Focus Group Study: Indoor Tanning

Purpose of the Study

A small tanning salon currently welcomes consumers to the salon for a variety of reasons: from a personally-driven desire to be tanned for one's own self-esteem or for the purposes of safety when traveling to an exotic locale. Yet the end goal is always the same, to acquire a tanned appearance. The marketing strategy for indoor tanning companies has long capitalized on the value society places on appearance. This value has prevailed in spite of the negative consequences associated with tanning such as premature aging of the skin and skin cancer. That the consumer continues to tan in spite of the possible consequences may be a sign that the tanning industry will prevail in spite of negative media.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between consumers' attitudes towards and values regarding indoor tanning and their subsequent tanning behaviour. It examines a series of aspects regarding indoor tanning: the purpose behind consumers' use of the facilities or what motivates them to tan, what they define as quality in the industry, what consumers' perceptions are regarding both positive benefits and negative consequences of the service and how this then affects the consumers' (opinions regarding) tanning preferences.

Definition of the Problem

A motivation is something that causes someone to act. In this study the emphasis is on each individual consumer's motivation to utilize the tanning beds. There are varying levels of motivation, which can be related to the level of involvement in the product or service. Involvement is defined as "a person's perceived relevance of the [consumption] object based on inherent needs, values and interests" (Zaichkowsky, 1985, p.342). In other words involvement is the level of interest generated by a product or service and it will influence the purchasing-decision behaviour of the consumer. According to this definition the value of the product is therefore not an attribute of the product itself but more so a side-effect of the consumers' perception of the product's relevance, specifically how their opinions guide their purchasing choices. The key here is to discover what about tanning draws the consumer to it; their overall goal may be utilitarian, symbolic or experiential.

Once initial motivation draws the consumer into the business, the business must somehow convince the client to stay. Marketing researchers in general recognize the importance of consumer perceptions of value, which translate into loyalty and patronage. In a highly controversial market the relevance of consumer perception of value becomes even more important. It is the underlying needs and values of the individual that implore them to purchase, and this desire only becomes active when the individual sees the possibility to achieve their specific needs through the proffered service. Therefore value is not in itself a measure of quality but is instead a measure of what each unique customer views as quality, it is their personal viewpoint. Each person's reasons for continuing to use the services of the tanning salon may vary, even if only minutely. Customers from the same demographic although after the same outcome may tan for different reasons and see value differently;

1. personal factors - self-image

2. product factors - risk in buying and using

3. situational factors - temporary and changing

A general lack of knowledge on the subject of tanning has led to an increase in skin cancer rates in the last 20 years (cancer.ca) and has forced the indoor tanning industry to take action against the negative media. In spite of the recent trend towards negative advertising the salon owners have not seen a drop in client counts. Their store has seen steady increases each year since inception in 2003. Yet they worry that negative knowledge will affect how the consumers perceive tanning and that the consumers may participate less for purely aesthetic purposes, which they surmise accounts for the majority of their business. Their hope is that the consumers continue to tan in spite of an advertising trend that propagates the negative side of tanning, discourages tanning in general and could potentially change consumers' tanning values.

Data Requirements

Through the use of focus groups the owners hope to gain insight into consumers' attitudes towards using a tanning bed and based on these attitudes what motivates them to use the beds. As many media and government warnings indicate that tanning in general should be avoided, the owners want to know why consumers choose to continue tanning. The owners would like to find out how exactly the consumers view indoor tanning: both their negative and positive associations with the practice.

In order to generate objectives the researchers asked the owners a series of questions:

What do you think initially encouraged customers to select your services?

What features of the salon, specific services, appeal most to the customers?

What resources are available to customers when they have questions on concerns?

When customers ask questions are staff educated to give factual, informative responses?

From the responses the researcher generated the following research objectives, which they would attempt to find answers to through the focus groups:

1. To gain preliminary understanding into what features are deemed important in selecting a tanning salon. The emphasis on the products and services offered, including the facilities and staff.

2. To gain preliminary understanding of how customers gain knowledge and educate themselves regarding the benefits and consequences of tanning

3. To discover how their perceptions regarding tanning affects their future tanning plans and purchasing decisions.

Respondent Selection

After consulting with staff at the tanning salon the researcher decides that it is advisable to select respondents randomly from a client database. Respondents may use the facilities on a regular schedule, may only use them seasonally or may have used the salon services only once. The only stipulation is that they should have used the services within the last year so that their