Nail Enhancement Innovation
As I wrap up the final touches on our First Annual Supplier Summit Friday, there is one word that if everyone takes away with them and does something with it, I will be happy.
And all TNG Rebels know the word: Innovation
A competitor of ours recently had their own version of a Supplier Summit and their word had nothing to do with Innovation and therein lies part of the problem. I would much rather have my key suppliers give me innovative products that we can sell than more discounts on products we can’t sell.
One category that will be well represented is nails. TNG already sells the biggest brands and offers the biggest selection. Yet, innovation lacks. Do we need another style of nail tip? Another dozen polish colors? Another flavor of lotion? Another hand sanitizer?
What we need is product innovation at the core level. I remember way back when silk and linen were the big nail enhancement items. "China Silk" was hot! Linen Batiste was hot! Then came fiberglass and Backscratchers was hot!
Then IBD introduced gels and they were hot! Odorless acrylics came but never got hot. No Lite Gel was hot for a brief time period but died quickly.
The biggest enhancement category is powders and liquids. When Solar Nail came out, that was hot! Alpha 9 was hot! CND then brought out Retention and that was hot! CND then brought out Radical and that was hot!
But powders still come in 6 different size jars and liquids still come in 6 different size bottles. You still need a brush, dappen dish and a lot of time.
It’s time to put the Innovation Cap on and get to work. What ideas do you think would work for nail enhancements and stepping out into natural nails, what ideas do you have up your sleeve?
Happy Thursday!
September 18th, 2008 at 7:40 am
how about solar nails? they could charge your phone, glow in the dark &/or change colors depending on light.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:23 am
How about a hyper or chameleon polish that seems to change color with the direction you look at it.
September 18th, 2008 at 9:22 am
OPI’s Nicole(if they still make it) collection has/had the hyper/chameleon polishes and TOMA used to make the “mood change” polish that changed in the sun or with your body temp. I used them both in the salon when I was doing nails. My clients loved them, but that was back in the early 90’s.
September 18th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I agree that the current products require a lot of time and skill to use. I think the biggest innovation for our market today is the distributor not only taking the time to demonstrate how to apply the product but providing the BUSINESS strategies that will help us financially.
Personally I love the professional lines – I prefer OPI simply because of the tremendous investment they make in marketing and advertising initiatives. I can always count on them to have cute retail items and clients are at least aware they they exist. While it still does not create a huge demand my “some” of my customers can identify with it as being an item of status.
In summary – the products are fine. You will not be able to put on a set of nails in 5 minutes EVER. Getting people through the door is most important!
September 18th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Last summer, I volunteered to do nails for a wedding party as a favor to a friend of mine. She told me that she had already purchased the supplies… all I would have to do is show up and put them on. When I got there, I saw that she had gotten some acrylic tip kits from K-Mart, which I was not very happy with at first. I read the directions, and started applying the tips. I couldn’t believe how INNOVATIVE, simple, and quick the whole process was! All you had to do was brush the nail with an acrylic/glue, dip the nail in a little jar of powder, and then brush the nail again with the acrylic/glue. Now if only a quality brand like OPI or CND made something like that…. I might actually buy it. As cool as it was, I’m sure that those cheapy nails lifted and fell off in no time!
September 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
A one step product in a bottle, something easily applied, durable, air dries quickly. Maybe like a resin with color? It could be a one time use product giving you one set of nails. Wear it for 1 or 2 weeks and then replace. Removing would have to be easy, and not damaging! For personal use – a small dip-bottle of dissolver, also a one time use – no muss, no fuss. Or a two hand set up (like the sonic remover system) to soak off in seconds in the salon.
A big area that could use improvement would be in the storage and display of nail products on and around the nail table. It’s always been an issue. Polish colors need to be seen on nail tips, yet easily found on the racks for use. Retail items need innovative accessible displays, and the enhancement products need good handy storage. Maybe a revolving vertical carosel salon system?
September 18th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I think a Bamboo nail strengthening line would be cool. It’s eco friendly durable…
September 19th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
What if we came out with a nail polish that smelled like cotton candy, strawberries, rasberries, serbert, vanilla, freshly baked cookies? Any scent that we ladies like. We have developed our hand lotions to suit our nose pallettes. So why not a polish? Also what if we had nail polish parties? all the ladies getting there nails done for free. And then in the end each lady there would buy the nail polish. We know ourselves ladies, we would not just be buying one color!?
September 27th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
I would like to see a nail prep that would work on damaged, thin with ridges nails, the acrylic soaks thru to my nailbed and burns. I have not been able to wear nails for about 10 years. I have tried periodically, with no luck.
The nails themselves are so thin that it is impossible for me to have nails past the end of my fingertip.
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