Is there anything quite as stressful as juggling appointments between work and social commitments, making time for yourself amidst the hurly-burly of a 9-to-5?
Let’s face it – being a modern woman isn’t easy; everybody wants a piece of your time and you can find yourself left without a spare minute to sort out those unruly eyebrows, split ends, or the stubble on your calves that’s stopping you from wearing the skirt suit you pressed just last night: because looking a certain way makes you feel good. Or perhaps you find yourself on the other side of town with just enough time for a good foot rub before dinner, and you have no idea which salons in the area offer just that. Either way, the ability to eke out time for this in our busy schedules is no mean feat.
This is where Mecapan comes in. Their two apps, Mecapan and Mecapan for Business, interlink seamlessly to offer a one-stop solution that connects the countless beauty treatment providers with the women that need them, allowing easy access to beauty services and making scheduling a breeze. Letting users filter by location, schedules, unique needs and, of course, budget before connecting to vendors, their apps form for a no-fuss, no-mess organisational dream.
Launching first in Indonesia, Mecapan is a uniquely feminist and egalitarian product in that it uplifts the beauty treatment space, filled with majority female and small business owners, – with women from all walks of life for their various cosmetic needs. By connecting these businesswomen with their customer base, Mecapan effectively streamlines a system that has benefits on both sides.
The market, too, agrees that Mecapan is sure to be a hit. A recent survey of over 200 Indonesian women found that despite visiting the beauty salon being a ‘favourite’ pastime, many only had the time to go just once a month – almost exclusively during the weekend. Factors that came into play when choosing a salon included price, location, and the waiting list – all things that Mecapan have considered for users, allowing them to focus on other things.
Mecapan’s entrance into the market perfectly complements the growing beauty industry in Indonesia. Reuters reports that ‘millions of young Indonesians’ are fans of various skincare and cosmetic products, spending up to US$150 each month on beauty-related goods. A large middle-class consumer base saw retail sales from L’Oreal and Unilever surge by over 20% in 2012 as cosmetics and soaps became less of a treat and more of a staple. Even in economic lulls, Indonesian women continue to buy beauty products. Five years ago, the male cosmetic industry was described as ‘a blue ocean’– and it has shown no signs of stopping. Muslim-friendly spas have become increasingly common, and the Nielsen-conducted EuroMonitor Beauty Market Survey valued the beauty industry in Indonesia at $2.7bil in 2016, up a whopping 12% from the previous year.
Currently, the market is still anyone’s game; small local brands are entering the market, and the big boys like Unilever are experiencing slightly slower growth because of this fierce competition. Halal licensing is becoming more common, as is the rollout of new, improved products.
Responding to this magnificent demand is Mecapan, who have already onboarded 400 vendors during their development phase and surveyed a market sample of 750 women to find that 90% of their market are happily awaiting a mobile app solution to manage their beauty services. Their next step is to launch its equity crowdfunding campaign on AtaPlus, through which it aims to raise RM300,000 to support its growth.
Founded and run by a team of five young Indonesians from various backgrounds including marketing and software engineering, Mecapan’s simple and easy-to-use app streamlines the process of finding a beauty service provider, allowing users to tap into its large network, manage their time efficiently, and save money to boot.
The app is to be rolled out in Greater Jakarta, which is home to 16 million women and over 100,000 beauty salons. The market valuation of the beauty industry in that area is US$10.6 bil on its own, and Mecapan is targeting 14,525 transactions in its first three months after launch. It will monetise these efforts by way of booking fees, revenue shares, and eventual advertising charges and business consultations.
If all goes well, Mecapan anticipates a profit of RM10 mil within the first three years and at least two million users – and it is bound to go well. Mecapan fits perfectly into the gaps in the industry, being comprehensive, user-friendly, as well as empowering women entrepreneurs – and we think that’s totally on fleek.
You can get the details of Mecapan’s equity crowdfunding campaign here, or learn more about them through their website.
