What can your LDS do to bring in more women divers?

[Manneca]

When I lived in Memphis, my LDS was owned by a woman. They stocked mostly AquaLung but had both men's and women's gear. They treated me like I knew what I wanted. They also had a pool so I could try out gear before I bought it (this I really loved). In Cleveland, my LDS is also owned by a woman and has lots of women customers. But I don't find it nearly as welcoming as the Memphis one.

No, I do not want pink gear. My wet suits are black, my BCD is black (with some sort of trim), my new mask has blue trim, my fins are clear. I want my gear to work properly. I really don't care how I look in the water. I'm not there to attract male attention. I'm there to dive.

30 years ago I walked into a car show room to buy a new car. I was with my then husband. The salesman talked exclusively to him. I left and told the salesman that he had just lost a sale. I was buying the car, not my husband. You'd think attitudes would have changed over a generation, but they haven't.

 

[jodylynn007]

The most important feature to me is good customer service. If I wasn't a diver I can't imagine anything that would draw me into a dive shop, but once I'm in there I appreciate a prompt greeting, full attention (not answering calls while in the middle of a conversation if possible - or telling the caller they'll call back), and prompt follow-up. I LOVE our LDS because of the great customer service. I'd like to see a larger space and more inventory, but I know the return on investment probably wouldn't justify it. Generally our dive shop is prompt, but the thing I appreciate the most is the genuine commitment to good customer service. The owner will take time to research something and get back to us to help us figure out which options to go with. Yes, we buy things online, but if I have gone to my LDS for information then I am committed to buying the product there even if I can get it cheaper online. I like to see pictures of dive locations but not of young, fit, buxom women spilling out of their wetsuits.

Btw, I would also like colorful or patterned wetsuits. I don't want camo, I'd like something that is easy to see under the water. I use yellow or pink wraps on my hoses and white fins - not for fashion but so that I'm easy to find. My dive buddy wears Force Fins so he's easy to pick out of a crowd of divers and I like that.

Oh, and I'd like wetsuits that are made to fit the female body - without having to pull our largest section (yes, our butts) through the smallest part of the wetsuit (the waistline - as if any of us are built like Elizabeth Taylor anyway!). Whose idiotic idea was it to do that anyway?!. But that's not a dive shop issue as much as a dive industry issue.

I agree with the above... as for suits with patterns, one reason I purchased my DUI drysuit (see my profile pic) is because I got to pick the pattern on it, it's a blue tribal/floral sort of design. No pick there, but looks pretty feminine and "pretty" to me. Would love a wetsuit that had more flair to it also.

As for a LDS, customer service gets my business. However where I dive in Vancouver, BC Canada, there are a LOT of female divers, maybe not 50/50, but for sure 40/60 I would think and lots of female staff at many of the dive shops. It's kind of nice to talk to a gal about things, but it's not necessary. I don't think much is necessary nowadays, other than being treated with respect.

 

[rivers]

What attracts me to a dive shop:
Do they have what I need? Yes, okay cool. No, but we can get it in for you and have it here in a few days. Brilliant
What keeps me going back to a dive shop?
Banter. And an overall good rapport with the owners/staff.

I've never been treated any differently in a dive shop than my male counterparts. Maybe I've been lucky.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Not too long ago, I saw a wetsuit on a gal that I liked and I complimented her on it. (Don't think I referred to it as cute cuz it wasn't it was cool). The suit was all black except for a pattern her and there of different sized circles, some may have been interlocking;none of them large. Yes, looked super-cool on the boat but was indistinguishable underwater.

Like kimbalala, I like to see something that can be used to identify divers at depth. In my case, it's probably my fins that standout or perhaps the stripe down the sleeves. My avatars picture was taken years ago and the sleeves on my suit were bright yellow. Fins didn't matter then.

Unlike kimbalala, I am built like Elizabeth Taylor . . . Not when she was young but hey . . .

 

[Diver0001]

Question: Which of the three places would get your business? What exactly can each of the above shops do to attract more female customers?

I'm not female but my answer would be, "I don't shop in dive shops". What is much MUCH more important to me than how the sales floor looks is that I can find what I need on the shop's website quickly and efficiently.

I may order online but I may also go pick it up if the shop where I want to buy something is close. In that case if they need to "order it" then there was literally no reason to go to the shop, even if they have a couch. When I do decide to buy something I do not want to delay gratification. Not even a little bit.

