Are the Traditional Distribution Channels in our sector in Crisis?
By Max Randi, Director of MdP
Let’s face it: those who today continue to believe that the future of hair & beauty distribution passes only through traditional channels are telling themselves a fairy tale. The acquisition of Capello Point by the e-commerce giant Hair Gallery is a strong signal, almost a slap in the face: digital is no longer the alternative, it is the rule of the game.
Capello Point, with its stores in shopping malls, brings credibility and physical relationships. Hair Gallery adds the firepower of the web: over 10,000 products, optimized logistics, fast delivery. The result? A widespread network that speaks directly to us professionals and consumers, bypassing the slowness and limits of the old distribution models.
So, why does online win?
- Total availability: how many times have you heard the supplier say “next week is coming”? Online is already there.
- Transparent price: you don’t need a thousand negotiations. Clear price list, immediate offers, calculable margins.
- Endless choice: from the professional hair dryer to the latest color treatment, you will find everything. The traditional store, due to space and costs, cannot hold up.
- Speed: one click and the next day the product is in the salon. End of the merry-go-round of calls to the representative who promises you heaven and earth.
- Training and content: large e-commerce companies do not only sell products, but also culture, tutorials, trends. Who brought you this, until yesterday?
The inconvenient truth
The representative who passes by the salon with the briefcase remains nice, but today it is a cost that not all brands can bear anymore. Local distributors are struggling, because they have neither the warehouse strength nor the technology to keep up. It’s hard to admit, but hairdressers who continue to rely only on those channels risk being left behind.
The new pact with professionals
With this operation, Hair Gallery is not only “selling more”: it is redesigning the rules. It wants to be the partner that puts reliable products in your hands, when you need them, without surprises. You are a hairdresser, you are a barber, you are a beautician: you can focus on the customer, not on the anxiety of ordering.
What do we think of MdP?
Traditional channels will not disappear tomorrow, but let’s not delude ourselves: their weight will be reduced more and more. E-commerce is already at the heart of distribution. This acquisition certifies it: the future of the sector is not played out in the old logic of the area, but in the ability to combine physical and digital with the same speed with which you scroll through the Instagram feed today.
Those who don’t understand it will end up like video rental when Netflix arrived.
The vs Max Randi, Director of MdP
