Nailing it in China: Spike in demand for apps and DIY devices for beauty at one’s fingertips
China’s nail related market has more than doubled in size within three years, and the recent pandemic has also brought about an increase in users who do their own nail care at home. Players are launching new apps and AI-driven nail printers to tap this trend.
According to Chinese research firm iResearch, the nail market in China grew from 58 billion yuan (US$8 billion) in 2014 to over double that amount up to 120 billion yuan (US$17 billion) by 2017. Besides, as of 2017, the number of nail salons in the country has increased to over 270,000.
Various apps also exist to meet the needs of the market. Particularly large userbases have been captured by the client-manicurist matching app Helijia and the social media-style e-commerce app Meijiabang.
Helijia, a matching app launched in 2014 that connects nail technicians with customers looking for professionals to come to their homes to perform nail services, has over 10 million users.
Upon launching the app, you’re presented with a clear list of nail courses, prices, and manicurists, along with photos of sample nail designs. You can also see other users’ comments on course content, manicurist star ratings, and possible booking times, as well as pages representing stores to which technicians belong to. The app handles the whole process from booking a timeslot to making advance payments for services.
The types of services handled by the app are currently growing. Along with nail work, there’s now also makeup work, hair styling, and minor cosmetics surgeries. Plus, in addition to organizing dispatch services, the app can also take bookings for in-store services and even has online shopping features.
On the other hand, Meijiabang is currently growing in popularity as a social media-style e-commerce app targeting those working in the nail industry, including nail salon managers and manicurists. The posts by the many users of the app include pictures showing off their nail works and notifications about online classes. As well as being a noticeboard for job ads and job-hunting information, there are also how-to videos featuring teachers from Meijiabang’s nail schools and pages that introduce the curriculum. The app also sells tools such as nail enamel, nail stickers, brushes, and lamps, and according to iResearch’s data, 26.5% of people in the nail industry are procuring such equipment through Meijiabang.
We’re also starting to see technology change the very way nail treatment is performed.
In May 2019, Shenzhen Danya Technology, a subsidiary of SUNVALLEY, released an AI-driven nail printer under the beauty brand Anjou Nails. Development took two years with an investment of 47 million yuan (US$6.6 million). The product performs positioning using grating (a technique of separating the various wavelengths in light) along with an algorithm to realize nail printing that is more precise and fits more accurately to the nail.
The machine is targeted towards stores, including salons, and focuses on high-speed printing that leads to shorter nail treatment times — indeed, it only takes 40 seconds for the AI to distinguish the outline of a nail and complete the work on one finger. Using the app that was developed alongside the printer, a variety of nail patterns can be virtually reproduced onto a person’s photographed nail using AR technology. Once users confirm the design and decide on which nail, printing can be performed in a snap.
The nail printer is sold for 4,580 yuan (US$665) through e-commerce platform Taobao, and within less than 6 months after its release 1,000 units were sold. It’s also been announced that a version of the machine for general consumers will soon be released.
During February and March in China, when the coronavirus outbreak was at its peak, the long-term closures of nail salons led to an increase in people doing their nails by themselves at home. As a result of this, certain products such as gel nail lamps saw sales of between 30,000 and 40,000 units within a month. In addition, February sales of manicure goods on Tmall saw a 179% increase over the previous year’s February, according to KANTAR.
It’s anticipated that if the nail-related apps can continue to get more advanced and high-performance nail machines continue to become more compact, cheaper, and easier to use as home appliances, the demand for DIY nail treatment will increase much further.
Text: Ching Li Tor
Original text (Japanese): Team Roboteer
