Nail treatments on the go

Here, de Chazal explains how they're bringing convenience to the modern day woman and a bit about the FoxBox app that launched yesterday.

How did the idea of a mobile nail service come about?

They say some of the best ideas are born over a glass of wine and in our case it's certainly true! At the time, Emma was working full-time as a mother of a newborn baby and I was working full-time as a consultant in a major multinational company. Whilst enjoying our wine, we began complaining about how our busy schedules never allowed us time to ourselves in order to go and get our nails done. We were both saying how amazingly convenient it would be if we could just pick up a phone and have someone send a mobile nail technician to wherever it is we happened to be. We imagined how lovely it would be to have our nails done in the comfort of our own homes. And with this, FoxBox was born.

Describe your typical customer - the one you designed FoxBox for.

The modern day woman! FoxBox caters for women who want the salon experience in the comfort of their home and for women on the move, who have little or no time to get their beauty maintenance done.

FoxBox uses custom-made portable units that serve as clever storage space and double as a fold-out table. Who designed and manufactured these?

When it came time to design a mobile nail bar that would be practical for our girls to use, as well as our clients, we quickly realised there was nothing like this available in the South African market. We use an incredibly talented architect and the owner of Cameron Barnes Furniture to design and manufacture all our beautiful mobile units.

I love the idea of having my nails done at work. What has the response been to date?

We have visited several offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. We have offered our corporate services in companies such as Momentum Employee Benefits, Associated Media, King James and African Gateway (visit the website for testimonials). The response has been incredible! Employees love being pampered at the office, and employers have loved our attention to detail and hassle-free service.

You added 100% natural mani and pedi products to the range. Any particular reason why you developed your own products instead of using ones that are already on the market?

We wanted to make sure we were not just another nail salon and loved the idea of a "holistic" FoxBox service. Everything about our treatments and service is unique to our company, which is why we loved the idea of having our own selection of FoxBox products. We thought it would be a great way to individualise ourselves in the market and make our clients feel like every aspect of their experience with us was "FoxBox".

You provide top quality nail paint to choose from, like Essie, Morgan Taylor, Gelish and Vinylux technology. Why is the perfect finish important to you?

We know that one of the hardest decisions for women is choosing the right colour! We wanted to make sure our clients feel like they have all the best polish brands and colours to choose from.

Being a mobile company, how do you monitor quality control?

We select the best Foxers (nail technicians) to join our team. Passion, perfection and punctuality is our motto! Our Foxers are highly trained professionals that have been through our rigorous FoxBox boot camp to ensure that they deliver the best service, in the most professional manner. We meet with our girls twice a week and chat to our clients regularly for feedback. The app that is launching this month provides the client with an opportunity to rate and give feedback about our Foxers after each treatment so we can ensure the service we provide is of the highest standard.

You're very much in tune with the latest trends. Why did you decide to create an app?

Being a mobile nail service, we thought having a mobile app where you could book your treatment would be awesome! When we launched, we spent a lot of time chatting to our various clients and exploring all the 'barriers' to getting their nails done; one was finding a booking. This app allows the client to book their appointment time without having to call in. We wanted to bring convenience to our clients' fingertips and this we hope will literally do that!

This Women's Month, FoxBox and Woolworths have collaborated to offer a pop-up nail bar at Woolies at the V&A and Cavendish every weekend during August. No appointment necessary.

www.thefoxbox.co.za