Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1263242
find your dream career! ascpskincare.com/career-toolkits 15 beautybuzz INDUSTRY NEWS Engaging Ideas Adjustments esties can make to keep thriving TOO MANY RETURNS? An inevitable side effect of retail sales is product returns, but if you are experiencing anything greater than a five percent return rate, esthetician and beauty writer Elizabeth Donat offers the following advice to get back on track: • Review your return policy. Do you have a written product return policy? It's important to be transparent about your procedures for handling returns and exchanges at your business. It's also important to set a time limit for returns. • Avoid conflicting advice. As much as it's great to offer retail products, it's important that the client is not receiving conflicting or inconsistent advice. It's best for the esthetician who is physically touching the client's skin to offer retail recommendations. • Position yourself as the expert. In this day and age, clients have a lot of skin care information coming at them. Be sure to let your clients know you are a licensed expert with the experience, expertise, and product training to best make product recommendations for them. • Manage client expectations. Tell clients exactly how long you think it will take for them to see real results. If you give them visuals and manage their expectations, you can expect far less product returns. • Track retail purchases and returns. Use software that tracks your clients' retail purchases, what they've sampled, and what they return—and be sure to take these metrics seriously. This is a great way to remind clients to repurchase their skin care from you too. • Know your vendor policies. You need to know what your vendors will do for you to take care of client returns. Be sure they have clear return policies. You should be able to return product to vendors without hassle or extra cost to you. The fastest rise in engagement with all probiotic products, according to Lumina Intelligence data, is online engagement with probiotic cosmetics. This sector rose 450 percent from 2018 to January 2020, and according to Ewa Hudson, director of insights at Lumina Intelligence, the continued success and traction of probiotics within the beauty industry will rely heavily on online consumer engagements— particularly reviews on social media in today's digital era. Hudson identifies Gen Z (23 years and under) as an important demographic for the future of probiotics in the beauty space because these consumers grew up online, which dictates the way they research, their buying patterns, and the value they place on beauty products—all of which they're more than willing to share with their online community. Future business success, Hudson says, will rely on building authentic rapport with consumers. "This movement of business to consumers [will become] increasingly important in the future." The International Spa Association postponed its 30th Anniversary ISPA Conference and Expo to May 10–12, 2021. The event will be held in Phoenix, Arizona. Originally slated for October of this year, ISPA President Lynne McNees broke the news to the ISPA community. "Over time, we are faced with a multitude of challenges and adventures in life, and COVID-19 is one that has led us and our industry to pause, breathe, and reset," she shares. "ISPA's main priority continues to be providing resources that will help you tackle each new phase as the economic and health landscape evolves in the weeks ahead." Learn more at www.attendispa.com. The Key to Probiotics in Beauty New Dates for ISPA