ONGWEDIVA – The sluggish economy continues to wreak havoc on consumer spending as Namibians are forced to do more with less in light of dwindling disposable income. And while a company’s first
line of defence in a recessionary environment is to firstly cut on marketing and advertising, ladies
are also systematically reducing spending on perceived luxuries such as manicures and pedicures. This, in
turn, is hitting nail technicians hard in their pockets to the extent that many now offer unbeatable price
reductions just to lure customers and make ends meet.
For example, at the Four Seasons Salon in Windhoek’s central business district, nail technicians
have reduced their prices from N$150 to N$100 for manicures and the same discount is for pedicures.
Nail technicians have also slashed prices of artificial nail tips from N$250 to N$200.
When asked how they manage to survive after these significant price reductions, nail technicians Saara
Noa and Maicy Ekongo replied that they have to utilise what they have to the best of their abilities.’
Interestingly, demand for nail technicians seems to have escalated in northern Namibia where a young
entrepreneur, Hedwig Angula, decided to open her own nail studio, which she said was fuelled
by demand.
When she developed her passion for nails Angula was a manager at a salon and beauty spa in Ongwediva, where they constantly had to turn away clients because they strictly specialised in gel nails. Today she is the proud owner of the modern Delight Beauty Loft in the town. Angula said she loves her nails being done exceptionally well and always travelled to Windhoek to receive the service she required.
“After some extensive travel to Windhoek, I did some research and realised that the demand was
quite high because everyone else was doing strictly gel,” said Angula.
She added that she chose to do acrylic instead of gel nails because they last longer, the nails don’t
break easily, their shapes are more defined and most importantly, the customers can have the nail shape
they desire. Many of Angula’s customers said they got to know her work through social media updates or by being referred.
“I am really happy with the service. The nails last longer and unlike the gel, they do not fall off
or chip,” Pombili Matsi said. Research has shown that the global nail care market is growing significantly and it is estimated that 85 to 90 percent of women and 10 to 12 percent of men use nail care products across the world. Analysts have forecast that the nail care market size is set to reach US$13.31 million by 2024 from the
current US$8.4 million.