Computer lets client 'try' new 'do

One salon owner sees a past fad making a comeback with different marketing.
By SARAH POULTON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
Cindy Cochran, owner of C.J. Cochran and Co. Day Spa and Salon in New Castle, first discovered digital imaging in the early 1990s during a Midwest Chicago hair show.
It's a computer program that some salons use to show clients what they would look like with a different haircut or color, Cochran said. It takes a picture of the person and uses the technology of computers and the Internet to preview a particular style on that person.
This innovative piece of equipment was a great idea, but at the time, was not profitable, Cochran said. For digital imaging to be profitable, it must be showcased in progressive salons that do a lot of business.
"It is a wonderful idea," Cochran said. "Oftentimes, people are more afraid of what they will get, as opposed to what they already have. This medium is a nice way for people to view what they will look like. However, technicians have to take into account texture and amount of hair and make sure there is good communication between the technician and the guest."
Today, it's hard to find a local salon that uses it. But it can be found in bigger cities.
Sherry Prillernan is an independent contractor who works at Girlfriendz Hair Salon in Cleveland. She has been using digital imaging for a few years and has been pleased with the results.
"I use it, and it works good for me," Prillernan said. "It can be inaccurate, but the pictures come out pretty well, and it's great for advertising. I recommend it."
Another opinion
Toni Petrock, though, owner of Visage Hair Salon in Poland, said she found the images were poor quality and the cost to use it too high.
"It was big a couple of years ago," she said. "It cost about $10,000 to buy the computer for it. The demand just wasn't there. We would have to charge customers between $40 and $50 to use the product."
Anthony Adamo, who works at American Hair in Hermitage, Pa., said his salon used to have the system but got rid of it because it was impractical. He declined to explain.
"We haven't used it for four or five years. We don't plan on using it again," Adamo said.
Rose Knepp, owner of The Ritz in Mineral Ridge, considers digital imaging a fad bound to die off.
"It was a new discovery," Knepp said. "The imaging wasn't crystal clear, and people weren't willing to pay for it."
And now, Petrock said, people are now doing it themselves on their home computers.
But Cochran said she thinks salon imaging will make a comeback as prices drop and people become more computer-savvy. In addition, she said, if the company that devised this idea would have marketed it differently, it would have had a better possibility of working.
"Hindsight is 20/20," Cochran said. "Obviously, if they had marketed it differently, possibly by educating technicians on how to use it or sell it, it would have produced better results. I think that it still can develop in a few years and re-enter our lives in a new form. It might just be about timing."
Price was the reason she didn't purchase the imaging system, she said, but added that now, systems can be purchased for $3,500 or less.
She also noted that the salon industry is very hands-on rather than technologically inclined. And though younger generations are computer-savvy, she said, the baby-boomers who currently make up the bulk of salon clientele are less likely to use technology.
She said she hasn't written imaging off just yet. She believes it could work well in a mall kiosk, where shoppers could leisurely discover new styles. She also expects it to pop up in salons after the industry develops a better product at a lower cost.
spoulton@vindy.com