During the month of August Professional Beauty conducted an industry-wide equipment survey in order to reveal the trends and movements of this booming sector.
The results will be revealed every Thursday in the month of September.
Quality versus cost: which factors more in your decision when purchasing salon equipment?
- 54% said quality is more important than price. They’re not always after a bargain! And Julius Gilder, National Sales Manager at Syneron – Candela, says he’s not surprised by the result. “The cost of salon equipment is actually small compared to the wages of the operator and your other clinic fixed costs, so it makes sense not to pinch pennies. Clinic efficacy and your positioning in the competitive marketplace are far bigger concerns than the initial cost of the device. Total cost of ownership encompasses the economy of a device, and this is dependent upon a combination of factors such as the buy price, consumable costs and treatment speed. These can all be calculated and you should ask about this and compare across the products on your shortlist, the results might surprise you.”
Does splurging on expensive equipment ensure higher safety standards for clients?
- 37% said that, from experience, expensive equipment is not always safer. Gilder says this is because great equipment can’t supersede exceptionally skilled staff. “Safety is as much about the skills of the technician, ease of use and the maintenance of the device, as it is about the device itself. The quality systems which are generally easier to use and have good internal feedback systems will also have independent research or clinical papers to back up their claims of safety, technology and protocols. We recommend that users check this out before making a decision about a device.”
Should salons have to foot the bill for equipment maintenance?
- 43% believe distributors shouldn’t charge for maintenance. “If maintenance is not a separate consumable cost, the cost of inclusive maintenance and service would have to be bundled into the purchase price of the device, in some cases restricting salon openings and expansion and making new devices unaffordable,” explains Gilder. “Clinics who don’t undertake regular maintenance will ultimately cause injury to their client or damage the device. The maintenance of a device is entirely in the hands of the owner, because their maintenance schedule will be unique based on their own usage. Quality salon suppliers will offer a package of scheduled maintenance, perhaps at a monthly instalment, to make salon equipment maintenance an easier and more cash-flow sensitive option, so users don’t pay unnecessary fees to keep their devices running smoothly.”
Stay tuned for the next round of results – to be published next Thursday.
For more information on Candela visit syneron-candela.com.au