Indulging the Senses

Finding the right products for your store is a tricky business. But there are rules that will help you pamper your customers.

By Sarah Krall -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 3/1/2001

Personal pampering is the driving force behind the proliferation of personal care products on the market today. "The most purchased category in gifts is personal care, including special soaps, lotions, and skin care products," noted Pam Danziger in a market research report conducted by her company, Unity Marketing. "This category is booming now because it taps into the trend toward buying personal indulgence products that make the consumer feel 'special.'" On a more personal note about personal care, Ellen Davies, creative director of the personal care line Davies Gate, says, "If you've got a beautiful bar of soap or a gorgeous bath salt bottle in your bathroom, it inspires you to take the time to pamper yourself."

But what is "beautiful" or "gorgeous" to one person can be "ordinary" or "outrageous" to another. While the consumer can make a mistake in choosing a personal care product, she is not out a lot of money if she decides she doesn't like it. For the retailer, however, making the wrong choice about which lines to offer can be very expensive. But with so many lines out there, how is a retailer to determine which one is for them? More so than with other categories, what draws a customer to a particular body product is intensely personal. Smells evoke wildly different responses in people, and there are so many looks in personal care packaging-from zany to sophisticated-that it's hard to know which one will sell best in a particular market. Following are some guidelines that can help you select what is best for your store.

Look, Smell, Durability

"The first thing that catches people's eyes is the packaging," says Ellen Davies, who is based in Irwindale, California. It was something she discovered during seven years of creating her personal care product and sampling wares from many vendors. The effect of packaging, of course, is something that applies to all gift categories.

Fragrance follows next in importance. "This comes down to strictly personal opinion," says Jessica Knowlton, East Coast sales and marketing director, Es'scents International, which distributes the Italian Rancé line of soaps and fragrances. "You can have something mentally associated with a smell from your childhood."

Davies feels that today's consumer is turning to her own preferences rather than buying into the perfume-branding frenzy so prevalent in the '90s. "I think people are getting more personal about fragrances rather than seeing them as a trend-driven thing," she says. "They're seeing them more in terms of what works with your skin and what really smells good on you, rather than, 'This is what Cher wears.'"

The last element, which is essential for repeat business, is how the product works over time. "You have to have a good quality product combined with beautiful packaging and a wonderful fragrance," Davies concludes.

Use What You Have

To figure out what works best for you in terms of packaging, color, and style, take a look at what's already in your store. If you have lots of earth tones and organic elements, lines that play up their natural ingredients may be your best bet. If you pride yourself on an international flair, seek out products from abroad. By following this logic, all the wares in your store will work together.

Preference for a particular look is partially determined by region. Jessica Knowlton points out: "Buyers all seem to go for what they see in their own environment. Buyers from New York want that modern, streamlined look. It doesn't matter if they're 55 years old and have been buying for years, or if they're 25 and just starting out. I can have a Southeastern buyer with similar tastes, but she'll stick to what sells in her market. Smart buyers know not to buy based solely on what they like."

Fragrance is harder to pinpoint. Some feel that older women prefer traditional, single notes like lavender and rose, while younger customers are more adventurous. If you venture more into the youth market, you have the added advantage of appealing to men as well. Try citrus scents, as well as specialized formulations that smell fresh and clean-a quality desired by both men and women.

Simple Presentation

The advantage of carrying several lines is that you can address diverse customer desires-be they a range of scents or extra-moisturizing properties. The disadvantage, of course, is clutter. The worst way to merchandise personal care is to line collections up on shelves.

Jessica Knowlton says, "If it's a new retailer we recommend that they select one particular collection with a particular look and go deep into it. If they like more than one collection, they should give each its own space to do it justice."

Ellen Davies thinks that most stores tend to overdo it. "They have to take the view that they're the canvas for all the different products. They just have to put out the simple bones-quality shelving and fixtures-that will show off the product. At Sephora [a retail chain selling cosmetics and personal care items], for example, everything is set into black, and good lighting lets the colors of the packaging and the product sparkle and tell the story."

Attracting Attention

There are a number of ways to draw attention to your personal care offerings.

One is to take a cue from cosmetic lines that offer samples or hold gift-with-purchase promotions. You may opt to give full-size samples to a customer who spends over a certain amount in order to familiarize her with your new offerings. Bobbi Hoover, of the upscale linen store Cocoon in Greensboro, North Carolina, which also carries five personal care lines, says, "With customers who make a significant purchase, we let them pick out some boxed soap. Most people really appreciate it, and that tends to lead to repeat business in and of itself." Hoover also puts out soaps in dishes, ready to be picked up and smelled, with packaged products nearby.

Personal care lends itself especially well to bath and boudoir set-ups, and an Italian line like Rancé can be juxtaposed with Italian crystal or tabletop. Another popular theme is to create displays by color, which allows a retailer to use a broad product range and retain a simple look. "This can create a feeling where people walk in and think, 'I don't care what they sell, I want it all!'" laughs Ellen Davies.

The Niche Advantage

The abundance of personal care lines available to specialty retailers can provide a niche advantage over department store cosmetic counters, which primarily peddle cosmetics from the big manufacturers. The specialty retailer can make personal selections from a wide range of skin and bath products that offer great fragrance and healing qualities. Bobbi Hoover notes, "If you walk into a department store you generally have individuals paid by a specific company to promote their brands. It's all very appropriate and legitimate. You walk into a store like ours, and we've identified those lines that we think are the best of the bunch."

Ellen Davies sees the whole personal care category entering a more results-oriented vein, which was once solely targeted by the big cosmetics companies. "People are using this category for more serious treatment," she says. "They're thinking about it in terms of accomplishing something. Whether it's an exfoliant or a rich night cream, while you would have once gone to a cosmetics counter for it, you can purchase a cream from us for the same effect."

Since personal pampering has been around at least since the time of Cleopatra, it's a sure bet that the personal care category will be around for a long time to come.