emic, which has changed consumer behaviour and forced some businesses in ‘hot spots’ to temporarily close. The concept was supposed to launch at Sephora’s Melbourne Central store on July 23, but plans were scrapped after metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire returned to stage 3 restrictions due to climbing case numbers in Victoria. Hair salons are still allowed to operate under stage 3, but Sephora decided to temporarily close all six of its Melbourne stores and The Blow closed its boutique on Little Collins Street in the CBD. While the Melbourne opening of The Blow On-The-Go has been postponed until further notice, the Sydney launch is still going ahead. “We’ve always operated with health and safety as a top priority, and now we’re following the strictest guidelines to make our guests feel comfortable,” Phoebe Simmonds, the founder of The Blow, told Inside Retail. Simmonds believes that demand for hair styling services remains high despite the anxiety and uncertainty caused by Covid-19, which may deter consumers from spending on bigger-ticket items. “It’s the lipstick economy…and my religion,” she said. “We might not feel secure enough to buy a new car or a house right now, but we can spend $30 on a hairstyle that will give instant gratification and a real confidence boost.” Besides straddling the line between affordable and luxury, a blowdry also taps into the booming experience economy. This shift in consumer spending towards experiences and away from things has led countless retailers to offer services that complement their products, and Sephora is no different. In Australia, the retailer has teamed up with beauty brands such as Benefit and Tarte to offer brow styling and makeovers, respectively, in stores. And now it is expanding the range of services on offer through its partnership with The Blow. Mike Modula, Sephora’s head of business development and brand experience, told Inside Retail the partnership will “deliver an exciting and experiential new beauty offering to engage our Sephora customers”. Creating a feeling Since it opened in 2018, The Blow has grown 30 per cent on average each quarter and served up over 15,000 blow drys. It has also raised over $20,000 for its charity partner, Share the Dignity.   Simmonds attributes this growth to a strong focus on customer experience, something she picked up from her previous roles in marketing at LVMH. “When creating The Blow, I spent a lot of time defining what we stood for, who we stood for, our tone of voice, our look and feel. Anyone can perform beautiful blowdries, so I needed to create a feeling, a connection to The Blow that was transformative and powerful,” Simmonds said. “A huge part of this is the customer experience and making sure that the brand is expressed clearly and uniquely at every touchpoint from socials, the booking experience and stylist to interiors, music, tools and the language used. I want our guests to walk out of The Blow feeling invincible, supported, polished and powerful.”