Educating Customers on the True Cost of Purchasing Products Online
It’s no secret that product diversion (products sold in unauthorized places) has been an issue over the past 10 years. Not just in our industry but all areas of retail. With the ease of online shopping, it is not likely that this goes away anytime soon. Educating your customers on the dangers of online purchases is in everyone’s best interest.
Netflix currently has a docuseries titled Broken in which they discuss how “negligence and deceit in the production and marketing of popular consumer items can result in dire outcomes.” During one episode regarding the cosmetic industry shows a scary parallel with our industry. Counterfeit thieves create products looking identical to sought after brands for easy sales however, the products contained include cheap ingredients tainted with bacteria, lead, arsenic, and worse. These products are produced in filthy environments with no testing. These items are then sold in unauthorized venues with a large portion of them being online. Unsuspecting consumers run the risk of being exposed to all sorts of health-related contaminants. One of the brand name lip products being counterfeited contained super glue causing the user's mouth to become stuck together.
According to USA Today “While government agencies do their best to crack down on counterfeit goods, they only manage to catch a fraction of the fake products that enter the United States. Still, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) values that seized fraction at staggering amounts. The value of counterfeit goods seized rose by 38.1% in 2013, from $1.2 billion in 2012 to $1.7 billion in 2013.”
So, what does this mean for you, the salon owner? Educate your customers on the importance of where the items they use come from. Purchase your salon supplies from a trusted distributor that receives products directly from the manufacturer. Our manufacturers ensure products are made in clean lab environments with strict quality ingredients. When customers purchase their items from you, they can rest assured that the items are genuine and that the manufacturer will stand behind them.