Spafinder Survey
SpaFinder, the leading spa and salon marketing and research company, has released the findings of new surveys designed to illuminate how day and resort/hotel spas are performing in the tough economy”as well as which marketing tactics each sector is focusing on to weather the downturn in 2009.
The findings provide hard evidence that despite the ongoing recession, the industry has proven relatively resilient: a majority of day spas (51 percent) actually reported revenue gains in 2008 over 2007 ” and while the resort/hotel category was more impacted (with 54 percent of resort spas reporting revenue declines in 2008), 46 percent still reported gains.
The research also provides the first window into which precise marketing strategies spas are focusing on in 2009, and the findings are clear: the industry will put a significantly increased emphasis on deals/specials and Internet marketing in the year ahead, with traditional advertising (print, TV, and direct marketing) facing significant cuts.
“The spa industry’s ongoing, aggressive focus on deals has been an extremely savvy move, meeting the demand of stressed consumers who need spas more than ever”but only if the price is right,”said Susie Ellis, SpaFinder’s president. “And with marketing budgets under more intense scrutiny, the significantly increased focus on targeted, measurable Internet marketing, rather than traditional media, comes as no surprise.”
Additionally, preliminary ’09 data currently being amassed at SpaFinder Research indicates that day spas should continue to outperform resort/hotel spas across 2009 ” and within the, spa category, urban hotel spas will perform best. Ellis noted, “As more consumers forego travel and seek breaks closer to home, the “daycation” has moved from a trendy buzzword to reality. Urban hotel spas will lead the resort spa category, as they’re uniquely poised to attract the “day spa” consumer. Given recent research that the wider U.S. hotel industry’s revenue-per-room is down 17 percent, we’re finding welcome evidence that a spa component is providing much-needed revenue for hotels–particularly in larger markets.”
