Monday, 08 December 2008 12:00

Creating the Ideal Retail Mix - December 2008

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by Melinda Minton

Selling retail is an essential part of a well run spa. This is true not only because the additional revenue is so crucial to a spa's bottom line, but also because prescriptive home care is the necessary second step to the professional care given to a client in the spa. While mastering the retail sale can be difficult from a team or individual perspective, there are methods for making your spa’s retail routine hum.

 

 

Your Spa's Style

Oftentimes spas try to sell a bit of everything in an attempt to accommodate everyone. This can be a fatal error. The more fragmented your retail mix the more clients and staff will be confused. There must be a driving force behind your spa philosophy. Are you primarily a spa focused in on medical skin care, contouring services, water therapies, or all organic non-ablative therapies? Before you can determine the best retail mix for your spa, you really need to dig deep and understand your theme, focus, and primary therapeutic offerings. Moreover, remember that if you can’t get the product on them in the treatment room—there is a much smaller chance that the client will be taking the product home with them for further use when not at the spa. Integrating the treatment experience with the retail experience is crucial. When determining your retail mix, be cognizant of your client. Do you primarily offer clinical services or is your treatment mix somewhat more “fluffy” or gift-oriented?

 

The Mix

Consumers will frequent your spa for a variety of reasons. Their tastes are as diverse as snowflakes are unique. Neatly offering a cohesive blend of well known brands, signature label, gifts, and sundries will fill the appetites of those spa-goers requesting a variety of offerings both for themselves and others. The Brand Approach- A well known brand is excellent for attracting walk-by would be customers, creating a trusted and legitimate presence for the new client or reluctant spa-goer. By prominently displaying a recognizable line in the front window, walk-in clients are more apt to drop by to pick up product or to make an appointment for a brand-related aesthetic treatment. Allowing some brands to infiltrate your spa allows for the timid or unsure group of spa-goers to reach their comfort level by requesting a well known, classic service featuring that brand. In other words, they want the McDonalds’ security that every facial, massage, and spa service in between will meet their expectations. They want to know what to expect with no surprises. Furthermore, brands can assist a spa with merchandising, training, samples, and co-op advertising. Additionally, some consumers strongly prefer branded products while others will only purchase a particular brand of choice that they have used over a period of time.
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