6 Tips to Help Specialist Retailers in the hunting and target sports industry Stay on Top in Tough Times

The demand for hunting equipment has changed significantly in recent years. During the pandemic, interest in outdoor activities increased, leading to a boom. However, this trend leveled off and was further impacted by global conflicts. Despite these challenges, the demand for high-quality hunting equipment remains relatively stable. Outdoor retailers must now focus on managing their stock levels and maintaining their customer relationships in order to continue to be successful.

3 men look at shotgun and discuss. — Successful in the outdoor business: tips and trends for suppliers of hunting equipment.

Market conditions for specialist outdoor retailers over the last five years have been a roller coaster ride. First off, we had the pandemic, which after a short pause in any trading, resulted in a huge surge of interest in outdoor pursuits. Hunting, shooting, and outdoor retailers suddenly struggled to keep up with insane increases in demand as their potential customer bases grew exponentially. This surge could never last forever. Things levelled off and then came major global conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. This has caused that huge surge in sales of outdoor products to not only plateau but actually start to shrink as global uncertainty causes people to be more cautious with their spending. When things look rocky in global markets, people tend to like to keep their money hoarded.

But all is not lost, demand for hunting and shooting products still remains relatively high. Outdoor speciality retailers in these sectors are made of tough stuff, and they are working hard to remain relevant, helpful, and important in their customers’ minds. Challenges facing them include having too much stock left over from the boom, needing to spend a little more time and energy persuading customers to spend, and ensuring smooth relationships remain with the manufacturers and suppliers they work with. It’s somewhat of a minefield, but not an impassable one. There are many steps hunting, shooting, and outdoor stores can take to stay on top during these uncertain times.

Develop Your Storytelling

It’s easy to get bogged down in technical details when you are a retailer of speciality products for outdoor pursuits such as shooting and hunting. What is the twist rate of that rifle barrel? How many millimetres is that objective lens? How many layers does that Gore-Tex jacket have? Sometimes, the best way to emphasise the technical details of a product you’re trying to sell is by telling a story around it. Humans love stories – we are inspired and influenced by them – so try to think of ways you can use stories of your customers or staff using products and how it made their experiences better. How about a hiker who mastered a challenging tour thanks to certain items of equipment he or she used? Or a hunter who tagged their biggest buck thanks to certain gear? Stories like these can create trust and authenticity in a product.

Differentiate Yourself

Try to find what makes your store unique, and if you can’t find that thing then try to come up with one. Do you specialise in a certain type of hunting? Does a famous sporting shooter regularly use your shop? Is your gun fitting service the best in the business? Are you an advocate for stocking, supporting, and promoting sustainable and ethically made products? Whatever it might be, if you can carve out a narrative that shows you do things differently in your store, that could eventually become an attraction to customers – you will become known for it. Finding a way to stand out from the crowd will not only make you more interesting to customers but will also give you a clear plan for your own marketing and communication strategies.

Stay in Tune With What’s New

No matter how tight their budgets, people are always interested in new products. As a retailer, if you stay abreast of new developments and innovations and communicate them clearly to your customer base, you are always sure to be on good footing. Whether it’s a new style of shotgun barrel that provides more accurate shot patterns for sporting shooters, cutting-edge night vision that gives hunters the upper hand in dark conditions, or a new apparel material that provides incredible protection from the elements in a lightweight package – new gear turns heads. Ensure you read magazines, check the social media pages of the brands you sell, and visit trade shows to keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to new products. You could even develop specific point-of-sale displays in your outlet specifically for the newest launches and update them once a month.

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Consultation situation between 3 men at the Glock stand — Successful in the outdoor business: tips and trends for suppliers of hunting equipment.

Be More Than Just a Shop

One of the key things you can do to stand out with your customers and gain their trust, loyalty, and hard-earned money is to be more than simply just a retailer. By dictionary definition, a retailer is a person or company that sells goods – but you can be so much more than that and sell a lot more as a result. The outdoor industry is unique in that it’s a tight-knit community, full of like-minded people who love to share their passion with fellow enthusiasts. If you can make your outlet a place where this community loves to gather and be actively involved, you will reap the rewards. Simple things such as weekly coffee mornings, summer barbecue gatherings, ticketed events with raffles and fundraising, hosting talks or presentations, or organising group activities or shoots can really help cement your place as much more than just a shop. Aim to become the meeting place for your like-minded customers.

Don’t drop marketing

When cash flow becomes tight, one of the first things to be cut is often the marketing budget. As a retailer, marketing may not seem like the most efficient use of funds when you have overheads and other bills to pay. But marketing is still a vital part of being a successful retailer, especially in speciality markets such as hunting or shooting. If funds are a bit tighter than usual, it’s better to come up with more creative marketing strategies that work with your new smaller budget, rather than cutting it altogether. Some examples of potentially more affordable marketing strategies include working with prominent social media influencers to give your store better exposure, getting involved in local community or charity events to show that your store cares about the local area, or simply taking stock of your current marketing activities and trimming out the ones not delivering returns.

Visit IWA OutdoorClassics

This might seem like a shameless self-plug for an article appearing on the IWA OutdoorClassics website, but attending Europe’s biggest exhibition for the shooting, hunting, and outdoor industries is one of the best ways to fill your head with new ideas and your heart with new enthusiasm. Where better to see what new trends are occurring than by browsing the wares of more than 1,000 different exhibitors from all over the world? Where else can you come up with solutions to problems than a show that attracts more than 40,000 visitors from the industry – many of whom are fellow retailers or experts in their fields? That’s before we mention any of the seminars, talks, and activities that you can take part in during the show to help get ideas to take your business to the next level. IWA is the perfect place for getting concrete business leads, as well as doing plenty of ‘big picture’ thinking for your specialist outdoor retail outlet.