Last year, Happi reported a downward trend in sun care sales for 2003 despite heavy marketing efforts and UV-education initiatives. That's all in the past now-suntan product sales increased 2.3% to $418.1 million for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 26, 2004, according to Information Resources, Inc., Chicago. (These figures are for supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers, excluding Wal-Mart.)
This is brilliant news for marketers, who introduced new products and tweaked old favorites during 2004. They were banking on people's love of the sunny outdoors-and a healthy glow without the risks-to lift sales out of a slump. It worked.
"Banana Boat knows that most consumers enjoy the sun. In fact, nearly 70% of the category's volume comes from consumers who are either tanners, color seekers or want moderate protection," revealed Jean Fufidio, vice president of marketing, Banana Boat. "In choosing sun care products, consumers look for a balance of both color and protection. This is their ongoing internal debate: the level of SPF used vs. how much color they want."