ScubaPro Annual Service

[ams511]

So to recap a new diving business model:
Online sales, Online service, air club or use the destination's air (if available), and independent instructors. I know it is simplistic and dive stores will never and should never go away but I think there will be some changes and a reduction in stores. Certainly all of the big mail order houses like DRIS, Scuba Toys, Cave Adventurers, and even Leisurepro are dive shops. But I think smaller shops will have a hard time competing.

 

[Insta-Gator]

In-store sales alone will not keep the doors open for long. I don't pretend to know the answers, but my opinion is that local, landlocked shops need to analyze their customer needs and to focus on that narrowed market. If they do not/can not know their customer needs then they are dead already.

Sent from my ADR6350 using my Fumble Thumbs

 

[ams511]

In-store sales alone will not keep the doors open for long. I don't pretend to know the answers, but my opinion is that local, landlocked shops need to analyze their customer needs and to focus on that narrowed market. If they do not/can not know their customer needs then they are dead already.

Sent from my ADR6350 using my Fumble Thumbs

Landlocked shops need to keep their customers diving. That is job #1, because if they are no longer diving they are no longer customers.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Landlocked shops for the most part seem to do pretty well with a second co-located business. For example, I know a shop in South Dakota 50 miles from the nearest diveable water that has been very successful for 30 plus years as it's co-located with the owner's hobby store. Another extremely important factor in the success of the shop is that the owner has superb people skills and is the kind of guy who will recognize you and call you by name after a 5 years absence, even if you only used to stop by every few months before then. Landlocked shops also tend to focus more on traveling divers with recreational and technical diving trips as that's where the revue is often at.

Unfortunately, many LDS owners are LDS owners because they were divers who wanted a place to hang out when not diving - as such they often are not good business people, nor do they always have great people/sales skills.

 

[ams511]

I would say that most (not all) LDS owners are not very good business people. I know of one shop here in Miami that I go to where the owner just doesn't understand the concept of parking.