A local female programmer, Thuli Hlongwane, has developed South Africa’s first online booking app called Prim-U, dedicated to providing an Uber-like service for those seeking beauty or wellness treatments countrywide.
Prim-U allows users to connect with salon and spa services to provide manicures, massages or make-up sessions, and caters to both women and men.
Our busy schedules may not always allow us to spoil ourselves with a trip to the nail salon or to get a hair trim, we so desperately need. Prim-U offers an alternative to this by having the treatment being done in the comfort of your own home.
After working in the programming industry for 20 years, for companies like Woolworths and Pearson South Africa, Hlongwane decided to develop her own business.
Hlongwane saw a gap in the market for easy accessible spa services ‘after hours’, and after speaking to employees in the beauty industry, she realized that there was a need for flexibility for beauty therapists and consumers.
The app allows hairstylists, make-up artists, nail technicians and masseuses to connect with consumers who require their services at a time that suits their schedule, either before or after work. The beauticians are able to come to client’s house or business.
The newest mobile app catering to your local beauty therapy needs is: Prim-U. This technology platform connects salon/spa owners with capacity to entrepreneurs/freelancer providers and catering to their demands. Download this app on the Google Play store or on ITunes now. pic.twitter.com/C56sHhwe3e
— Prim U (@Primu_infotech) June 6, 2018
The app aims to give small businesses opportunities to grow in South Africa. The app launched in June 2018 and is available on both iOS and Android services.
Consumers are able to pay for treatments via the credit card service input into the app or cash.
A total of 44 service providers across Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town are currently registered on the app.
Prim-U ensures that all service providers registered with the app are authenticated, Hlongwane shared with Cape Town Etc: “Each applicant is screened before registering on the app”.
Beauty therapists and wellness specialists must have acquired extensive experience and hold a qualification to register as a service provider.
Prices for the service are dependent on the area, travelling costs and the beauticians personal pricing list.
“I hope to connect as many more providers as possible and continue to provide them with the flexibility to work where they want, without being restricted by salon,” Hlongwane told BusinessInsider.
Picture: Pixabay