Every time we feature a story on swim spas, I’m pretty sure I start my welcome message by scream-writing, “I LOVE SWIM SPAS! LET ME TELL YOU WHY.” That has not changed, but finally the rest of the world is catching on to my enthusiasm. Every retailer and manufacturer who sells both hot tubs and…
Without a doubt, e-commerce is still hot as ever in the spa industry. When the pandemic forced nationwide shutdowns in March 2020, many spa retailers started selling products online, scrambling to continue cash flow while their showroom doors closed due to lockdowns. The way many survived — and now continue to thrive — is through…
After four years selling swim spas, Miles Berger knows one thing: People want them. Industrywide, consumer awareness of this versatile vessel has gone up, up and away during the pandemic, and while demand could slow in the coming months, consensus is the genie is out of the bottle. Berger, marketing manager of Hot Tub Central…
You don’t have to look hard to find news about the various factors contributing to ballooning costs across many industries. And yet for both dealers and manufacturers in the hot tub industry, the most obvious option — passing on price increases to customers — often comes with trepidation. “Prices are continuing to go up, and…
What the hot water industry boils down to is simple: It makes and sells large appliances. Sometimes, appliances break. And when that happens too soon, customers expect their spa to be covered by a warranty. Subsequently, dealers anticipate being reimbursed for completing the covered service repairs. Therein lies the ambiguity — and what many dealers…
Responding quickly to customers who want to buy hot tubs could be the difference between retaining them or losing their business. “If you know consumers, they like quick reaction times,” says Chris Cavanaugh, owner of Cavanaugh Pool, Spa & Patio in Kentucky, “and if you get to them quick, typically you will land a sale…
[Our company] had an e-commerce site prior to the pandemic, and then re-launched a new e-commerce site post pandemic. Originally, we did not have prices across all product categories. Now we do. We’ve seen good growth in our chemical and accessories business. Our core categories have also grown; however, those purchases transition to online chat,…
When it comes to selling grills in his store, David Townley of Townley Pool and Spa in Little Rock, Arkansas, jokes that he wants customers to say how great his Big Green Egg store is, and that it also happens to sell pool chemicals and hot tubs. Townley Pool and Spa has exclusively stocked Big…
Hot Tub Products has updated and improved its ConvertALift automated spa cover lifter, which was initially released in 2020. The ConvertALift allows for the conversion of Hot Tub Product’s SpaEase Model 200 Lifter or VacuSeal system to a remote-controlled, automated process that can be operated from inside the home with just the push of a…
Sutro began with a vision for safe water. The founder and CEO, Ravi Kurani, came up with the idea for the company’s flagship product, the Sutro Smart Monitor, while working with First Light Ventures and Village Capital in India. His job included giving funds to companies focused on making products for populations earning less than…
In 2017, the Johnson City Area Home Builders Association began partnering with local high schools to create Battle of the Build, a competition designed to build connections between students and those who have made careers in the manufacturing, trades and construction industries in order to foster student appreciation for workforce careers. Five years and countless…
Thanks to supply chain issues, you may have extra space in your stores you’d be happy to fill. Pet products are a fast-growing consumer market in the United States. The American Pet Products Association estimates $109.6 billion was spent on pets in 2021. Within that broad category are pet safety products, and a subsection of…