The personal touch remained—but now it could happen anywhere
When Malaysia's lockdowns silenced the hum of 16,700 hair salons and displaced 74,500 workers, it exposed how fragile livelihoods built on human touch can be in a world suddenly afraid of proximity. L'Oréal Malaysia, partnering with social commerce enabler AVANA, chose not to wait for normalcy to return — instead building a bridge between the intimacy of the salon chair and the reach of the digital screen. Through WhatsApp orders and Facebook Live Shopping events, salon owners found that the personal relationships at the heart of their trade could survive, and even flourish, beyond four walls. What began as a pilot of eight salons has become a blueprint for how an entire industry might reimagine itself.
- Over 16,700 salons shuttered overnight during Malaysia's lockdowns, erasing RM13.5 billion in annual economic contribution and pushing many owners into bankruptcy.
- The very nature of hair care — intimate, physical, presence-dependent — made traditional digital pivots feel impossible for salon entrepreneurs with no e-commerce experience.
- L'Oréal Malaysia and AVANA stepped in to absorb the technical complexity, letting salon owners sell through WhatsApp and Facebook Live without building a single website.
- The pilot's results were striking: 100 salons generating over RM1 million monthly, with one Muar studio earning tens of thousands of ringgit in a single two-hour livestream.
- L'Oréal is now scaling to 250 salons in 2022, riding a regional wave already cresting in Thailand and Vietnam, where social commerce has overtaken traditional e-commerce entirely.
When Malaysia's movement control orders took effect, the country's salon industry collapsed with startling speed. More than 16,700 registered salons closed, 74,500 workers lost their income, and an industry worth roughly RM13.5 billion annually ground to a halt. Many owners, unable to survive the prolonged closure, fell into bankruptcy. The problem was structural: hair care depends on physical presence, and no amount of digital enthusiasm could replicate a cut or a treatment through a screen.
As restrictions eased, salon owners faced a second crisis — their old model was broken, and the digital world felt technically out of reach. L'Oréal Malaysia, partnering with social commerce enabler AVANA, offered a different path. Rather than asking salon owners to build websites or navigate e-commerce platforms, the initiative let them sell directly through WhatsApp and Facebook Live — tools they already used socially, now repurposed for commerce. L'Oréal handled the technical infrastructure; owners focused on what they knew best: relationships and selling.
The pilot launched with eight salons and grew to roughly 100 by late 2021. Monthly sales across the network exceeded RM1 million. In four months, the five top-performing salons collectively earned RM250,000. Individual stories were equally compelling — a Muar studio earned tens of thousands of ringgit in a single two-hour livestream; a first-time participant in Kuantan crossed RM50,000 in sales. Chief digital officer Edward Ling described the goal plainly: reduce complexity, and digitalize on the salon's behalf.
Encouraged by the results, L'Oréal announced plans to expand to 250 salons in 2022. The move tracks a broader regional shift — in Thailand and Vietnam, social commerce revenue has already surpassed traditional e-commerce, and Malaysia and Indonesia are expected to follow within three to five years. For the salon owners who lived through the lockdowns, the platform is more than a recovery tool. It is proof that the personal touch at the core of their trade can travel further than they ever imagined.
When Malaysia's salons shuttered during the first movement control order, the damage was swift and total. More than 16,700 registered hair salons across the country locked their doors. Seventy-four thousand five hundred workers lost their livelihoods overnight. The industry that typically funneled US$3.2 billion annually into the nation's economy—roughly RM13.5 billion—collapsed almost entirely. Many salon owners, unable to weather the closure, slipped into bankruptcy.
The nature of the work made recovery impossible through traditional channels. Hair styling and treatment require human presence, physical proximity, the kind of intimate contact that a pandemic makes impossible. As restrictions eased and salons began reopening, owners faced a new reality: their old business model was broken, and the digital world felt foreign and technically overwhelming.
L'Oréal Malaysia saw an opening. The company partnered with AVANA, a social commerce enabler, to bring brick-and-mortar salons into the digital economy. The idea was straightforward but powerful: use WhatsApp, Facebook, and other social platforms to let salon owners sell directly to customers without the complexity of building websites or managing traditional e-commerce infrastructure. The pilot launched with eight salons. By December 2021, it had grown to roughly 100 participating locations.
The results surprised even the architects of the program. Salon owners could now livestream product demonstrations on Facebook, collect orders in real time, and maintain the personal relationships that drive trust and repeat business. Customers browsed inventory through WhatsApp and placed orders without leaving their homes. The monthly sales volume across the network exceeded RM1 million. In just four months, the five top-performing L'Oréal Professional salons collectively generated RM250,000 in revenue. Code 88 Hair Studio in Muar pulled in tens of thousands of ringgit in under two hours during a single Facebook Live Shopping event. De Hair Room in Kuantan, trying social commerce for the first time, crossed RM50,000 in sales.
Edward Ling, L'Oréal Malaysia's chief digital officer, framed the initiative as a bridge between worlds. Most salon partners had never digitalized before. Rather than forcing them to master complex technology, L'Oréal handled the technical work and let owners focus on what they knew: selling and building relationships. "We want to reduce the technical complexities," Ling said, "and enable digitalisation of stores on their behalf."
The success convinced L'Oréal to scale aggressively. The company announced plans to expand the program to 250 salons nationwide in 2022. The shift reflected a broader regional trend. In Thailand and Vietnam, social commerce revenue had already surpassed traditional e-commerce sales. Malaysia and Indonesia were expected to follow the same trajectory within three to five years. The pandemic had accelerated a transformation that might otherwise have taken a decade.
For salon owners like Jansen Hau and Angel Yong, the platform represented more than survival. It was a new revenue stream, a way to reach customers beyond the physical salon, a tool to keep people engaged long-term. The personal touch remained—the livestreams, the direct messages, the relationships—but now it could happen anywhere, anytime. The brick-and-mortar world had found its digital twin.
Citações Notáveis
We want to reduce the technical complexities and enable digitalisation of stores on their behalf, thus allowing them to focus on the social selling aspects of their business.— Edward Ling, chief digital officer of L'Oréal Malaysia
This platform has helped generate more online sales via promotions and enabled customers to conveniently purchase products.— Jansen Hau, owner of Code 88 Hair Studio
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did salons struggle so much more than other retail businesses during the lockdowns?
Because the work itself requires touch. You can't cut hair through a screen. You can't apply treatments remotely. The pandemic didn't just close the doors—it made the entire business model impossible.
So social commerce solved that by letting them sell products instead of services?
Partly. But it's more subtle than that. The livestreams and direct messaging kept the relationship alive. Customers still felt connected to their stylist, still trusted their recommendations. The salon owner could sell shampoo or treatment products, but the real value was maintaining that intimacy.
Why did L'Oréal handle the technical side rather than forcing salons to learn it themselves?
Because most salon owners had never digitalized. Asking them to build websites or manage inventory systems would have been overwhelming. By removing that friction, L'Oréal made it possible for them to actually use the platform.
The numbers grew from 8 to 100 salons very quickly. What changed?
Word spread. When other salon owners saw Code 88 Hair Studio making tens of thousands in a single livestream, they wanted in. Success is contagious.
Is this permanent, or will salons go back to their old model once the pandemic ends?
The pandemic didn't create the demand for online shopping—it just accelerated it. These salon owners have now seen they can reach customers beyond their physical location. That's not going away.