Covid changed the way we innovate and do business forever. 12 months ago, the perfect sales day was all about delivering your products to the distributors and getting your products on the shelves. There was nothing out of the ordinary unless there was an unusually large contract to negotiate. Day in and day out, you have been responding to the same old market trends and kept selling.
Covid has not only impacted you. It impacted consumers and most importantly the traveling consumers. People travel for leisure, for business, for fun, AND… for WELLNESS. In the past, travel wellness was defined as a trip to yoga retreats, spa salons or as a medical tourism.
I want to introduce you to a new innovative definition of travel wellness. The yoga retreats, the medical tourism, the spa salon weekends are a part of traveling with a focus on health and well-being. However, Travel Wellness in a COVID-19 world is all about minimizing anxiety before, during, and after the trip. It’s about preparation and protection through healthy habits, self-care, beauty (yes!), confidence, and so much more. It’s about balancing and bringing out your best self. Travel Wellness is multidimensional and is all about the nutrition, beauty, managing stress BEFORE, DURING, AFTER travel.
How can you grow your business with the new definition of a traveler well-being?
Follow the 3 innovative steps and you will notice an immediate difference.
Step 1: Understanding the “post-vaccine” traveler psychology
To sell more, you need to understand your clients. How much do you know about the new normal traveler? Have you ever wondered what they think, need and desire?
Even before the pandemic hit, being a frequent traveler wasn’t easy. They work long hours. They are under a lot of pressure to close critical sales, meet clients or give a make-or-break presentation. They lack sleep due to jet lag, irregular hours, stress and anxiety. They usually don’t have any wellness routines and tend to overeat and gain weight. They are bloated, dehydrated, in a rush and must always perform at 100%. Does it sound like fun? No, it doesn’t! Does it sound familiar! Yes, it does! I’m sure you are a frequent traveler too and spend hours on the plane in various destinations and climates.
So now, let’s think about the same travelers in this “new normal” circumstance. Their level of stress, anxiety and uncertainty is twice as high. Or worse. On top of everything else they are social distancing, wearing masks and quarantining. Unlike in the past, they’re probably traveling alone, to the worry of their friends and families, under heavy medical scrutiny, and with the stakes not only surrounding their job performance, but their health and wellness too.
Step 2: Understanding the before, the during, the after travel needs to TRIPLE your sales
The key to selling through every stage of travel is thinking beyond the impulse purchase. Beginning with merchandising, messaging, display, and follow-up marketing, everything should focus on the before, the during, and the after. That means that you should be selling items that would be important in preparation for a trip, like (body thermometers combines with a lipstick or a mascara on the other side), for the During (a couple of different types of face creams and lotions based on climate people travel to) and the After (supplements and minerals to get the healthy balance back). Take the guesswork out of it. Make it easy for clients and don’t forget that your expertise can be pre-prepared and easy to buy. There’s a reason why subscription boxes have become so incredibly popular – it makes shopping easy and it allows for a professional’s expertise to influence your purchases, resulting in higher satisfaction. In 2019 alone McKinsey estimated that subscription box sales reached as high as 15 billion dollars.
Step 3: Creating the innovative products for multi-purpose use to triple your sales
After learning the psychology of your clients’, their needs, and the current trends, it’s time to innovate your products. Is your warehouse equipped with the new set of products that your travelers need and I’m not talking about the face masks or hand sanitizers? Think outside the box. How can you get them travel ready? What products will they need on the plane? What products do they need in destination because the trip destination is in a different time zone, climate, and language. How will the new destination impact their youthfulness, wellness, productivity and health? Did you know that our beauty and youthfulness needs are driven by the destination we travel to and climates we live in? If yes, what do you do about it? What products do you sell to support them? They need a new set of products to bring with them to their destination. What can they buy from you to bring home? During my Covid travel I found myself in a situation where I needed a body thermometer to measure my own temperature. But instead, I was stressed out, nervous and people thought I had Covid. I could’ve avoided a lot of embarrassment and anxiety if I had a body thermometer combined with a lipstick or a mascara. Is this difficult? No, it’s not. It’s the innovation that you need to think of to be ahead of the game. And don’t forget about your team. They need information, education and support to represent you well and sell more much faster.
Just like you and many celebrities, I’ve been a frequent traveler too. I’ve taken so many trips in the past and never got it right. I remember Bella Hadid talking about her travel experience at the last year’s Vogue’s Forces of Fashion conference. Bella said that travel is draining and lonely. So, let’ make is more exciting and safer for the A-lister travelers.
I’m sharing these 3 tips because I know that they can be easily implemented and help you triple your sales. I’ve been to many beauty stores in the past. To my surprise, I was never offered any information about the perfect beauty products for my oily skin in India. It’s time to change it and I’m here to help. I utterly understand travelers and you, beauty brand, that needs more exposure, more sales, and more innovative ideas.
ABOUT EDYTA SATCHELL
Edyta Satchell, a Certified Integrative Nutrition Coach, is a renown travel executive, speaker, and wellness practitioner. Thousands rely on her to help them prioritize their health and wellness, while growing their businesses and advancing their careers. Edyta creates highly customized, modern, comprehensive programs for a diverse network of clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 CEOs & their corporations. Edyta is the Founder of both Satchelle Global Travel Wellness and womens’ group Finelle.com, and a busy mom. She lives just outside of Washington, DC with her husband and young daughter.
Categorized in: Trends/Insights