Do you think professional brands should make product available through high street

[collin]

I see yet another spray tan brand has now launched itself into the general retail channels.

We saw it first with St Tropez and now Fake Bake have just announced they will be retailing their products through Superdrug

No matter which sector you are from do you think that a professional brand should be....well...available through the professional channels only or do you think that it is a good thing that product is also available through general high street retailers.

Do you think that such a move would or could impact on your business??

 

[angelina221]

No i don't!!
I've seen too many people ruin their hair with shop bought products because they are not trained to use them.
I also think it takes custom away from the salons.
It's not just products either.
I was going to start stocking the 'tangle teazer' comb as i thought that clients would love it and would be a good little retail item.
I spoke to the 'tangle teazer' people and got prices and info etc.....then i found out that they were going to be selling them in Sallys!
I decided not to stock them as people are not going to come into a salon when they can just buy it from the high street!
Leave the professional products to the professionals!! :evil:

 

[totalbirdbrain]

Its a difficult one. In some respects its great that the products are 'seen' by more people, however, I think the down side is it detracts from the professional image, negates our hard work and expertise, but my main concern is there is no one there to advise the customer about whats right for them or how to use it. All it takes is for one person to pick up something they think is right for them, have a bad experience/reaction to it. From there that client may decide that the particular range is rubbish and go tell her friends. I have two skincare brands in my salon, one of which is available in certain high end stores and shopping channels and the other is purely prescriptive. It does annoy me but clearly not enough to remove that particular brand from my salon. Yet!

 

[geeg]

I see yet another spray tan brand has now launched itself into the general retail channels.

We saw it first with St Tropez and now Fake Bake have just announced they will be retailing their products through Superdrug

No matter which sector you are from do you think that a professional brand should be....well...available through the professional channels only or do you think that it is a good thing that product is also available through general high street retailers.

Do you think that such a move would or could impact on your business??

Launching pro brands into the consumer sector most often makes shed loads of money for the parent company, but they generally loose out on the professional side in lieu of that decision (but why should they care as they are making more?).

Professionals themselves generally change to another brand when their former pro brand goes 'public' (good news for you and other pro suppliers of tanning solutions, collin) - a brand that supports them and their business. So I don't think the impact on the professional's business is very great.

Another tricky scenario is when the pro supplier of a 'home grown', or private label, brand re-brands the same product under another name and greedily and dishonestly takes the best of both worlds!!

 

[Martin Duffy]

It doesn't particularly bother me. Two of my ranges (St Tropez & Decleor) are available in the high street, but with Decleor there is a big difference between the retail & professional products (which aren't available for consumers).

I sell a lot of Decleor & I don't think the fact it's in a limited number of high street retail outlets affects me as most of my retail isn't from people coming in looking for products but rather add-on sales after treatments; these are two very different markets. Also, I feel that the raised brand awareness, and increased market, more than offsets potential losses & quite often leads people to try in-salon treatments using the range.

 

[geeg]

I feel that the raised brand awareness, and increased market, more than offsets potential losses & quite often leads people to try in-salon treatments using the range.

Interesting .. I don't think seeing anything in a supermarket or highstreet chemist would make me the slightest bit interested in trying it in a salon environment. I can't think that Iam so different to millions of other women.

Maybe you have aksed your clients the specific question ... Have you tried our salon services because of seeing the brand first in a high street store? My client record cards did ask the question "How did you hear of our salon"? The overwhelming answer was, client recommendation/referral/reputation/products used (and these products were not seen in any high street location.

 

[collin]

Launching pro brands into the consumer sector most often makes shed loads of money for the parent company, but they generally loose out on the professional side in lieu of that decision (but why should they care as they are making more?).

Professionals themselves generally change to another brand when their former pro brand goes 'public' (good news for you and other pro suppliers of tanning solutions, collin) - a brand that supports them and their business. So I don't think the impact on the professional's business is very great.

Another tricky scenario is when the pro supplier of a 'home grown', or private label, brand re-brands the same product under another name and greedily and dishonestly takes the best of both worlds!!

I would agree although I guess on the other side of the coin for whomever developed a brand and then manages to take it global...to a certain degree,for their achievement, deserves a pat on the back...the principle of St Tropez sold out for something like £60m so I don't suppose she really cares or gives a dam at the end of the day whilst sitting in her new mansion on some tropical island sipping cocktails all day...and good for her I guess :hug:

As for us mere mortals and in the professional beauty business...im not sure its good for our business if products that draw our customers in are available also cheaper in the high street.

History has proven thus far that those brands that end up on the high street invariably loos professional therapists support and consequential business..

