TRENDS NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Elaine Fenard picks out her favourite 2012 spa consumer and business trends and highlights how operators can use them to their advantage
Elaine Fenard, managing partner, Spa Strategy W
e all love to see new trends emerging and each year it’s exciting to discover the latest consumer and spa industry predictions. As spa industry
leaders, we embrace change – frequently considering ways to adapt our spa menus and treatments to keep them fresh and appealing. Trends give us the opportunity to do this in a focused manner. Over the last few years the spa
industry has seen many changes. Yes, some spas have closed and for some it has been diffi cult to retain clients, but in most cases a return to solid business practices has kept heads above water and the indus- try moving forward. Consequently, the focus is far more on the detail in every aspect of the business. Many of this year’s trends – consumer and indus- try – could be termed sensible business practices, and there’s certainly a synergy in both camps creating opportunity on sev- eral levels. The challenge and the goal is in assessing how a specifi c trend can be applied to your operation or development plan to enhance the treatment offering, market penetration and fi nancial picture.
82 spa business handbook 2012
Consumer trends The 2012 Spa Trend Report by SpaFinder, authored by company president Susie Ellis each year, is packed with substantiating facts, making it the perfect starting point to look at consumer trends. We loved all the predictions, but fi ve stood out as being the most benefi cial to spa operators. These fi ve trends can easily fi t into most philoso-
Analysing business trends
provides the opportunity to fi nd operational effi ciencies and increase your margins
phies, promote long-term sustainability and provide opportune marketing and PR tools. These trends and the steps required to bring them to your spa are listed below.
Spa evidence – the
www.spaevidence.com portal aggregates medical studies that exist for 21 common spa/wellness approaches launched in 2011 (see p86). Showing the sci-
ence and benefi ts behind spa services gives operators the opportunity to educate their staff and guests and substantiate claims of health-giving treatments. Whoever you are and however you market your spa, show- ing evidence that the treatments you offer have been proven to provide benefi ts can only help. You may not want to place it at the forefront if your concept is based on fun and relaxation – but there’s no reason why you can’t outline the benefi ts as an added extra.
Wellness and beauty coaching – from health and wellness coaching to fun classes that teach make-up application or eyebrow tweezing; a new approach to spa coaching lends itself to a full scope of seri- ous opportunities to extend a spa’s
service offering and build rapport with the client. This is an opportunity to educate your customers. Education increases your credibility, encourages community and leads to further sales.
Pairing fi ne dining and spa-ing – pack- aging spa services with other offerings has long been considered advantageous,
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