Patriot Surplus disclosed that it acquired Shooting the X last December in a deal it says will bring marketing expertise Patriot Surplus honed in the tactical market to selling hunting, archery, and outdoor supplies online.
Shooting the X, founded in 2008 by Dan Parsons, began as a hunting supply store and archery center. Since that time, it's grown into a successful venture that includes a retail store in Carlisle, PA and a 4,000-square-foot indoor archery arena, staffed by a team of dedicated bow technicians.
Seeing a future in e-commerce, Shooting the X turned to Patriot Surplus for guidance, which gradually evolved into a partnership. In December 2011, Patriot Surplus, a multi-million dollar enterprise focused on military, law enforcement, and outdoor goods, acquired the web operations of Shooting the X.
“I am extremely excited about the opportunity that we have with Shooting The X. We bring to the hunting market eight years of e-commerce experience and owners with over 20 years of professional sales and marketing experience,” said Steve Berg, founder of Patriot Surplus and PatriotSurplus.com. “We are professional marketers who hunt every chance we get. We know how to get orders out the door fast and will be able to provide our customers with a level of customer service that they have not had in the hunting business.”
After the partnership was formed, Shooting the X and Patriot Surplus began a collaborative revitalization plan to invigorate Shooting the X as an online brand while preserving the expertise and exceptional service both businesses were founded on. This plan continues to be implemented as the two companies explore new opportunities to better serve their customer bases.
In April 2012, Shooting the X relaunched its ecommerce presence, guided by the expertise of Patriot Surplus, with ShootingTheX.com, a complete hunting and archery supply store with focuses on bow hunting, waterfowl hunting, predator hunting, and ultralight fishing. In the near future, Shooting the X looks to add outfitter hunts to its array of services, in addition to other marketing and product ventures.
“Shooting The X has just raised the bar for the competition and we have them in our crosshairs,” said Berg.
The Shooting the X customer base benefits from this acquisition, says Berg, who notes that the customer experience will only get better with time.
“We bring a level of professionalism to an industry that is historically lacking any professional retailers with a large selection of product,” says Berg. “In the hunting industry, it is fraught with hunting shops with good intentions that have no experience in e-commerce and fail miserably when it comes to fast shipping and excellent customer service.”
Berg notes that in terms of the future of both Patriot Surplus and Shooting the X, customers will benefit from the experience both companies bring to the table. “We will be 100 percent focused on fast delivery, customer service to the max, and dedicated bow technicians in the bow hunting arena,” says Berg.
