Sam co-owns Sam’s Barbers, a chain of barber shops dotted around Dublin city and suburbs, with his brother James, both fourth generation barbers who are dedicated to keeping the skill alive. In their bid to evolve and grow their business, the brothers stepped away from the day job to invest in the company and start focusing on quality over quantity.
“We wanted to be better than cheap haircuts, so we decided to start working on the business rather than in the business,” explains Sam.
Likening his role as barber to that of a therapist, Sam knows his customers extremely well and it was this insight that led him and his brother to make some stand-out changes in their business model.
Perhaps the smartest decision they made was introducing card-only payments at their city centre locations, turning their salons into cashless shops and transforming the way they do business.
While it may come as a surprise for one of the oldest trades in town to go completely cashless, the clever move enhanced efficiencies by enabling frictionless payments, allowing experienced craft barbers to spend less time on the till and more time on the floor.
The move also increased security, offered improved convenience for staff and customers, simplified accountancy procedures and saved on costs involved with lodging money in the bank.
According to Sam, this new business model would not have been possible without the help of Visa and its partners, who were able to help the predominantly cash business embrace new technology and introduce card-only payments.
By spending more time on the shop floor, we are able to give our customers our undivided attention
“They went out of their way to make this work for us and helped us make everything seamless,” Sam recounts.
“As one of the few trades left that works on the human body, we hold our traditional values close to our hearts, but at the same time we’ve totally embraced technology,” Sam explains.
In fact, embracing new technology has allowed Sam and his team to be even more true to their tradition, enhancing the experience for their customers.
“By spending more time on the shop floor, we are able to give our customers our undivided attention, providing a customer experience that more closely resembles the barbershop of the olden days where men would come in and chew the fat on anything from the books they are reading to more serious issues like work stress and mental health,” says Sam.
Sam’s commitment to his customers is not only evident in his desire for excellent customer service but also in the role he plays in the local community.
“We’ve always been heavily involved in the communities we’re based in. Just like in the movies, a local barber shop will always be at the heart of the community,” Sam explains.
Being at the heart of the community is why Sam’s Barbers was chosen to feature in Visa’s ‘Where You Shop Matters’ Christmas advertising campaign, which aims to encourage more people to shop in their community over the festive season and beyond. The TV advert features a number of Irish businesses including Sam’s Barbers, Ennis Butchers and Frame, singing Queen’s Somebody to Love in a rallying cry to Irish shoppers to switch their focus from what they are buying to where they are buying, and show their local retailers some love.
I'm proud to be part of this generation that's old enough to value the tradition of the trade and young enough to embrace this change
From saving the day with the perfect Christmas Eve gift to knowing generations of customers, local independent retailers provide a shopping experience that is completely unique to them. By shopping locally this Christmas, shoppers have the opportunity to support small family-run businesses, while soaking up the festive atmosphere in the communities they know so well.
With more independent retailers than ever before now accepting card and contactless payments, shoppers also have the added benefit of more choice when it comes to ways to pay, providing a shopping experience that is not only unique, but convenient. Customers can also pay with confidence with Visa, knowing their card is protected if it’s lost, stolen or fraudulently used.
It's this kind of trust in service that creates long lasting success for local retailers. A sign of this long lasting success for Sam’s Barbers is the decision to release a product range, Pomp & Co, which is now exported to 50 countries around the world.
When Sam started out in the family business 30 years ago, he never imagined he would be travelling the world doing demonstrations, promoting his own product range and running cashless stores, and he is excited for what the future holds.
“I’m proud to be part of this generation that’s old enough to value the tradition of the trade and young enough to embrace this change,” Sam highlights.
With seven barber shops, over 40 members of staff and further expansion planned, the future looks bright for Sam and his team.
“2020 is going to be an interesting year but that doesn’t mean we ever forget who we are. We’re barbers and it’s all about the customer service.”
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