Not getting 'burned' big reason behind sun care buys

Drug Store News, Dec 11, 1989

Not getting `burned' big reason behind sun care buys

Suntan lotion and sun block users in Drug Store News' Brand Preference Study most often cited good past experience, trust and simply liking the item -- sometimes for its smell or packaging -- as reasons for picking the sun care product they last bought.

These reasons seem ironic, given the heavy emphasis sun care-product marketers put on protection, SPFs, formulas for sensitive skin and the like. While only 1 to 2 percent of regular-brand buyers mentioned such benefits, SPFs and protection did matter more in the buying decision of brand shifters and consumers with no regular brand, who also were more likely to purchase an item because it was new and they wanted to try it.

Only respondents with no regular brand were especially swayed by price: About four in 10 of them said low price or a sale influenced what sun care product they bought.

However, the study also found a high degree of brand loyalty among sun care customers. Whereas 71 percent of the total sample said they had a regular brand (a rather low percentage with a favored brand, compared with the other 20 categories surveyed), only 17 percent of that group said they would switch brands if their favorite wasn't in stock. That's a comparatively low percentage of switchers.

Consumers in our study may be reflecting a certain imperviousness to marketing messages when faced with the proliferation of products and forms in this category, which retailers say is confusing to them, as well as to their customers. Consider: Forms of sun care products include oils, gelees, creams, sticks, sprays, lotions, zincs, towelettes and sponges; and functions include high SPFs, children's items, sensitive-skin products, broad-spectrum items, photo-aging protection, pre-sun and after-sun. As one buyer put it, "I look at the [SPF] 25s and the 30s and I think, what's the difference between them? What do I need?"

Growing concern

But there undoubtedly has been a growing concern in the past few years over tanning too much or too fast: Consumers increasingly want products that block the ultraviolet rays that are most likely to cause sunburn or lead to skin cancer, and they're more aware of the sun's drying and aging effects on the skin. The concern over protection helps explain why the category's strongest growth is in the higher-SPF segment, with SPF 15 the best-selling SKU.

While the biggest growth has been in high-SPF products, tanning products are still the larger segment of the sun care category, accounting for more than half of skin care sales. According to Drug Store News' latest estimates, the suntan segment's total sales in drug chains reached $100.3 million, and sun protection sales were about $91.7 million for 1988. Tanning products still appeal especially to high school and college students, but merchandisers predict the sun protection segment will equal suntan-segment sales next year.

This year, consumers appear to be cutting through the clutter, because buyers are beginning to discern best-selling lines, enabling them to start thinning out their selection to a few top items. Some buyers are looking to pare the very low SPFs (0-4), which they're sensing consumers are moving away from. In our study, consumers' top choices were Coppertone, Bain de Soleil and Hawaiian Tropic, in that order of preference, and store managers' rankings, in a separate poll, agreed. Coppertone perhaps has an added advantage in having high name recognition gained through longevity.

Year-round category

More and more, large drug chains are viewing sun care as a year-round category and thinking of permanent displays for the faster moving brands, to accommodate the increasing numbers of people who travel, seek the sun for vacations, or ski.

Better merchandising of the category, through co-op advertising and year-round category presentations, is helping to boost sun care sales. Manufacturers and retailers are trying to improve displays, packaging and consumer education, in an effort to organize the category better and to help customers sort through various products' benefits to find the best item for them.

Such efforts should pay off, in light of surveys like ours, which show that once a consumer is satisfied with a sun care product, he or she will stick with it, reinforced by concern about protection and preservation of healthy skin.