When it comes to selling on-line sports equipment, there are really only two rules. Find your niche, and pay attention to popular sports in your area. Studies show that sports participation creates demand for sporting goods and it doesn’t really matter if it’s favorite professional sports or strong local clubs and participation. If you are going nationwide, your target audience is less than 30 years old or aging baby boomers. Those two areas show very strong sales.
Antique sporting equipment is also hot for certain sports, in certain age groups in different regions. Nothing will prepare you better for on-line retail sales of sports equipment than good market research. There are several national sporting goods merchant associations that can guide you with market research and trends in the business. Be careful but not paranoid about franchises and exclusive wholesale equipment suppliers. Check the Better Business Bureau and check references just to make sure you are not surprised by unexpected details.
As soon as you can swing it, develop your own search logs to identify what your customers are looking at and buying.
There are four key metrics every retailer should use and these four items are especially true for the dynamic world of sporting equipment on-line sales. First, keep track of page views, individual visitors, and as many details about the source of visitors as you can find. Don’t forget to keep track of regional difference by product. Second, know your most popular pages, the most successful sporting equipment categories and the frequency of page views. Then, monitor and understand entry page and exit page visits, length of time spent per page, per visit per category of gear. Finally, monitor conversion, revenue by order and category and check outs.
You’ll also need to learn the “lingo” of the sporting goods you intend to target. You have to know what you are talking about for the products you sell. Wal-Mart may sell tennis rackets, but finding a sales person that’s actually used one is a challenge. You can gain the edge by being knowledgeable about the sporting goods equipment you sell.
Sometimes sporting equipment searchers start with favorite sports heroes to find gear endorsements with famous signatures. Customers often search for Jack Nicklaus for golf equipment or Shaquille O’Neal for basketball gear.
Plunkett Research estimates that Retail Sporting Equipment sales will hit $42 billion dollars in the USA during 2009, while Sporting Goods Manufacturer’s brought in an estimated 66.3 billion in 2008.
Used equipment may be you forte’. Search for used equipment everywhere from your own garage to flea markets. Once you specialize and know your gear, surprising sources of inventory may come your way. There are dozens of wholesale marketers for sporting goods. You just have to sort through quality and price to fit your business.
Being a part of the growing business category of sporting goods on-line sales requires research, monitoring and nimble responses to seasonal and demographic changes. You may just have the right combination of sports experience and regional sports fans to make your business a success.
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