If outdoor retail sales fail to pick up this month or next, it won’t be from lack of publicity about the great experiences awaiting American families in the great outdoors. From Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to the marketing gurus at The North Face, outdoor advocates are taking the offensive to pitch camping and hiking as a great way to recreate this summer.
A host of events is generating publicity about outdoor excursions and opportunities this summer, which should help drive traffic into stores. Retailers can read some tips for preparing in this WebNews article published in April.
A partial list in chronological order includes:
Great Outdoors Month (June): President Barack Obama and more than half of America’s governors have proclaimed June Great Outdoors Month. The proclamations were urged by a coalition of dozens of recreation and conservation organizations, many of which coordinate special events held during June, including National Trails Day, National Fishing and Boating Week, National Get Outdoors Day and the Great American Backyard Campout.
TNF Launches National Camping Month (June): The North Face designated June National Camping Month and said its stores would offer free clinics to inspire customers to get outdoors. TNF partnered with Travelocity to present Explore Moab, a sweepstakes which gives people a chance to win a grand prize trip for two to Moab, including airfare, lodging, meals and guided hikes and tours and a $2,000 TNF gif card.
National Trails Day (June 6): The American Hiking Society expects participation to match last year, when partners organized 1,112 events that drew more than 100,000 participants, including 30,000 volunteers who donated 160,000 hours working on 421 trail projects. Press interest in the events seems to be on the rise, said Margie Cohen, director of marketing and development for the society. She said it’s unclear whether that is due to greater interest in the outdoors or new partnerships with the YMCA, the Boy Scouts of America and the Girls Scouts of America. The bulk of the events occurred June 6, but more are planned for the balance of the month.
National Get Outdoors Day (June 13): Saturday is National Get Outdoors Day, organized by the American Recreation Coalition, and targets outdoor neophytes, including urban families who rarely engage in outdoor activities. This year the event will hold more events in urban parks and work more closely with church youth groups and urban youth service organizations to attract kids. National sponsors include the U.S. Forest Service, Clif Bar and The Coleman Company. A full list of partners, including Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s and REI, and a list of all 59 event locations for this year can be found at nationalgetoutdoorsday.org.
Fee-free Weekends in the National Parks (June – August): Last week Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the National Park Service (NPS) will offer three fee-free weekends this summer to encourage Americans seeking affordable vacations to visit national parks. The 147 of 391 NPS Sites nationwide that charge fees for entry will waive them on June 20 through 21 (Father’s Day weekend), July 18 through 19 and August 15 through 16. For a list of those parks, click here. Many parks will be giving away free reusable shopping bags and offering free digital portraits during these weekends, while concessionaires will be offering discounts and promotions to generate traffic. At Glacier National Park, for instance, Swan Mountain Outfitters will offer $5 to $10 off certain horseback riding packages.
Great American Backyard Campout (June 27): The National Wildlife Foundation has designated June 27 for this annual event, which offers people organizing a camp out of 16 or more people to use organizing tools on its web site. The National Wildlife Federation encourages parents and kids alike to trade their website for a campsite and screen time for green time, according to a media advisory
Showing posts with label outdoor apparel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outdoor apparel. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Retail - NPD’s Economy Tracker Shows More Consumers Plan to Increase Purchasing
The latest information from leading market research company The NPD Group, Inc. shows a continued upward trend in consumer purchase intentions.
NPD’s Retail Response Indicator rose 4.5 points, from 39.5 points in April to 43.9 points in May. This is a continuation of the upward trend first seen from March to April. The Retail Response indicator measures consumer spending intentions on a 0 to 100 scale, with 0 representing “Reduce or Spend Less” and 100 representing “Spend More.”
“The continued increase suggests that stabilization is holding,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc. “We are seeing consumers move toward replacement and replenishment purchasing and these are the kinds of purchases that would indicate we have taken the first step toward recovery.” Cohen added, “It is also important to note that the longer stabilization holds the more solid the foundation on which we can build a strong recovery.”
Survey respondents continued to show less concern about the security of their jobs. Once again, the percentage of those feeling “very concerned” about the security of their job or income dropped.
“While consumers are still registering concern about their jobs, overall their concerns are diminishing. And as concerns about job security diminish, retail sales continue to stabilize,” noted Cohen.
NPD’s Retail Response Indicator rose 4.5 points, from 39.5 points in April to 43.9 points in May. This is a continuation of the upward trend first seen from March to April. The Retail Response indicator measures consumer spending intentions on a 0 to 100 scale, with 0 representing “Reduce or Spend Less” and 100 representing “Spend More.”
“The continued increase suggests that stabilization is holding,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc. “We are seeing consumers move toward replacement and replenishment purchasing and these are the kinds of purchases that would indicate we have taken the first step toward recovery.” Cohen added, “It is also important to note that the longer stabilization holds the more solid the foundation on which we can build a strong recovery.”
Survey respondents continued to show less concern about the security of their jobs. Once again, the percentage of those feeling “very concerned” about the security of their job or income dropped.
“While consumers are still registering concern about their jobs, overall their concerns are diminishing. And as concerns about job security diminish, retail sales continue to stabilize,” noted Cohen.
Retail - April Outdoor Sales Indicate Declines Easing,
Retail sales for all core outdoor stores combined (chain, internet, specialty)* grew 2% compared to last April, moving from $339M to $347M, according to the most recent edition of The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Outdoor Topline Report, produced for OIA by the Leisure Trends Group. Sales for the four months of the year totaled $1.4B, down 5% from the same period in 2008.
