The customization trend is making its way to hair care.
Personalization is the focus behind Cloud 10 Hair Care, the latest endeavor of QVC founder Joe Segel and business partner Ellen Langas, who was formerly a QVC host and vice president of public relations. The duo are behind the launch of Cloud 10 Hair Care – a hair-product business with a focus on Millennials that guides shoppers through a survey about their specific hair needs and wants before shipping out a custom-blended shampoo and conditioner set. There are 165 different options, according to the company.
It’s a big bet on Millennial desire for personalization.
The idea came about after Jodi Dery, one of Segel’s salon contacts, noted stylists at Cloud 10 Salon in Boca Raton, Fla., were mixing shampoos and conditioners to get the right formulas for each client. (Segal is an investor in the salon, he said.)
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He took that salon-based idea and expanded it, with the plan to “build that on a customized basis, nationally,” Segel said. “It intrigued me.”
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“The lightbulb went off,” Langas said. “That was the inspiration behind the brand.”
Customers on the Cloud 10 Hair Care’s web site are guided through a six-question survey (about hair color, texture, preferred lather level, scent preference, etc.) that determines their specific hair-care formulation. Then, they pick a packaging style, complete with their name on the bottle.
“The concept here is to not only have these salon-quality formulas, but a custom way to deliver them to your home,” said Langas. “It’s a simple and engaging experience, particularly for the Millennial market.”
Cloud 10 also offers styling products, such as Ultra Nourishing Oil, Revive & Protect Mist, Glossing Mist, Leave-In Curl Conditioner, Volumizing Spray and Surf Spray; prices range from $15.95 to $26.95. A shampoo and conditioner set costs $25.25; a travel set with 2-ounce products is available for $8; and individual shampoo and conditioner bottles are $16.45. Shipping and handling is $3.
Segel and Langas declined to provide sales projections, but industry sources speculated the business could bring in upward of $1 million in its first year, depending on the effectiveness of the marketing plan. Part of the plan includes the debut of a video series called My Expression that will tell inspirational or fun stories and is meant to build up Cloud 10 Hair Care’s customers into a community.
Cloud 10 intends to sell primarily direct to consumer, but the business is exploring potential retail options as well. “We’ll have opportunities for retailers who also want to engage in the online questionnaire experience, as well as have some specific products at retail,” Langas said.
Segel and Langas are the cochief executive officers of ProfilePro LLC, a business started in 2014 among a group of former QVC executives (including former QVC vice president of logistics Chuck Pulcini, former QVC president Mike Boyd, former QVC president Doug Briggs, former QVC chief financial officer Bill Costello and former QVC general counsel Neal Grabell). Cloud 10 Hair Care is part of ProfilePro, which also includes HairRX Advanced Hair Care and Profile Pro Home Hair Salon.