Salon Talk: An Immersive Brand Experience for Social Dry Lounge

Social Dry Lounge (SDL) is a Southern California luxury, full-service hair salon with six locations that offer hair blowouts and professional make-up services. The professionals at Social Dry Lounge aim to make every visit a first-class experience from the moment the customer walks through the doors with comfortable seating, complimentary refreshments, digital entertainment, and professional services. The salon is known for going above and beyond by providing guests with an iPad for personal use throughout their stay. 

For the grand opening of one location, FUSION OF IDEAS partnered with the salon to elevate the brand experience through technology. The back of each iPad used for guests was printed with the salon’s logo along with a stylish silhouette in the background. This imagery was created using tones of white, grey, and blue that match the natural aesthetics of the iPad. 

Additionally, the FUSION OF IDEAS creative team designed a customized digital home and lock screen for the iPads. The devices were also installed with digital content including images of hairstyles offered by the salon, applications that provide users with access to the latest fashion magazines, and social applications like Facebook and Instagram. 

Now used to entertain customers and further enhance the VIP experience Social Dry lounge, these customized devices with digital content are an excellent way to extend an experience into the customers’ hands by providing content that interests both the company and customers. 

How to Increase Workplace Productivity Without Increasing Headcount

Staying competitive in the age of digital transformation means doing more with less. Your organization may not have the available budget for new hires to cover business growth, or you may be dealing with a talent shortage in the areas that you need help with. The good news is that you can increase workplace productivity without increasing your headcount. 

Identify and Address Your Processes

One of the major culprits that slow down productivity may be your workplace processes.

While processes are supposed to help organizations scale up, they are often complex with layers, workplace politics, and interface structures.

When employers can address that pain point by developing streamlined processes, not only can the business dramatically improve the customer experience, it can also increase job satisfaction for its employees. Additionally, you free up time for your employees by creating efficiencies, giving them more room to innovate. A little automation goes a long way. 

Utilize technology

The truth is, staying abreast of technology is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but is vital to compete with the early adopters in your niche.

Go through a complete audit process on your current technology and look for the areas that are most productive as well as the least productive. Get feedback from the users on exactly what would make their jobs easier to do and start looking for platforms that match these requirements. 

Once you have a good sense of your technology needs, have a strategy in place before making software or hardware purchases. Every off-the-shelf software solution does something specific to solve a specific task or process. And it can get complicated quickly when you have multiple software solutions that need to integrate together.

Consider working with an IT consultant to see if developing a custom software solution from the ground up makes better business sense.

Prepare and position for success

You’re making that technology investment to help your employees work smarter. And you’ll be giving them the tools. The third step in the process is making sure they have the know-how to use them.

Make sure you offer the proper training across the company to ensure your employees understand the new processes. Some companies have found that peer-to-peer training keeps employees more engaged and ambitious. Every company will train differently based on its workplace culture. Find that method resonates best with your employees.

To consult with FUSION OF IDEAS’ software development experts on your technology needs, call us at 949-453-0740 or visit https://fusionofideas.com/dev.php.

In the News: Orange County Business Journal’s Excellence in Entrepreneurship

Orange County is filled with visionaries and exemplary entrepreneurs. We are proud to see our CEO, Russ Taylor, nominated for Orange County Business Journal‘s 2020 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award. This is Russ’s second consecutive nomination. 

We look forward to seeing all the nominees and finding out the winners of this year’s award at the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award luncheon on Thursday, March 19.

See the full list of nominees here: https://ocbj.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/ocbj/supplements/EIE-Awards_2020.pdf

Tech Accessories on the Rise

While advanced technology and cool gadgets often take the spotlight, tech accessories – such as wireless chargers, phone accessories and speakers – are growing in the marketplace while quietly improving the lives of mobile device consumers.

The adoption of mobile devices worldwide is driving the global tech accessories market to grow to more than $100M by 2023, according to Research Nester, a leading service provider for strategic market research and consulting. 

The demand for personalization of tech accessories reflects the growth in this product category. Here are three accessory types that FUSION OF IDEAS’ clients are creating brand experiences for.

Wireless chargers 

The vast majority of Americans – 96 percent – now own a mobile device of some kind. Aside from its practicality, wireless chargers are growing in popularity because you don’t have to worry about the possible mess from tangled cords.

L to R: Nimble wireless charging pad, Insigna wireless charger
L to R: Nimble wireless charging pad, Insigna wireless charger
Mophie Dual wireless charging pad
Mophie Dual wireless charging pad

Battery packs

Battery packs give you the freedom to power up on the go. Its shape lends itself to be the perfect canvas to brand it with a company logo or design, adding a touch of personalization to the device.

L to R: Mophie Powerstation universal battery pack, Nimble portable charger, Insigna portable charger
L to R: Mophie Powerstation universal battery pack, Nimble portable charger, Insigna portable charger
PocketJuice Slim Pro portable charger
PocketJuice Slim Pro portable charger

Bluetooth/wireless speakers

Bluetooth and wireless speakers let you bring your favorite music, podcasts and audiobooks with you anywhere you go. Customization takes it up a notch for a unique business gifting experience.  

JBL Charge 4 portable Bluetooth speaker
JBL Charge 4 portable Bluetooth speaker
L to R: Bose Soundlink Revolve speaker, UE Boom 2 speaker
L to R: Bose Soundlink Revolve speaker, UE Boom 2 speaker