Vaniday app starts Asia foray

Beauty salon booking app Vaniday, backed by eCommerce giant Rocket Internet – the company behind fashion eTailer Zalora – has launched its first Asian platform in Singapore.

Following in the footsteps of five other countries, the app now covers the city Vaniday co-founder and MD Robinson Blanckaert calls home.
“Singapore is not that small actually,” says Blanckaert. “We have the most active spa-going population across the globe with more than 18,000 beauty salons.”

With more than 800 salons signed up to the app, users can compare and review services as well as book appointments. Beauty businesses can use the app to manage staffing, appointment-making and invoicing through Vaniday’s free software.

“From the launch in each country, we’ve learnt a lot of lessons. Now, for example, we send a professional photographer to every salon so each business benefits from professional images.”

Vaniday has reportedly raised €15 million ($16.29 million) in funding.

Meanwhile, AsiaOne says due diligence before stepping into a salon is worthwhile given that theConsumers Association of Singapore (Case) receives a sizeable number of complaints about spas and beauty-related businesses – almost 2000 cases of negative feedback were lodged in 2014 – and there has been an increase in complaints about unsubstantiated claims by beauty industry advertisements last year.

In a parallel development, Case has signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop anaccreditation scheme for the hair and cosmetology industry in Singapore, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Hair & Cosmetology Association Singapore (HACOS).