(Yicai Global) Sept. 26 -- Some 100 hairdressing and beauty brands have united to form an industry alliance that will allow customers to enjoy services and discounts of allied stores through one specially-developed platform without the need for prepaid cards at individual stores, Beijing Business Daily reported on Sept. 25.

The brands are certified by Beijing Hairdressing & Beauty Association (BHBA), and stores under the brands will be included in an app named Beijing e-Beauty Service, said Chen Guiqin, president of the BHBA.

BHBA will run the app after developing it with support from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce. It will adopt an 'online booking, offline service' format. Consumers will be able to enjoy discounts from the stores after registering for the service and booking a service. They won't need to apply for membership cards at each of the individual stores.

China's membership system and prepaid consumption model in the hairdressing and beauty industry has long been criticized. 'Beauty packages' are not only a consumption highlight, but also a focus of complaints. Salons usually give larger discounts to customers who prepay more, and recommend they buy products in exchange for free services. The model has attracted consumers with its price advantage, but is somewhat of a customer trap.

All the stores on the platform are registered with the BHBA. Users will be able to review their experiences on the app and affect salon ratings, which are determined by the government, the BHBA and customers.