Sold out by Shopping Channels!

[Student Newbie]

Hi, I was just wondering how you feel about cosmetic companies selling their products on QVC etc. I'm just a lowly student, so I've got it all to come, but a friend of mine who set up a salon a few years ago took the plunge with a skincare range that wasn't very well known at the time. However, she felt it was a right kick in the teeth when a few months down the line her clients where able to buy the products at discount prices on QVC. Said company also now sell on their own website. Doesn't this annoy you as therapists with your own salons?

 

[gillian w]

Well i would be a hipocrite if i said i totally disagree with it because i have probably bought all the makes on there when they do a todays special value because of course it is excellent value and they are salon brands.
At the end of the day everything can be bought somewhere with no real exceptions with or without the companies approval.

 

[Martin Duffy]

I use Decleor, which is sold on QVC, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Firstly it raises brand awareness, which helps, especially as Fiona from Decleor is on the show & does a fantastic job of promoting the brand & the products. Secondly, I have found that the kind of people who buy off the internet & QVC are an entirely different market to the type I sell to in the clinic & who come in for facials with me. It has certainly never affected my retail sales, which are high. Also, only certain items from the range are sold through QVC, it's not the same as being able to go into a salon get a skincare consultation & then purchase those particular products.

 

[gillian w]

This is exactly it Martin.If you are a high end salon which you would be using Decleor,Elemis etc your regular clients will buy off you because they can afford to and they are not going to be trawling through websites and watching shopping channels.Also its the whole experience of having something prescribed to you which is where a therapists knowledge and sales skills kick in and we should really be able to retail,im dreadful at it but it should all be part of the job if you are happy and confident with your products.