R..

 

[WetPup]

I'm not female but my answer would be, "I don't shop in dive shops". What is much MUCH more important to me than how the sales floor looks is that I can find what I need on the shop's website quickly and efficiently.

I may order online but I may also go pick it up if the shop where I want to buy something is close. In that case if they need to "order it" then there was literally no reason to go to the shop, even if they have a couch. When I do decide to buy something I do not want to delay gratification. Not even a little bit.

R..

And I think therein lies one major difference between male and female divers. Guys in general seem to be able to go in and find gear that's a reasonable fit. Females struggle with this due to limited options. Buying online often causes a merry-go-round of having to return things that are a poor fit. This more than anything is the reason I prefer to be able to go into a shop to physically try on wetsuits and bcd's before buying. Other dive gear I'm perfectly happy to purchase online - just not wetsuits or bcd's.

 

[Nettie-NZ]

I'll go with the shop that is:
A) Friendly and welcoming
B) Doesn't assume that when I walk in with my other half that I'm the non-diver ('cos he's the one that doesn't dive)
C) Once they have got their head around the idea that it's short curvy mature female that is the diver, that they don't assume that I only want pink gear.

This could be any of those shops described - although more likely to be Shop A or B, because the appearance of Shop C doesn't score highly on the first impression of 'Friendly and Welcoming' for most females.

 

[Mia Toose]

It's much simpler than that, the LDS that has a range women's gear on hand in multiple sizes is always the winner for women. That and listening to and treating women customers as divers not "girlfriends and wives of divers."

Imagine the most organized, welcoming store full of gear not made to fit you properly, displaying a full range of men's BC, wetsuits, etc. and the afterthought of one or two SAP (small and pink) versions for women...with sales people knowledgable on everything they sell and happy to say...oh we could order a women's version for you. Would you bother? Nope. You might as well do your own research and order gear online.

The LDS where I buy and service my gear is 2.5 hours away and I go to them because they carry a range of women's gear and most importantly they have always listened to me like a customer. How they answered questions on a phone call got me to make the drive and I've been a loyal customer since.

Yup.

 

[Mia Toose]

When I first became a scuba diver in 2001 I was so excited and all but ran to dive shops looking for tips and new friends; however, I consistently met with arrogance and all kinds of machismo b.s. that I had to weed through to get the info I was looking for. Even by the female divers working in the shops. As an instructor, I went to a dive shop once to exchange a BCD that did not work for me for teaching scuba diving and the salesperson basically told me my needs were wrong. Shocking.

Part of my motivation to design Truli Wetsuits was due to these experiences. I've devoted a lot of time in my image and branding of my business to appeal to women in an approachable way. People have been very generous in offering to connect me with local dive shops to see if they may be interested in putting my wetsuit in their shop, but I have been very sceptical b/c of my past experience.

My wetsuit does not look like a mainstream wetsuit, even though it functions like one. And I couldn't see that LDS would be able to branch away from a traditional way of thinking to offer something like Truli to their women divers. So, I can tell you that I was pleasantly surprised when Aquarius Scuba in Toronto sought me out to purchase some Truli Wetsuits for their retail store.

These days I'm keeping an eye out for those LDS who keep an open-mind and pay attention to customer's needs. Whether it be to offer a variety of products to meet those needs or possess contacts to bring in items in a timely manner. And the most important is amazing customer service to every person who walks through the door or connects with you. I've always been a very loyal customer because of those things and that's what will keep me walking through your door, sending customers your way, and continuing doing business with you.

 

[drrich2]

"It's much simpler than that, the LDS that has a range women's gear on hand in multiple sizes is always the winner for women.That and listening to and treating women customers as divers not "girlfriends and wives of divers."

Got a follow question on the male vs. female customer demographic on the issue of of having a 'range of gear.' Let's say you've got 2 otherwise similar shops, one in Town A with a mostly male customer base, one in Town B with a mostly female customer base, same size, # of local customers, etc...

Is Town B doing to need to keep a larger range of gear (I'm talking color, designs, mainly wearable fashions) than Town A?

Looked at from another perspective, is the male customer base pretty 'easy to please' with black wet suits, maybe with a choice of some red or blue trip if available, no special need for patterns/designs, etc...? Does a substantial portion of the female customer base differ in this regard?

Richard.