adekunle, said she was able to quit her job at the salon where she formerly worked and be her own boss in Lagos. Her review reads in part, “I love this app. I was able to quit my job at the salon and be my own boss in Lagos”.
Glammer offers a wide range of services and provides them at the locations that suit the customers best. From loosening braids to making new ones, retouching hair and touching up wigs, Glammer makes beauty services accessible through an app that is very easy to use and a process that is not cumbersome at all.
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