If you had to describe your brand in three words or less, could you do it? And if you had to describe the design of your salon, would you use the same words? For most indoor tanning businesses, the answer is probably no.

Most people have heard the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but that mentality has no place in business. The “cover” of your business  – layout, design and merchandising – holds a growing power to sell.

“It takes a lot more physical, laborious effort to keep customers loyal to a badly designed space,” says Christopher Studach, creative director at King Retail Solutions.

Salons should be proactively using design to communicate what they have to offer and who they are. With skincare products, red light therapy, sunless tanning, body wraps and countless other services, tanning salons aren’t just about tanning anymore; it’s time to express that to your community.

“If these businesses want to be perceived as more than tanning, they have to position themselves as more than that,” says Paul Biondolillo, senior associate at MulvannyG2 Architecture and vice president of the Retail Design Institute. “It goes beyond what they name themselves and into what their brand identity is.”

Smaller independent stores have a huge advantage here, since they have the agility to make changes fast and a small number of stores allowes them to be more creative. By paying real attention to these elements, they have the power to compete more closely with the franchises in the area.

“The big guys are considering the customer experience from start to finish – what they are hearing, seeing, smelling and touching. But, you can create a unique and seamless experience regardless of size,” says Bess Liscio, vice president of visual strategy at Chute Gerdeman.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.