Early numbers from OIA VantagePoint indicate a very strong start to the holiday selling season. The weekly retail point-of-sale numbers reporting through the system, which has been dubbed, “The Official Research of the Outdoor Industry” by Outdoor Industry Association, saw retail sales jump in strong double-digits last week as a combination of winter weather, pent-up demand and promotional deals had consumers out in force.
The week, which included the all-important Black Friday weekend, was seen as the perfect cap to the four-week fiscal month of November, which saw outdoor product sales increase nearly 10% for the month, led by double-digit increases at independent outdoor specialty, the Internet and department stores.
SportsOneSource sent out an e-mail blast in the middle of last week asking subscribers how they felt about 2010 Holiday trends based on Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday results. Overall, most respondents projected gains over last year with more than a few predicting a very merry season.
Alan Blume, owner of Vertical Drop Ski & Snowboard in Cincinnati, said that based on early trends, he's projecting a 15% to 20% increase for his store for December with “very strong” ski and ski boot sales and a more modest gain in snowboards. Snowy weather is also helping his region. Said Blume, “Vendors are running out of product and anybody that is not reordering key categories now will be left out in the cold.”
Richard Fredericks, president at H.R.F. & Associates, agreed that it looks like a strong ski season. He said, “Since there is little product showing up on line, skiers have gravitated back to ski shops and found what they're looking for at competitive pricing. Distributors are running out of product so the ski industry should be very clean by season's end.”
On the other hand, Andy Schepper, director of e-commerce at Summit Sports, indicated that Black Friday through Cyber Monday bought increases of more than 100% over 2009.
Added Schepper, “We are hoping to see similar increases in December.”
A few lamented that much of the action over Black Friday weekend as well as Cyber Monday went the big boxes offering the doorbuster deals and other steep discount drivers.
For Looking Glass Outfitters Outfitter in Pisgah Forest, NC, Black Friday was a “bust” despite deep discounts but steady traffic in the days before and after the weekend have made up for it. Hot categories for the outdoor retailer include women's down jackets and parkas, men's synthetic parkas, ice climbing accessories, as well as hats and gloves.
The bike category, as usual for the season, appears to be off to a slow start, at least according to a bike rep and a store owner. The owner of one bike shop sin the Southeast, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “We are showing a little improvement but it is coming from existing consumers who have been putting off purchases or are replacing equipment.”
Some noted the new, crafty promotions the retail industry continues to come up with every year. Katy Gaenicke, owner of the KGPR PR firm, pointed to the enormity of coupon deals this season. “Seems like there are so many websites that offer promo codes, cash back shopping, etc. that nobody should pay full price for anything,” said Gaenicke. “Sites like ShopAtHome.com and Groupon.com are changing the way we shop online.”
Howie Ellis, VP of sales at Sunice, the outerwear brand, believes the season will ultimately come down to jobs.
“If one has a job, that consumer feels more secure this year than last and is spending money this holiday,” said Ellis. “If you don't have a job, you are probably working to pay down debt and will be very value conscious with spending. As a result, growth over LY will be minimal, probably in the 2-3% range, all of which is driven by those with jobs. We are at least another year away (provided unemployment drops to the mid-single digits) from a banner holiday buying season.”
