RESEARCH


CLOSE ENCOUNTERS O


perators are always keen to mon- itor their customer needs and whether their marketing eff orts are eff ective. Two year’s worth of


data from Coyle Hospitality (see p42) show that there are some key emerging trends con- cerning spa deals and spa-goer preferences.


DEAL OR NO DEAL One of the most interesting parts of The 2010 Global Spa Survey by Coyle Hospitality focused on what type of spa advertisements are the most appealing to customers and what one’s they fi nd off -putting. In light of the eco- nomic downturn, the majority of spa operators have found themselves off ering discounts or special promotions to keep customers com- ing through the doors. In this survey, Coyle presented respondents with six adverts, all of which had the same background image, text size and logo, but contained diff erent off ers. Respondents were then asked to rate each advert from ‘very appealing’ to ‘very unap- pealing’ and to explain the reasons why. T e advert which featured us$25 (€19, £16)


off a spa treatment with no minimum pur- chase requirement was a clear winner, with 91 per cent of respondents fi nding it at least


‘appealing’. T e second most popular advert – with 77 per cent of respondents ranking it in the appealing categories – was off ering a price discount with a minimum purchase, in this case us$25 off any treatment of us$100 (€76, £64) or more. T e other adverts had a mediocre response. T e main reasons the respondents preferred a particular advert over another included:


38 spa business handbook 2011


Two reports delve into the minds of spa consumers


and their buying patterns. We reveal the key trends


■ T ey had a choice of what service to apply


to the discount (24 per cent) ■ T e discount appeared to be large and they


felt they were getting a bargain (21 per cent) ■ The discount offered had no minimum


expenditure (18 per cent) ■ T e free service (with purchase) was some-


thing they could utilise (9 per cent) ■ T e off er contained less words or was sim-


ple/concise (9 per cent) ■ T e off er was straightforward, not compli- cated or convoluted (8 per cent)


T e advert that the respondents disliked the most – with 32 per cent ranking it in the


‘unappealing’ categories – off ered a us$50 (€38, £32) credit towards skincare products when buying a facial. A close runner up was the advert off ering a free brow or lip wax when purchasing a facial; rated in the unappealing categories by 32 per cent of the respondents. T e top reasons for not liking one or more


of the adverts were: ■ T e treatment that was on off er was not


very appealing (17 per cent) ■ T e free product off er was not appealing/


they would feel obliged to purchase the prod- ucts (13 per cent)


■ T e advert was too cluttered, confusing or


had too much text (10 per cent) ■ T e (entry) cost was too high (9 per cent) ■ T e discount was not enough (6 per cent) ■ T e off ering was too limited (6 per cent)


Respondents were also put off deals when


the treatments off ered were too functional and did not promote luxury or relaxation, when there were date restrictions and if they had to spend a minimum amount to qual- ify for the discount. While consumers may want freedom in the type of treatment, pric- ing and timeline of spa deals, it is not feasible to meet all expectations and neither is it good for business. Interestingly, the most ‘appeal- ing’ advert off ered a treatment with no set minimum price or product requirement, yet it didn’t specifi cally off er a relaxation treatment and had a date restriction. T is suggests that giving freedom in one area and not in another can still be eff ective with spa deals.


SPREAD THE WORD Coyle Hospitality’s Spa Sentiment Research Report 2009 also touched upon what infl u- ences customers to come to a spa. Its fi ndings were consistent with a myriad of other surveys, as well as general industry knowledge. For example, the importance of word of mouth in customers’ decision-making was found to be critical: 74 per cent of respondents said this was salient in their selection of a spa. Not surprisingly, the importance of


mediums such as television, radio and news- papers in driving business was lower than word of mouth, with responses at 2 per cent,


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