We shall see and only time will tell if this will yet be another case scenario:hug:

 

[Martin Duffy]

Interesting .. I don't think seeing anything in a supermarket or highstreet chemist would make me the slightest bit interested in trying it in a salon environment.

Well it depends upon what type of retail outlet we're talking about as there is a huge point of difference between Tescos & the likes of SpaceNK & upmarket department stores.

Like others I always ask how people have heard of me & putting aside recommendations etc a number of clients have come because they have bought products (or had them bought for them) & loved them enough to have the facial. It happened at the last clinic I worked in when they took on Aromatherapy Associates & it happened to me when I took on Decleor. A lot of the time the client finds it more convenient to purchase at the end of their treatment based on therapist advice rather than make a special trip to a retail outlet where the range is often limited to those for all skin types.

We need only look at the likes of St Tropez as an example of a product that people can both buy from Boots etc & have as a professional treatment; it has raised brand awareness & as we are in an industry where clients are often driven by what they've heard of & seen in the right places this helps immensely in promoting in-salon treatments.

 

[Martin Duffy]

As for us mere mortals and in the professional beauty business...im not sure its good for our business if products that draw our customers in are available also cheaper in the high street.

I see what you're saying but generally speaking there is a difference between what you can buy & what's used in the treatments, even if it's only in the application. I use St Tropez & whilst people buy the mousse etc for home use they don't buy the cream as it's hard to apply & get right yourself & they don't buy the spray tan solution or the machine either, thus a point of difference exists between retail & in-salon.

Also, generally speaking the difference between salon & high-street costs is a matter of a couple of pounds, and for the convenience most will buy at the end of their treatment to take home; they don't want to make a special trip to the shops to save one or two pounds when they can buy it there & then!

 

[Ruthlm]

I don't think so, I think the whole point of it being a proffesional range is that it is used by profesionals, I wouldn't like to go into a salon and have a mani and fort he technician to be using collection 2000, not that I am saying that it's not a good brand....for it's sale targets.....when I am paying for a proffesional service I like to think it's special products, for use of a beter word....not something I could go to my local chemist etc and buy and use myself. There's also the point that withough proper training there are a lot of proffesional products that could cause harm.

 

[Martin Duffy]

I wouldn't like to go into a salon and have a mani and for the technician to be using collection 2000....when I am paying for a proffesional service I like to think it's special products...There's also the point that withough proper training there are a lot of proffesional products that could cause harm.

I think what's being discussed isn't high street brands being used on people, but professional ranges also being sold on the high street. Although even then the range is normally always just a small array of the retail product (normally a does-something-for-everyone product), which isn't necessarily the same as the professional formulation used in the treatments.

 

[-sophisticutz-]

I find it frustrating when salon only products are released into the consumer market.
As an example, I use only Schwartzkopf colours therefore retail the shampoos, conditoners, etc. I do this as they work well at protecting the colour, are good value for money (if used correctly!) and I will only guarantee my colours if my clients use this aftercare system.
However, Schwarzkopf also do a consumer range in Boots, Tesco etc. This product does not even come from the same factories and is a different company altogether and quite frankly, is not a quality product. Trying to explain this to clients is very hard. They see it's 2-3 pounds cheaper and think it will do the job. They don't understand the amount of money the salon only brands get invested in them to protect their colour. They don't seem to want to understand the concentration of a salon only product. They use the consumer one and then the colour strips out!
This is one of the reasons I now include a shampoo and conditioner in my colour service price.
The companies just think of their pocket and not the salons, who I might add make very little profit from their products.
I also don't agree with Joe public being able to walk into Sallys to buy products but that's a whole other arguement!

 

[nixnewcastle]

I think it's a bad thing. I think that putting the professional products in the likes of debenhams raises brand awareness but i think the truly professional products should be left to the professional. I've heard so many people slate st tropez and fake bake who have applied it themselves at home and they've assumed it's the product not how they've applied it.

Also I had a client come in the other day saying she'd bought a huge st tropez set in the sale in superdrug for something like £20 when it was worth way way way more than that. All that does is devalue the brand and salons certainly cant afford to drop their retail prices to that. Infact i really dont know how superdrug managed to sell it at that price unless they bought in a HUGE amount of stock from st tropez and got a good deal.

I love my creative polishes but i wish it was advertised to the general public a bit more in newspapers and such like but not by allowing everyone to have it. Creative are fab like that, they truly are by the professional for the professional

 

[Martin Duffy]

Also I had a client come in the other day saying she'd bought a huge st tropez set in the sale in superdrug for something like £20 when it was worth way way way more than that...salons certainly cant afford to drop their retail prices to that.

