“ PEOPLE DON ’ T CARE WHAT YOU DO , they care why you do it .” Using that philosophy from Simon Sinek , this panel of experts from Trilogy Spa Holdings shared important tips to help spas make their retail spaces more personal and meaningful and to create curiosity with their displays .

“ Every spa should have a ‘ hot spot ’ when you first walk in — an area that demands your attention , makes you stop and find out more ,” Ingrid Middaugh advised . She also shared the value of knowing your competition . Her location in Vail , Colorado , is within a block of hundreds of shops in a major shopping area . “ I go to every one of the spas in my area to see what they ’ re selling . I look at what ’ s on sale — what ’ s not selling for them — so I ’ m not going to carry them because they ’ re not working ,” Ingrid

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What are your guests doing while staying with you ? What is their lifestyle ? What are the top five selling products each month ? Do treatment prices align with the products you are selling in retail ? Can the products being used in treatments and offered in retail solve a problem or concern guests frequently have ? Are you inspired by the retail collection ?

said . “ We have to keep our focus on What is wellness ? and What is the theme of our spa ?

Regina Miller identified a tendency of retail team members to use industry terminology without explaining the value to customer . “ Play the So what ? game ,” she suggested . “ Don ’ t just regurgitate product label info when talking with customers — tell them why it matters .”

Tiffany Willie agrees a great team is crucial to creating a customer-friendly retail experience . “ Find team members who are excited about retail ,” she said , “ who want to provide exceptional customer service but also to create some excitement .”

Regina urged against overwhelming clients with too many products — suggesting spa leaders limit both the number of product lines and the amount of each product on display . Carrie Ummel agreed : “ We all know if we have something on the counter it will sell . But we also have to balance that with not crowding the counter , to continue that ‘ Zen ’ experience for guests .” n

PANELISTS ( FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ) REGINA MILLER , TIFFANY WILLIE , INGRID MIDDAUGH AND CARRIE UMMEL

EDITOR ’ S NOTE : Scot T . Gillies , executive editor at ISPA , sat in on this panel presentation and and chose the above highlight to share .

JULY 2023 n PULSE 33