Almost half of all tanning businesses say that tanning lotion sales have increased in their stores in 2011 according to a SmartTan.com poll conducted this month — another strong indicator that indoor tanning is bouncing back strong in 2011 for many stores.

According to the poll, 49 percent of stores are seeing stronger lotion sales this year as compared to 2010. Another 20 percent say sales are about the same as last year, while 31 percent report that lotion sales are down. The poll is informal, but is directional and is consistent with other SmartTan.com polls.

A poll conducted several weeks ago showed that 49 percent of tanning facilities report that their overall business is up for the first three months of 2011 as compared with 2010 — the same number reporting increased sales as in this poll.

“It’s clear that the stores succeeding today are increasing their sales per client effectively,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “Helping stores get there is what we have modeled our training systems around for stores, and it’s what we’re concentrating on at this year’s annual convention in October. The bar in the market is changing.”