Major Industry Change re: Online Scuba Sales....

[superstar]

I've often thought that the average local dive shop (LDS) could also be your average local ski shop (LSS). Makes you wonder why you don't see more shops that way?

It seems like a good match and especially good for the 'deadness' of the opposite seasons that both sports retailers endure.

I mean very few snow-skis are sold in July and very few regulators in February.

anyone else have thoughts on this?

I've got the best deals buying sporting goods during the off seasons. If you shop around you can buy stuff for half price.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Lots of Bike shops are also ski shops. Joe's "Ski and Bike" fairly common, especially in the parts of the country where the snow flies.

Tobin

 

[Bill51]

I've often thought that the average local dive shop (LDS) could also be your average local ski shop (LSS). Makes you wonder why you don't see more shops that way?

It seems like a good match and especially good for the 'deadness' of the opposite seasons that both sports retailers endure.

I mean very few snow-skis are sold in July and very few regulators in February.

anyone else have thoughts on this?

Having been associated with one of the more successful ski/scuba shops in the Midwest you see how much they really do compete and one odd downside is you get in the middle of family fights. Mom, dad, and the kids come in to pick up their skis from a tune up and shop for a new snow bunny outfit for their teenage daughter when it’s been below freezing for 6 straight days and mom wanders over to the scuba side and sees that the shop has a trip leaving for Belize the same time and for less money than their trip to more cold weather and she starts complaining about why they don’t try diving. We saw plenty of folks with money that took one ski trip and one diver trip a year – both during the winter.

We did a lot of winter OW classes at an indoor pool with referrals to warmer places to finish up – and they took their new scuba gear with them.

 

[ChrisA]

PADI has the most to gain by going with Internet sales. They make money only when a new person enters the sport. PADI is in business to sell training materials and c-cards. The way to get more people into diving is SIMPLE. Yes "SIMPLE" All you need to do is cut the cost of the equipment in half. Cost is what stops many people from diving. If it were cheaper more would dive.

What does PADI care if Scubapro and Aqualung is not longer sold at 100% markup? If cutting the markup to say 40% gets more people into the sport then PADI sells more $25 cards..

 

[Thalassamania]

Many shops in the North East are ski/dive.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Many shops in the North East are ski/dive.

It wouldn't surprise me if there were a few ski / dive / bike shops too. Right here in Pasadena there used to be a Bike / Pet Store. Lots of combos possible.

Tobin

 

[Web Monkey]

I don't mean to seem argumentative, but your thinking on this is just plain wrong. By extension of your analogy the best target customer would be a homeless person - or maybe a buddhist monk - since they have ZERO expenses.

I wasn't referring to expenses, I was referring to choices.

Sure, a millionaire can shop at Neiman Marcus and still go diving, however someone who makes 60K could do it too. The only difference is that they will need to make choices about where to spend their money.

There's no reason a person making 60K couldn't shop at NM and then not dive, or shop at WalMart and go diving.

Seriously. Neiman-Marcus shoppers have a median houshold income with six or seven zeros. They buy what they want, when they want."

But you can't "buy" SCUBA. Aside from the money, it takes time to learn, time to stay sharp and time to take trips.

And aside from those who are rich without needing to work, they also tend to not want to spend time getting certified.

I've talked to a number of doctors and lawyers who all make at least several $100K/year. They could certainly afford to dive, but to a person, said they don't have the time it takes to get certified and then don't have the time needed to go diving.

If you only "Target" people with huge amounts of discretionary income, you won't have enough customers to keep a SCUBA shop open.

Terry

 

[bwerb]

Diving will always have a limited number of participants simply due to the fact that the very act of breathing underwater terrifies a great number of people. The ocean itself terrifies a great many people (how many considering diving posts do we get here asking about sharks). Swimming itself is a major obstacle to many people...my sister-in-law hates putting her face in the water, I've met several people recently who never learned to swim, my dad is a great swimmer but the idea of going underwater to breathe is way too claustrophobic. "Gear" and "complicated training protocols" put off many people as well.

The ultimate reality is that there are a great number of things about our sport which the general population find to be reasons to smile and nod at our enjoyment but the act of participating themselves is not going to happen. Diving is a totally "unnatural" passtime in an alien world.

 

[*Floater*]

interesting. because of their business practices i've been having to buy grey market atomic regs, it would be nice to see this change...

o/t, but just curious whether you can get service kits and manuals too for atomics, or would you ever service them yourself?

 

[ReefHound]

I wasn't referring to expenses, I was referring to choices.

Sure, a millionaire can shop at Neiman Marcus and still go diving, however someone who makes 60K could do it too. The only difference is that they will need to make choices about where to spend their money.

There's no reason a person making 60K couldn't shop at NM and then not dive, or shop at WalMart and go diving.

The problem is that there is nothing a dive manufacturer can do about those choices. I think it would be a futile waste of resources for Oceanic to try to convince someone to quit shopping at Nieman Marcus and start shopping at Walmart so that they can afford to get into scuba. Or convince them to live in a smaller house, or drive a cheaper car, etc. The reasons behind people's lifestyle decisions are complex and often deep-rooted with how they perceive and esteem themselves. Discretionary income is what is available to spend after the essentials (food, clothing, and shelter). While one can always live more economical, one typically meets these essentials according to their standards and ability, then considers what remains as discretionary.

So while some other things may be taking dollars away from scuba, you are really only in competition with them if you have a reasonable chance of winning. It's called knowing how to pick your battles.