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RESEARCH


companies may want to consider modify- ing their message and programmes. While many spa and hotel marketing images focus on ‘the woman by the pool’, this longing for relationship suggests placing a greater emphasis on group, mother/daughter or reconnecting get-away packages. And, more space designed for lingering in addition to active spa, fitness or dining facilities.


NATURAL BEDFELLOWS Another significant value we picked up on is that people are making a connection between their personal wellbeing and environmental health. Wellbeing and sus- tainability are very compatible categories: natural bedfellows. Seventy-three per cent of the respondents in the 2011 Boomer Val- ues Realignment Study believed there was a “need to live in better harmony with the earth.” Ninety-two per cent preferred less toxic construction and cleaning materials to avoid exposure to carcinogens. Sixty- six per cent were concerned about the air, water and food their families consume and the impact on their health. In fact, when


REPORT METHODOLOGY


Data for the Boomer Values Realignment Study was gathered in September 2011 and based on a random sample of baby boom- ers in the US aged between 45-65 with a minimum household income of US$75,000 (€76,600, £65,650). In total, 1,204 people answered an online survey which covered


Annual household income


US$75,000-100,000 44 % US$100,001-150,000 41 % More than US$150,000 15 %


Age


45-54 46 % 55-65 54 %


350 items including lifestyle, attitudes and values questions; retirement, health and wellness, housing and leisure prefer- ences; and, historical choices and travel patterns. The demographic breakdown of respondents is shown in table. The three companies behind the report were real estate and hospitality consultancy Civano Living, marketing agency Ypartnernship and psychographic research company American LIVES.


Gender


Male 49 % Female 51 %


144 spa business handbook 2013


looking at a scale that measures consumer interest ranging from negative, neutral, leaning or positive, the positive responses for wellness or sustainability overlapped by almost 50 per cent. If we add the neutral and leaning scales to this – people open to some level of wellness or sustainable ideas – the market overlap is closer to 75 per cent. To this end, if you are promoting health and wellness, you should also be thinking sustainably within your company and your product development efforts. While consumers may have different motiva- tions for wellbeing and sustainability, the two can coexist in a business, resort or product placement as the customer has partial or overlapping shared values asso- ciated with them. Yet while the morphing of these two


consumer categories is at a tipping point, the convergence has been evolving for the last 50 years. Today’s spa industry was part of the early nucleus for this change – first through the original European spas and American hot springs and later in the healing centres and health farms of the


50s, 60s and 70s. Furthermore, the genesis of today’s ‘triple bottom line’ – sustainable thinking focused on the social, economic and environmental needs of a business or a society – evolved from a younger baby boomer generation seeing the natural connection or interplay between mind, body and spirit and applying it to commu- nities and nature.


The spa and wellness industry has been


in the middle of this change. But with such a plethora of healing choices how do consum- ers differentiate between them and what does the future of wellness look like?


FUTURE WELLNESS Going forward, it’s hard to imagine a spa or wellness lifestyle company being a leader in the marketplace without also being com- mitted to sustainability. In many instances, spa, wellness and sustainability can be seen as one mega-consumer category, with many outlets from resorts, day spas and preven- tive medical practices to green products, health food stores and fitness centres. This mega-category is all the more pow- erful because it’s rooted in people’s value systems. Having shared values with your customer or having consumer’s iden- tify with your product at a values level will engender greater brand loyalty and strengthen your market position. However, if you use this value proposition to distin- guish your business, it will be important for your company to believe in and act on these values consistently or you risk elicit- ing a feeling of betrayal if they are breached through your customer experience. The market for wellness activities, healthier food and a more sustainable lifestyle has been expanding for years, as has the consumer’s demand for a more complex, authentic wellness experience. After all, an authentic wellness experi-


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