So that’s it. Unbelievably, summer is over for another year. Whilst it was hardly a sizzler – to which I can only say “thank goodness” after the scorcher that was the summer of 2018 – it got the professional sector of the tanning industry back to business as usual, and that’s good news for us all!
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For some time now, we have been busy planning new launches and initiatives for 2020, as the focussed professional operator always appreciates and indeed is looking for something new to take to their customer base and quite right, too! We know that operators are increasingly looking to deliver a customer experience which starts even before they set foot through the salon door. And as much as this provides an opportunity for the operator to engage and develop a relationship with their customer base, there’s no doubt it affords good suppliers the opportunity to enhance their profiles and relationships with their customers, as well.
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Walking into a professional tanning salon today is an experience a million miles away from yester-year.
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These relationships – between supplier, operator and end-user – are, perhaps, even more important now than they have ever been. Within the UK and Europe, we continue to face attempts to challenge our industry’s professionalism and validity. These attempts represent a distraction at best; at worst, they attract the media attention and in particular, what we colloquially refer to as the “gutter press.” Such outlets are always on the lookout for sensationalism and of late, I have been quite literally flabbergasted by some of the disingenuous case stories they have presented. Of course, these are challenged through the appropriate channels, but it is inevitably after the event and consequently, that’s not always good for business throughout the supply chain.
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But then, there are occasions when my faith in our media is somewhat restored. I recently participated in a live TV interview on a BBC news programme with representatives from the anti-sunbed lobby. To say our industry came out on top, I would suggest, is an understatement. And I hasten to add that I am not crowing about my own performance. It was more to do with the responses and attitude of an interviewee from “the other side.” Quite frankly, I was a little nervous before the interview – I usually am with TV – but I very quickly settled and came away thinking that was a definite 1-0 to us, as “their” soundbites fell apart under scrutiny. The very generous emails and calls I received subsequently suggest the score-line should be even higher in our favour as a result of a few “own-goals” from the opposition.
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And then, it’s another day. Tomorrow is the day we worried about yesterday, and today is all okay. I find this moment in time very interesting and rewarding, as I observe how our industry is evolving; not just in terms of professionalism which is of course, fantastic, but perhaps as a result of this enhanced professionalism, I see the growth in operators’ confidence in all aspects of their own businesses, from single sites through to chains. Walking into a professional tanning salon today is an experience a million miles away from yester-year. And that’s good news – but not for our opponents. So, I would say that’s definitely 2-0 to us now!