That same offer was offered to salons as well because I have it in. They sent a leaflet to the salons offering them the gift sets in packs of three at a low price so that you could sell them at £20 as a christmas gift set. Boots are charging no less than I am in-salon.

 

[geeg]

I think it's a bad thing. I think that putting the professional products in the likes of debenhams raises brand awareness but i think the truly professional products should be left to the professional. I've heard so many people slate st tropez and fake bake who have applied it themselves at home and they've assumed it's the product not how they've applied it.

Also I had a client come in the other day saying she'd bought a huge st tropez set in the sale in superdrug for something like £20 when it was worth way way way more than that. All that does is devalue the brand and salons certainly cant afford to drop their retail prices to that. Infact i really dont know how superdrug managed to sell it at that price unless they bought in a HUGE amount of stock from st tropez and got a good deal.

I love my creative polishes but i wish it was advertised to the general public a bit more in newspapers and such like but not by allowing everyone to have it. Creative are fab like that, they truly are by the professional for the professional

You should have nil problems selling such a fab polish as CND to your clients. Good lord .. it dries faster than any other brand I know of ..gorgeous colours ... fab brush ..vfab bottle ... super pigmented for one coat coverage ... what more does anyone want from a pro polish??? IF YOU can't sell that to your clients then there is a big problem.

 

[nixnewcastle]

That same offer was offered to salons as well because I have it in. They sent a leaflet to the salons offering them the gift sets at a low price so that you could sell them at £20 as a christmas gift set. Boots are charging no less than I am in-salon.

Ah ok thats good then. I thought it was only superdrug that was doing it as i've never heard any of the salons doing an offer like that. Pleased it was offered to everyone

 

[Martin Duffy]

I must say in my experience St Tropez have always been fair like that & I'm always being offered special retail sets & small bulk offers (i.e. buy 6 at a lower price) with the point of sale material, which isn't out of reach for a small salon like mine. Likewise Jessica & Decleor had loads of special christmas sets and I have yet to see them much cheaper than I am offering them in-salon (which is the rrp).

The Decleor ones were beautiful this year (buy the moisturiser & get about £25 of free products in with it) & the Jessica nail polish collections were beautifully presented in midi sizes, some in little light-bulb bottles (search for "social lights" collection) & some in lovely velvet pouches with a free hand serum, nail file etc. If you go to my website & look at the newsletter you'll see a small selection of what I bought in. As a result my christmas retail this year has shot through the roof, the stuff is flying out the door quicker than I can get it in!!!

 

[nixnewcastle]

I must say in my experience St Tropez have always been fair like that & I'm always being offered special retail sets & small bulk offers (i.e. buy 6 at a lower price) with the point of sale material, which isn't out of reach for a small salon like mine. Likewise Jessica & Decleor had loads of special christmas sets and I have yet to see them much cheaper than I am offering them in-salon (which is the rrp).

The Decleor ones were beautiful this year (buy the moisturiser & get about £25 of free products in with it) & the Jessica nail polish collections were beautifully presented in midi sizes, some in little light-bulb bottles (search for "social lights" collection) & some in lovely velvet pouches with a free hand serum, nail file etc. If you go to my website & look at the newsletter you'll see a small selection of what I bought in. As a result my christmas retail this year has shot through the roof, the stuff is flying out the door quicker than I can get it in!!!

Just looked at your website now. The decleor ones look fab! no wonder they're flying out the door

 

[Martin Duffy]

Just looked at your website now. The decleor ones look fab! no wonder they're flying out the door

They look even better in the flesh, but then I'm a sucker for a pretty box & some ribbon!!

 

[bombini]

I have mixed feelings on this subject and am probably well and truly on the fence !

On the one hand I can see that a professional brand can loose recognition if they move to far away from their roots. I was really shocked when I did my Clarins training and was informed that Clarins actually started out as a professional brand. I had always associated them with being a 'counter brand' along with Clinique, Dior etc. I was amazed at all the pro products and treatments they had, I really had no idea they were more than just a retail brand.

I do agree with Martin that it can actually increase brand awareness. When I switched nail ranges to OPI I think just about every new client I have ever had has either seen it on QVC, Magazines or in Boots, Selfridges etc and without even using a single product they loved the range because they have heard of it. I think people often think well if Selfridges are selling it, then it must be good.

I worked with Decleor & Clarins at a hotel spa and we used to sell absolutely loads of it. Most of the clients had a lot of disposable income and couldn't care less if it was a couple of quid cheaper down the road. I suspect they also like the fact they can have a good old natter with the therapist whilst purchasing their products, they can't very well do that in superdrug or boots.