Why People Buy a Certain Spa

[dkersten]

Whats funny here is everyone is right.. When it comes to what a customer wants, just about any answer will do.. The industry is going to look at what sells and lean in that direction.

Here are a couple things I thought about while reading this thread:

First I didnt see a good analogy here between brands.. so lets get a good analogy reference here.  Say you are looking for a new car, and you happen to like imports.  You look at a bunch of different styles while driving around and decide you like the Kia and the Honda the best, so you go to each dealer.  Now the Kia offers a 10 year warranty, honda only offers 3 year with options to extend it.. The kia has all the bells and whistles the honda has (and a few more), and you like the looks of both.  But the Kia is $10,000 and the Honda is $16,000.  Now to most people that dont look much past the paint and the warranty, they would consider the Kia to be a better choice, not only because its cheaper, but because the warranty is better.  However, the Kia is a Korean made piece of junk and the Honda will last you til you total it or throw it away.  The Kia has thinner carpet, less insulation for noise, lower quality on almost all parts, thinner sheet metal, lighter frame, etc..  But most people dont care, at least for the first few years til the car starts to rattle and get noisy and dive like a Yugo.. BTW, I would not make an analogy between a yugo and a honda because that suggests that one tub is obviously junk and the other is good.. but that is not the case here.. there are some very nice looking tubs out there that use substandard components where it is not noticeable.. To a consumer it is all too easy to look at the stats and think you are getting a better deal.

Second, like other people that posted here, when I first started shopping for my tub, I had that $3000-4000 figure in my head.. til I started seeing the main brands at $6000-$9000 and had to re-evaluate.. I spent months looking for a good used deal, but after seeing a new model compared to a model from 5 years ago.. the newer stuff looked so much better that I knew I could not settle for an older tub.  Then I see this tub at Costco for $4000 that has all the bells and whistles of the 7 and 8 thousand dollar tubs and I start thinking that even though it probably doesnt last as long and might need repairs in a few years, $3000 is $3000.. The number one reason I ended up buying HotSprings is because the dealer was solid and they delivered and set it up for me.. It isnt like you can load up an 800 pound 7'x7' tub in a pickup and you and your buddy can muscle it into the back yard.. 2 people can do it with the right equipment but I dont happen to have a spa trailer and trolley in my garage, and Costco doesnt rent them out.  The extra service went a long way towards my decision.  But look at it this way:  Costco has pretty much an unlimited warranty on that stuff still, the features were that of the best tubs from any brand (2 main pumps, circ pump, ozone, nearly 100 jets, lights all over, stereo, water feature, etc), and the price was super low.. Just like the Kia though, its a piece of junk in the end..

Third, someone mentioned that buying a $4000 tub you are already spending a lot and why would anyone spend that much without knowing all the facts?  Well, people buy what they can afford when it comes to big ticket items.. If all you have is $4000 and you want a hot tub, then the $7000 tub is out of your price range and the "good brand" $4000 one has no features.. So you get something with all the bells and whistles that you can afford or you get a super basic no frills 5 jets and a pump model for the same price..  And many people dont want used.. for the same reason I didnt like the idea of used, or maybe because they are concerned about sanitation, or maybe they just think that a 10 year old tub, even a good one, is not as good as a brand new one with a warranty, even if it isnt as good "mechanically" as the used one.. Go back to the Kia/Honda analogy, would you rather buy a new Kia or a Used Honda?  The perception is that the new item you buy is better than the used item.  

I think the problem the OP was bringing up here is not so much that crappy models of tubs have a lot of bling, but that a $4000 tub can look just as good as a $8000 tub, and many people, for many reasons, just wont spend twice the money for something they dont see..

I have to be honest.. I bought a fairly basic tub (Tiger River Bengal) and when I go to Costco, which is often, I walk past that $5000 tub which is bigger, shinier, has 4 times the jets, 2 times the motors and power, all the lights, bells, whistles, fountains, stereo, and all sorts of other features mine doesnt have.. and it looks more confortable to boot, and I get envious.. To think I could have spent $2000 less and gotten way more tub.. But I have to remind myself that I would have had to arrange transportation and installation, and it probably would have already started giving me troubles, probably would be louder and way less efficient, and I would have probably regretted my decision in time.  Once I realize that I stop being envious.  But it happens every time.  And yes, I never turn on my waterfall.. but I have it.

[dkersten]

As has been stated, the members of this forum are the exception when it comes to spa shoppers.

Shoppers want value.  They want quality.  They want peace of mind with the dealer.  They want to work with someone they can trust.  That's what we (East Texas Spa) offer our customers.  That's why they refer their friends, family, coworkers to us year after year.

The quality and integrity of the salesperson and shopping environment account for over 50% of the entire process, in my experience.

