Lifestyle is one of the main focuses of today's generation. While previous generations focused more on long-term ownership such as property and vehicles, today's generation is more interested in experiential consumption.

In his blog, marketing expert Yuswohady explained that the millennial generation are experience-seekers, who prefer things like vacations, eating out, or watching concerts over clothes, shoes, or cars. This generation also prefers to seek happiness through activities that are fun and produce positive emotions. Unlike previous generations who worked for money and status, millennial consumption and work are focused on personal pleasure.

Yuswohady explains through another article that one phenomenon that What is clearly visible in today's generation is "fear of missing out" (FOMO), namely the fear of not enjoying an experience. Well, this then became the trigger for the emergence of various industries that prioritize experience, such as tourism, cafes, entertainment, gadgets, beauty care, and many more.

The shift in focus and market is the basis for thinking patterns and strategies in business that need to change. With the millennial generation getting older and becoming a productive part of Indonesian society, this generation also has the greatest consumption power. Therefore, business people need to proactively adapt the businesses they develop so that they contain elements of experience that can attract this generation. Of course, with types of products and services that are more relevant to millennials' daily lives, businesses are able to gain more significant attention and consumption levels.

One ​​example is the barbershop business, which in recent years has become quite a sexy and tempting business. Not only women, men are also now paying more attention to their appearance. Not just clothes and accessories, other aspects of appearance such as hair are also important. This is a simple example of the importance of today's lifestyle and self-care. By having an attractive and well-maintained appearance, we will also feel satisfied and happy with ourselves.

Bima Putra is one of the entrepreneurs who is keen to observe the consumption phenomenon of millennial society. He is the figure behind Cutbox Hair Studio, a men's barber business that has been established since the 1990s. Even so, Bima now claims that his business is not a barbershop. So, what's the difference between Cutbox and a regular barbershop ?

Not a Barbershop, the Leading Men's Hair Shaving Business in Jakarta is Rebranding

Cutbox Gentleman Hair Studio is not a new player in men's hair shaving. Located in the North Kemang area, South Jakarta, Cutbox has been faithfully providing hair barbering services since 1999. Initially, this men's barber business was founded by Yosi, who is also a senior hair stylist at Cutbox, but is now owned and managed by Bima Putra.

As a business that is more than 20 years old, Cutbox has come a long way. Over the years that have passed, of course there have been various changes that have occurred, so that there may be systems or methods that are outdated and need to be updated again, for example business operations and marketing strategies. As time goes by, market interests and needs will always change. This is where entrepreneurs are required to be able to be sensitive and adapt, as with the recent efforts made by the Cutbox team, namely rebranding.

"Currently, we are rebranding and reconceptualizing this business. It's only been two months now. I came in as one of the owners who brought this new concept," said Bima. This effort aims to revive Cutbox's name as a superior barber service provider.

For businesses that have been around for a long time, rebranding needs to be done at a certain point. With various changes over the years, businesses need to take efforts to maintain their reputation with customers and maintain long-term business sustainability. An article from business.com explains a number of common reasons that drive the process of rebranding in business. One of them is increasing relevance, especially with consumer behavior which is constantly changing. If a brand is unable to develop following these changes, over time the brand can disappear from consumers' attention, or even be defeated by competitor brands.

There are many other reasons that can encourage rebranding in a business, for example the brand is somewhat outdated or does not attract the type of customers targeted in the initial strategy. Looking at the shifting needs of the current generation and market interests that are very likely to occur over time, this strategy will gradually be needed at some point, depending on the season the business is going through. Therefore, there needs to be rejuvenation carried out periodically. The time and frequency of rebranding is also determined based on needs. Entrepreneurs need sensitivity in implementing this strategy, because apart from requiring effort and funds, this strategy is also not as easy as imagined to implement.

Based on experience, Bima himself believes that the rebranding process is more difficult than building a business from scratch. As a business owner, he must match his personal wishes with the wishes of the previous owner. The barbershop business is not free from competition. With the concept he brought, Bima is trying to rejuvenate Cutbox, which has been around for around twenty years.

What did Bima do in this rebranding process?

Bima emphasized that Cutbox is more suitable to be called a hair studio rather than a barbershop. He also believes that many customers who come here don't know what hairstyle they want. With the hair studio strategy implemented, Cutbox's hair stylist will later recommend and create haircuts that are appropriate and match the facial contours of each customer. For a price of IDR 100,000.00, customers will get a haircut based on advice from a hair stylist who is experienced in their field.

Aside from the hair stylist's expertise to help customers who don't have a hair style preference, there are other unique things that can be found at Cutbox. If you have been shaved using a machine, the hair stylist at Cutbox will only serve you using special scissors for more precise and natural results. Cutbox also carries the tagline "Scissors are not machines" as an emphasis on this. Besides that, all the captains at Cutbox are women, which can be said to be a special attraction for male customers as Cutbox's main target.

"We are really unique, here we don't use machines. We only use one type of scissors that we custom ourselves, not sasak scissors. We also have our own method; the method is like carving," said Bima.

Behind the Cutbox method which does not use a machine, they want to educate customers that Asian heads are not suitable for shaving using a machine. According to Bima, the average height of an Asian person's head from the jaw to the top is 14 cm and is convex on the right and left sides. This is different from the head height of Westerners, or often called Caucasians, which can reach 18 cm. When shaved using a machine, the results will be too stiff and not look natural, so using scissors is considered the most appropriate to give a more natural appearance.

From the journey of rebranding the men's barber business, we can see that Bima is trying to present a story that can become an attraction to support the Cutbox Hair Studio brand. The narrative that is clearly displayed through the main services offered at Cutbox makes this barber studio different and stand out amidst the competition from other hair barber businesses. The Brand carried by Bima and his team was expressed confidently and proudly. When this can be carried out consistently, the rebranding strategy is able to maintain relevance and produce a positive impact on the barber business amidst market competition.

In its efforts to rebrand and revive the Cutbox name, Bima has also turned to technology as an effort to produce a more effective operational system and increase relevance with today's customers. Technology has become a mainstay for businesses in various aspects of management in order to provide a much more comfortable, organized and efficient customer experience.

One ​​of them is the implementation of the Qasir application.

As an effort to facilitate transactions, Bima decided to adopt a point of sales (POS) system in its business units. He decided to use Qasir based on reviews from users on the Google Play application. He also chose to use Qasir during the two months the rebranding process was going on because it was easy to use using a smartphone.

The result? "After running for a week, it turns out that Qasir can be operated very smoothly. This application is very helpful because it's free, so it can help me reduce my budget," said Bima. Not only was he successful in boosting Cutbox's reputation in the eyes of customers, Bima was also able to get very practical business solutions.

It's not just barbershop businesses that can experience new comfort in doing business. Whatever the form and type of business that is being developed, whether you are just starting out or are currently rebranding, you can feel it. With Qasir, it will be easy for you to become an optimistic businessman and be able to make your business bear sweet fruit and become increasingly popular.

What are you waiting for, BossQ?