Fitness owners around the world are looking for ways to maximize their profits. Many are taking advantage of their customers’ desire to look good and feel great by adding a tanning program to their facility. When you decide to add a tanning program you need to understand the many elements that could affect your customers’ overall tanning experience; especially the type of equipment you choose. Since you are already an expert in buying fitness equipment, you can use that success to help you when choosing the best tanning units for your facility. When purchasing fitness equipment you have to know what your customer wants, what your business needs, and what will work best with the layout of your facility. These three things are extremely important when choosing the right tanning equipment for your facility, too. If these three things are done right, you will not only see an increase in your profit and customer base, but you will also gain a competitive edge in the industry.
What do your customers want when it comes to tanning?
There are many things that a tanner looks for that will keep them coming back. Five important things to consider when making your purchases are: timeliness, comfort, convenience, variety and results.
By making your facility a one-stop shop for fitness and tanning you are already saving your customer time, so why not save them as much time as possible? Tanning equipment sessions can range anywhere from eight to 30 minutes. If you add only one piece of equipment, choose one with a short session time. Studies have shown that people who want to tan but don’t have a lot time will choose not to tan at all instead of tanning 20 minutes. However, the tanner who has plenty of time will almost always tan for a shorter time. A short session time also lets you tan more people per hour. The more people you tan per hour, the more revenue you bring in daily.
When looking for convenience and comfort the tanner wants to be able to easily operate the unit, get in and out with ease, visibly see the timer (even during the session), have access to a cooling system and have plenty of space to relax. The tanner should only have to push one button for the session to start and the timer should be digital so they can see how much time they have left anytime during their session. The bed should be big enough for all of your tanners to tan comfortably and they should have access to a fan that they can control from inside the unit.
Tanners also like to have a variety of beds to choose from. Some of the tanning equipment options that provide that variety include the number of lamps, face tanners versus no face tanners, beds versus stand up units, and high pressure versus low pressure. The more options you have available to your customers, the more likely they are to use your facilities for tanning.
What are your tanning business’s needs?
The beds’ maintenance is very important and can be very costly if not evaluated before you finalize your equipment decision. Ask your tanning consultant about the ease of cleaning, changing the lamps, service, warranties, and availability of replacement parts. Asking these questions will save you time and money in the future.
What tanning units will work best with the layout of your facility?
Most fitness owners decide to add tanning to their facility as an afterthought, so determining how to accommodate these tanning units can be tricky. Some tanning bed manufacturers have trained experts that will help you design a floor plan to incorporate your tanning equipment at no charge. Standup units take up the least amount of room, so if you have little space, look into adding a standup unit. Many standup units have an optional dressing room, which lets you take advantage of an empty corner or lobby area.
With the ever-increasing number of people wanting to feel good and look great, tanning is a great money-making opportunity for your fitness center. By adding the right type of tanning equipment to your facility, you will be able to increase the revenue from current clients and bring in new customers. Just make sure that you select tanning equipment the same way you would pick your fitness equipment…Know what the customer wants, what your business needs and know what will work the best with the layout of your facility.
Bill Pipp is the CEO of ETS, Inc. He can be contacted at 800.668.5193, or by email at wpipp@etstan.com, or visit www.etstan.com/f1.
