Outdoor gear suppliers

[blacksheep]

Hi Gary,
Hmmm...Fair enough... I'm sure however two bites of the cherry taste better than one..Anyhoo, we are good neighbours now in a ChCh and Welly-it makes the strip better for all!
By the way- are you one of the Bivouac 3 that we used to see every morning back when my whole team and your crew downed tools for caffeine at C1 @ 10.30?
Funny we never said hi then, yet we speak here on a forum eh?

[Ent]

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[Franco]

Brett
As they say, nothing succeeds like success, and that is part of the Kathmandu philosophy, to make their store "look " successful and "fun" (well full of apparent bargains) at sale time. Note how crates of stuff appear and disappear according to the "sales" schedule.
One way that never failed to attract customers (for me) was to dismantle part of the shop ,an entire wall display works best. People love to come in and find out what is going on. As they do they encourage others to do so....
So , in my mind, it has a lot to do with creating fun and enthusiasm. Sadly that is lacking in most retail stores. People love the human contact, to be "called by name" and they are prepared to pay for that. Ho w often do you see that in a store?
Richard Branson is one that has figured that out and applied that to his business.
Not easy, but possible.
That is how retailer here should try to compete. Price ? not likely. The cheapest place to buy an Hilleberg is the US, one of the most expensive is Scandinavia... Some in the UK have risked paying import taxes and duties to save the $150/250 from US shops.
Same for most outdoor gear. What we pay here is very comparable with Europe and Japan, if they can't do it how can we ?
Franco
All camera brands have lost customers by switching mounts (no choice really) . Canon were brave enogh to do it first, Nikon fiddled for a few years and lost the entire sport and newspaper market (well most of it)

[corvus]

What exactly are you guys trying to achieve Human nature will prevail "if I can get the same thing cheaper from wherever I will regardless would be the norm" unless I am mistaken.
c

[Son of a Beach]

it has a lot to do with creating fun and enthusiasm. Sadly that is lacking in most retail stores. People love the human contact, to be "called by name" and they are prepared to pay for that. Ho w often do you see that in a store?

So true. I've never been a big drinker, but I do enjoy a little here and there. There was a stage when I would visit the local pub just down the road at least once a week, and one of the reasons I kept going there was that when I walked in the door, the bartender (and business owner) recognised me, called me by name, and had a beer for me on the bar before I got there. Obviously that's good service, but it also gives a young bloke a bloated sense of ego.

[Taurë-rana]

What exactly are you guys trying to achieve Human nature will prevail "if I can get the same thing cheaper from wherever I will regardless would be the norm" unless I am mistaken.
c

Not necessarily always, I'll be more likely to buy something a bit more expensive from a shop where the sales people have been friendly and helpful than where the item is cheapest but the service is poor. If I could buy a Hilleberg tent here from a friendly local shop and it wasn't several 100 dollars more than getting overseas I would. My favourite coffee shop is even more so now they welcome me there by name and don't have to ask what I want, so I rend to agree with Franco in this case, although usually I am somewhat cynical about people in general as well.

[reindeer]

I'm amazed at the discussion generated from my first post to this forum. Obvioiusly I am not alone.

I don't have a major axe to grind. I just have a memory (from not too long ago) of outdoor gear retail shops that were jam-packed from floor to ceiling with high quality gear, staffed by salespeople who new their stuff and had plenty of experience......... a far cry from the outdoor 'supermarkets' we see today.

[Son of a Beach]

No worries reindeer, it was just inusal for a first post. Welcome to the site in any case.

[the_camera_poser]

I think the biggest problem out there is not gonig to be chinese knock-off stuff, but rather competition from Internet dealers. In my current purchase of stuff, the vast majority of things are coming from the Net, and before the closing sale at Backpacker's Barn, all of it bar my pack was coming from there. That's the biggest risk local dealers have to contend with. Examples:

-WE Karijini Pack- purchased here for $490, purchased online for $43 from a shop in WA.

-Coleman Exponent Phad X3 Tent- unavailable here, the next model down in a 3P is over $300, I purchased the model I wanted for $200 from Gosford.

-Sleeping Bags- don't even get me started- compare the price of a Western Mountaineering bag at Paddy Pallin to one from Backcountry or Moosejaw. Same goes for Exped down mats.

I'll buy my pack locally, so I can get it fitted and adjusted with help, and also as I have harassed the good folks at the store enought to justify the difference in price, but as for the rest of it, the difference in price means that by going Net I CAN afford this hobby, whereas by sticking to local shops, there's no way I could.

[walkinTas]

I prefer to buy locally (or at least within Australia) for a number of reasons. I avoid international freight hassles and customs issues, and if there is a problem with the product I can return it (with the protection of Australian law). Warranty is often easier with a local product too. Some products (e.g. boots) as best purchased if you can try them on/out first. Edit: Also genuine local knowledge and product knowledge when available can be worth paying a few dollars extra.

However, I love the convenience of shopping online. Instead of spending hours walking from one shop to another I can click and compare multiple products.

A personal opinion, but I think that Australian companies in general are missing out on online sales. Time and time again I'll be searching for a product and I'll end up overseas because there simply isn't an Australian website. Try googling with site:au in the search and you often still end up with a USA store. Sites like Sierratradingpost are well designed, easy to search and accept Paypal. Aussie sites are harder to find and often either don't accept Paypal, or don't sell online at all, but simply refer you to a retail outlet.

The online sales concept is well established and there are plenty of IT companies who can set up the technology (website, barcoding, database, banking interface). Light weight bushwalking gear can be easily packaged and distributed through say Australia Post, and so is perfect for online sales. If retailers don't step up and provide the convenience of online shopping then the customer will find alternatives. Modern buyers are computer literate and savvy enough to compare products, find the right equipment and seek out bargains.