Outdoor Chain – Shoppers ReturnAccording to the OIA Outdoor Topline Report, chain stores saw sales surge 20% in units and 18% in dollars. Every major product category (equipment, equipment accessories, apparel and footwear) and most sub-categories gained. Products that appeal to families and car campers fared especially well. Recreation tent sales shot ahead of last April by 78% in units and 64% in dollars. Sun shelters were up 88% in units and three-season recreation tents, retailing for $124, jumped 71%. Synthetic fill rectangular bags, retailing for $32, increased 82% in units whereas the more technical synthetic mummy bags, at $99 retail, grew 31%.
Outdoor Specialty – Declines Slowing But Not Yet ReversingIn specialty stores, April declines were not as severe as in past months, as total sales fell 1% in units and 4% in dollars compared to April 2008. So far this year, all specialty unit sales declined 6% and dollars fell 10%. Each major product category (equipment, equipment accessories, apparel and footwear) saw single-digit declines compared to last April. There were bright spots this month, too, as synthetic sleeping bags, medium-sized packs, climbing gear, multisport shoes, hiking boots and various equipment accessory categories posted gains.
Outdoor Internet – Retail Prices Rise, Units Fall as Online Retailers Reign in Clearance ProductInternet sales totaled $54M this month, falling 20% in units, rising 4% in average retail-selling price and dropping 17% in dollars. All year, Internet sales have been sporadic, up 35% in January on huge carryover sales, down 9% in February, back up 14% in March and now down 17% in April. Higher retail-selling prices across many categories coupled with dramatically smaller carryover sales (defined as old and/or discontinued merchandise) point to either a lack of available merchandise and/or online retailers reigning in the amount of rock-bottom clearance priced product they are offering. If this is the case, total sales may have fallen but profit per turn might go up.
Hands-on Hydration Reaching Plateau?Hands-on hydration, consisting mostly of water bottles, is now an $89M category across all store channels in the current rolling year. However, the category seems to be reaching the height of its growth, after a meteoric rise. While still up 15% and 28% in specialty-store units and dollars so far this year, the hands-on hydration category dropped 10% in units and 2% in dollars in specialty stores compared to April 2008. The category plunged 54% in online units and 57% in dollars from last April, while still seeing growth in chains. Looking at all three store channels together, total units were flat in April and dollars grew 5% on a 5% increase in retail price. Still, with $6.9M in total April sales and $22M YTD, the category is a long way away from the 2006 totals of just $2M in April and $6M in the January – April YTD period.
Paddlesports – Canoes Bright Spot for AprilCore paddlesport stores (specialty, chain, internet) brought in $36M in April and $86M so far in 2009, dropping 1% and 3%, respectively, against the same period last year. While all boats, with $21M this month, dropped 2% in both units and dollars, both recreation kayaks and canoes gained steam compared to last April. Recreation kayaks with an average retail price of $769, up 7% from last April, gained 3% in overall dollars for an April total of $11.2M. Canoes gained 5% in units, 4% in retail price and 9% in total dollars this month.
Outdoor Chain – Shoppers ReturnAccording to the OIA Outdoor Topline Report, chain stores saw sales surge 20% in units and 18% in dollars. Every major product category (equipment, equipment accessories, apparel and footwear) and most sub-categories gained. Products that appeal to families and car campers fared especially well. Recreation tent sales shot ahead of last April by 78% in units and 64% in dollars. Sun shelters were up 88% in units and three-season recreation tents, retailing for $124, jumped 71%. Synthetic fill rectangular bags, retailing for $32, increased 82% in units whereas the more technical synthetic mummy bags, at $99 retail, grew 31%.
Outdoor Specialty – Declines Slowing But Not Yet ReversingIn specialty stores, April declines were not as severe as in past months, as total sales fell 1% in units and 4% in dollars compared to April 2008. So far this year, all specialty unit sales declined 6% and dollars fell 10%. Each major product category (equipment, equipment accessories, apparel and footwear) saw single-digit declines compared to last April. There were bright spots this month, too, as synthetic sleeping bags, medium-sized packs, climbing gear, multisport shoes, hiking boots and various equipment accessory categories posted gains.
Outdoor Internet – Retail Prices Rise, Units Fall as Online Retailers Reign in Clearance ProductInternet sales totaled $54M this month, falling 20% in units, rising 4% in average retail-selling price and dropping 17% in dollars. All year, Internet sales have been sporadic, up 35% in January on huge carryover sales, down 9% in February, back up 14% in March and now down 17% in April. Higher retail-selling prices across many categories coupled with dramatically smaller carryover sales (defined as old and/or discontinued merchandise) point to either a lack of available merchandise and/or online retailers reigning in the amount of rock-bottom clearance priced product they are offering. If this is the case, total sales may have fallen but profit per turn might go up.
Hands-on Hydration Reaching Plateau?Hands-on hydration, consisting mostly of water bottles, is now an $89M category across all store channels in the current rolling year. However, the category seems to be reaching the height of its growth, after a meteoric rise. While still up 15% and 28% in specialty-store units and dollars so far this year, the hands-on hydration category dropped 10% in units and 2% in dollars in specialty stores compared to April 2008. The category plunged 54% in online units and 57% in dollars from last April, while still seeing growth in chains. Looking at all three store channels together, total units were flat in April and dollars grew 5% on a 5% increase in retail price. Still, with $6.9M in total April sales and $22M YTD, the category is a long way away from the 2006 totals of just $2M in April and $6M in the January – April YTD period.
Paddlesports – Canoes Bright Spot for AprilCore paddlesport stores (specialty, chain, internet) brought in $36M in April and $86M so far in 2009, dropping 1% and 3%, respectively, against the same period last year. While all boats, with $21M this month, dropped 2% in both units and dollars, both recreation kayaks and canoes gained steam compared to last April. Recreation kayaks with an average retail price of $769, up 7% from last April, gained 3% in overall dollars for an April total of $11.2M. Canoes gained 5% in units, 4% in retail price and 9% in total dollars this month.
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