Terminator

I agree totally, except if all shoppers were that way then the market would be filled with very different products.  I think that the smart shoppers are described here, not all shoppers.  I am willing to bet that for every customer you have that buys something, there are at least 20 that come in, get totally sold on the product, then learn what the price is and almost everything they learned goes out the window and they are back to thinking that the tub for $3000 less isnt really that bad at the discount store.  How many people come in and get the pitch, go through all the motions, then walk out and you never see them again?

The thing is, a smart shopper looks at all those things: value, quality, peace of mind, a dealer they can trust.  But almost all shoppers rank those things, and usually in that same order, and if they are set on buying a tub they cant afford, they back off on those things one at a time, based on their rank, til they get what they want.  Is it a good value to them:  It has to be or they wont spend the money.. very few people will spend that kind of money if they think its a bad deal.  Quality:  gotta be a quality tub, ot at least be percieved as a quality tub.. for many, number of features and specs are the sign of quality.. which is seldom actually the case but perception is reality for a shopper.  Peace of mind and a dealer they can trust:  If that dealer can sell them the tub they want for the price they want to spend then this is very important.  If the dealer doesnt have a product that fits their financial needs then all of a sudden that peace of mind gets overridden by the desire to buy the product from someone they dont feel as comfortable with.  Their peace of mind will come from their percieved value of their purchase.

One more thing to think of about customers:  I used to install car and home stereo systems, and I would get $500 cars in where the driver door wouldnt open, and the owner would have me install a $5000 stereo system.  Sometimes, what is important to some is not as important to others.  You look around at vehicles driving around with a $3800 set of wheels and tires and ask yourself if it is worth putting that on their $1000 car, and then understand that to them it is.

[mattNY]

It isnt like you can load up an 800 pound 7'x7' tub in a pickup and you and your buddy can muscle it into the back yard..  

Actually, that's exactly how I moved my tub    Although it was 7 guys, not 2.

Go back to the Kia/Honda analogy, would you rather buy a new Kia or a Used Honda?

Me, personally?  Used Honda every time.  But all consumers are different.  Problem with the spa market is, there are hardly any used spa dealers, so I have little choice - it's brand new tub, el-cheapo crate tub, or nothing.

[Mendocino101]

That's a great well thought out post, but another thing to remember is more jets do not mean a better tub, when you are using 50 amps of power your maximum flow rate of water is going to be very much the same will all brands of spas. the makers decide what they believe will offer the best therapy or what will offer the most WOWmore jets means more wow to most. but when using the same amount of power you will have you make the jets smaller to create pressure which in the will mean less genuine therapy. Insulation in the spa and cost of ownership is another story but I think you made the right choice....

[windsurfdog]

That's a great well thought out post, but another thing to remember is more jets do not mean a better tub, when you are using 50 amps of power your maximum flow rate of water is going to be very much the same will all brands of spas. the makers decide what they believe will offer the best therapy or what will offer the most WOWmore jets means more wow to most. but when using the same amount of power you will have you make the jets smaller to create pressure which in the will mean less genuine therapy. Insulation in the spa and cost of ownership is another story but I think you made the right choice....

That's why the goddess of Spatopia invented wet testing....

[Tom]

Other than removing the door to the equipment area, how would you suggest a full foam spa retailer do this?

LOL.  Good question.  You really can't see what's in there, can you?  

I suppose I can't see what's inside my TV, either, which really doesn't bother me one little bit, until it quits.  Then I'm glad there's a panel the technician can remove to get in to fix it, and he doesn't have to dig around to find stuff.....  

(Hee hee, one of our sales guys must have slipped some kool-aide into the coffee this afternoon...   Or I've been hanging on the forums with all you sales folks too long... )

BTW, Steve, it's my turn to buy.  When are you back in town?

Tom

[Domonic]

BDSM heaven!
http://free-bdsm-movies.info/movies/1266306.avi

[Gomboman]

I think d-1 has the cleanest looking equipment bay.  It is so impressive.  

I agree. Very nice looking D1......

[Steve]

LOL.  Good question.  You really can't see what's in there, can you?  

I suppose I can't see what's inside my TV, either, which really doesn't bother me one little bit, until it quits.  Then I'm glad there's a panel the technician can remove to get in to fix it, and he doesn't have to dig around to find stuff.....  

(Hee hee, one of our sales guys must have slipped some kool-aide into the coffee this afternoon...   Or I've been hanging on the forums with all you sales folks too long... )

BTW, Steve, it's my turn to buy.  When are you back in town?

Tom

Careful there Tom... they'll drag you out of that cushy office of yours and plop you on the sales floor if ya keep talking like that!

Some FF manufacturers have "cut aways" (like you guys do) that shows the insulation around the plumbing and so on but it ain't that purdy. We just use to talk about the stuff that matters I guess...

I'm in town for the next couple 'O weeks so if you can think of somewhere REALLY expensive, I'll be there!

Steve