We asked, you answered! Here are some of the findings from the 2016 Professional Beauty Industry Survey. Read up; you could be surprised by some of the results!
Who you are…
Primarily, you are a beauty therapist (44 per cent) and a business owner (40 per cent) or manager (10 per cent). A further ten percent of you are dermal therapists and paramedical therapists, which shows the diversity of our growing industry. Buit most importantly, you are almost all (93 per cent) DECISION MAKERS when it comes to purchasing and your salon’s business direction.
Where you work…
Nearly 30 per cent (28 per cent) of you have your business based in an at-home salon, showing that at-home salons are still very much an important part of our industry. Traditional salons are still strong with 25 per cent of you stating that you work in a high street salon. 17 per cent of you work in a hairdressing and beauty set-up, while just over 10 per cent work in a medical skin clinic.
What you care about…
We asked you which areas of your business you want to improve expand upon in the next 12 months. A whopping 58 per cent of you said skincare is your primary focus. Training is also a top priority with 60 per cent of you saying you want to focus on training up yourself and your staff. Coming in at third is equipment with half of you saying it’s a focus for 2017, which, again, goes to show just how our industry is keen to move with these technological times. Cosmeceuticals (37 per cent), makeup (35 per cent) and waxing (30 per cent) were also a big focus for salons.
How’s business..?
On the whole, business is good. In the retail sphere, 45 per cent of you have experienced stable retail sales over the past twelve months, while 23 per cent have enjoyed an increase over the past year. A respectable 8 per cent of you have had significant gains, while 13 per cent have suffered a decrease.
When it comes to treatments, 37 per cent of you have experienced a slight increase, while 36 per cent have seen things staying steady. A healthy 13 per cent have enjoyed an increase in treatment sales, while 11 per cent have suffered a decrease in your treatment sales.
Who you work with…
Here is some good news. In terms of staff, things are good and your staff numbers are stable. 70 per cent of you say your staff numbers have remained the same. For those whose business is on the rise, 8 per cent have had a significant year of hires, while 11 per cent have increases somewhat. Only 11 percent of you over all have suffered staff cuts.
What you focus on…
Traditional skincare still reigns supreme with 28 per cent of you seeing it as the biggest area of growth. Showing that you also want to move with the times, you see the next two areas of growth as: machine based treatments at 25 per cent and cosmetic injectables at 23 per cent. Waxing comes in at 16 per cent, manicures and pedicures at 13 per cent, massage at 9 per cent and tanning at 5 per cent.
Your challenges…
You’re biggest challenge is attracting new clients, with 37 per cent of you stating it as a concern. Marketing is also an issue at 16 per cent, while staffing and pricing were both ear-marked as a worry at 14 per cent a piece.
What you’re reading…
Here’s our moment to toot our own trumpet because over a quarter (27 per cent) of you are sitting down and poring over Professional Beauty’s magazine pages for over an hour. A quarter of you are spending up to an hour, while 33 per cent are spending half an hour reading all about all the exciting updates going on in the beauty business.
The good news is that you’re taking note of what you’re reading. Nearly 90 per cent of you have followed advice from an article in Professional Beauty and well over half (60 per cent) of you say that Professional Beauty is either indispensable or a very useful educational resource for your salon business.