In order to make the most of industry trend reports, you should remember to network. Local networking events, conferences, trainings and Facebook groups would be dedicated to getting you in front of both experts and colleagues. Regardless, it being monthly happy hours of salon owner or big trade shows, you would be getting tremendous face time from networking. It would be largely beneficial to your business.
You should engage with your customers more than often. It would help you gain feedback in several forms on various social media channels. It would be a great way to see your industry from the viewpoint of your audience.