A Little Bit About You

As a reader-driven publication, Skin Inc. magazine always is looking for new ways to better serve its audience. To help us do this, we recently enlisted the services of Readex Research, a nationally recognized independent company located in Stillwater, Minnesota, with expertise in survey research for the magazine and publishing industry. Its findings did not surprise me; in fact, they provided confirmation of the strong reader base that has been supporting Skin Inc. magazine for years. Here are a few of the main survey highlights.

  • Many of you fulfill multiple roles within your facilities—you function as the spa manager, but also assume other important duties.
  • On average, 70% of your spa revenues came from services, while 26% came from retail sales during the most recent fiscal year.
  • Seasonality is not a factor for you in regard to product expenditures. The majority of respondents, 67%, indicated that purchases occur year-round.
  • Expos and trade shows, 66%, and industry publications, 59%, are the most common information sources you reference when making buying decisions. The majority of owners/presidents or spa directors/managers use industry publications as their key information resource.
  • Seventy-nine percent of you plan to attend at least one trade show within the next 12 months. We’d love that one show to be Face & Body Spa & Healthy Aging Conference and Expo. For more information, please see page 38 of this issue.
  • Continuing education is a given for our readership. You are a smart group, and you thoroughly understand its importance for continued business and personal growth.
  • Copies of Skin Inc. magazine are shared with others in your facility. On average, each is passed along to 2.3 others to read, adding an estimated 37,000 readers to Skin Inc. magazine’s reach. This makes our total readership 67,000.

What does this tell us?

Conducting such research enables us to look inside your business and evaluate your needs. For example, we learned that your primary areas of concern include increased competition/pricing; the state of the economy; supply and insurance costs; finding and retaining employees; maintaining adequate cash flow; and government regulations. You can be sure that these topics will be addressed in future issues of the magazine.

How can this help you?

By interpreting these statistics, Skin Inc. magazine can fine-tune its content to better serve you, its readers. And by communicating our findings, our readers can draw parallels with each other, proving that your business is pretty much in line with the competition. Take, for instance, the average spa-goer. Eighty-six percent of you stated that this person, still primarily female, falls between the ages of 30–49, with the 50–59 age group coming in at a very close second. The Readex studies did indicate that the ’tween and teen market gradually is growing, as well. Results show that the under-13 crowd includes up to 28% of your business, with the 13–19 age group comprising 59%.

What issues do you need to see addressed on future pages to help you grow your business in 2007? Now is the perfect time to provide me with your feedback, as we plunge into planning for 2007. I welcome your suggestions, questions and feedback. Skin Inc. magazine exists for you. Play an active role in making it your No. 1 must-read publication.

Until next month,

Melinda Taschetta-Millane, editor

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