The three-word phrase “JUST GOOGLE IT” is a micro-statement as to why even dedicated beauty product professionals like me, as well as many salon owners reading this article right now, have broken their own “bronze” rule and done the unthinkable: purchased a beauty product online!
Like most humans, I consult the great and all-knowing overlord Google daily for answers to a plethora of questions and conundrums. I search for super-silly, trivial and even what I like to call “bet-settling” type of stuff. I also rely on our digital life-coach Dr. Google for more serious and complex information. No matter what I ask it, Google is always there 24/7, and always ready with answers to every question imaginable from “Can Chuck Norris divide by zero?” to “What makes a tanning product work?” to “Why is hemp seed oil good for my skin?” The bottom line is that we’ve all been conditioned to expect that any and all information we could ever need is only a click or two away.
It is the disconnect between lotion seller and lotion buyer that forces more and more of your guests to seek product info online.
The sheer magnitude of our instant access to information makes it even more mind-boggling when we physically go shopping at a store and have even our most basic questions met with shrugging shoulders, blank stares and best guesses from sales associates, even very simple routine questions like, “Why does this lotion work?” or “What makes ‘Bronzer A’ better than ‘Bronzer B’?” Far too many times in retail businesses like tanning salons, these types of routine questions are not answered at all or not answered thoroughly enough to generate an informed, confident consumer purchase.
It is the disconnect between lotion seller and lotion buyer that forces more and more of your guests to seek product info online. Most salon owners will point to price as the smoking gun that drives tanners to buy products online, but research shows that it’s the lack of information that drives them to the web in the first place. Once a customer asks Google for information on a specific product, we all know what they get: Ten different suggestions for places to buy it right now in just a couple of clicks.
Fight Back! The best ways to stop your tanners from buying lotions online are:
1. Always remember you have the upper hand because the connection you can create with your guests face-to-face is far more personal than the relationship they have with a digital shopping cart.
2. Give your guests incredibly valuable info on the products you sell as often as you can so they are not tempted to go online to find it themselves.
New talents are required for a new type of customer.
Tanning salons need more than just average retail employees. They need truly dedicated brand ambassadors who help direct every aspect of a guest’s tanning experience. This new breed of salon professional will be like the actual co-creator of the tanners’ experience at your salon. You need beauty product fanatics who love to tailor the perfect product solution for every type of tanner – extremely likable and experts at creating lasting connections with everyone they come in contact with.
Yes, the new breed of employee is not at all intimidated by the new age of information; as a matter fact, they are masters of it and will use it to inspire, delight and educate every customer who walks into your salon. ■
