5 Takeaways From NSSF’s 2023
Marketing & Leadership Summit

More than 200 manufacturers, dealers, wholesalers and marketers descended upon the “Heartbeat of the Lowcountry” for the 2023 NSSF Marketing & Leadership Summit held May 8-10 at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District.

This year’s speakers and panelists included firearms industry executives, non-profit leaders, internationally acclaimed business consultants, inspirational adventure racing world champion Robyn Benincasa and more.

After two full days of insights, education and networking opportunities, several common threads emerged. Here are five that caught our attention.

1. Independent Retailers Have An Advantage

While competing with big-box and online-only retailers can sometimes feel like an impossible feat, Rob Southwick and Ben Scuderi of Southwick Associates delivered a message of hope for independent retailers.

The NSSF First-Time Buyers Report indicated new firearm customers are one-third more likely to prefer independent retailers compared to buyers of additional firearms, and much less likely to purchase online.

To attract new customers, independent dealers should promote their knowledge, the ability to find a firearm with the best fit, one-on-one in-person expert attention, particularly as it pertains to the legal paperwork and other services not available elsewhere.

2. A Sale Is Not The End Point

Dealers should also consider all stages of the purchase process — from before a prospective customer ever walks into their store to after they walk out of the front doors with a purchase in hand.

With more than half of first-time buyers reading online reviews, articles and/or blogs and 98% reporting having researched firearms before ever visiting a store, consider whether your web presence provides the answers they’re searching for.

Once at the store, one-third reported being greeted poorly or not greeted at all, contributing to feelings of being nervous, uncertain or intimidated. But say you manage to make a sale, what happens next? Perhaps the most interesting statistic from day one — while less than 10% of first-time gun buyers expected some kind of follow-up from their retailer, 80% of them were, in fact, contacted. Of those contacted, 95% revisited the retailer.

A full summary of the First-Time Buyers Report will be released at the 2023 NSSF Range-Retailer Business Expo, taking place July 10-12 in Milwaukee.

3. Inclusion Is Key To Future Growth

Another takeaway we’ve heard about for quite some time is how diverse the new generation of firearms buyers is. But during his presentation, John Annoni argued the industry should focus more on inclusion than diversity.

Annoni is an educator, gun rights advocate, outdoor mentor and activist, and author of “From the Hood to the Woods.” One of the tenets of Camp Compass Academy, a non-profit he founded to introduce urban, middle and high school students to various outdoor activities, is to “camouflage our differences.”

Diversity, or the “D” word as Annoni referred to it, often results in checking boxes for the sake of checking boxes — particularly when it comes to race or gender. What existing gun owners should be doing is asking themselves whether they’re open and welcoming to those who not only look different than themselves but also those from different economic backgrounds, with different abilities and even differing political views.

4. Tell Better Stories

In a leadership panel moderated by NSSF President Joe Bartozzi and featuring Carol Craighead (CrossBreed Holsters), Mark Emonet (Lipsey’s) and Bret Vorhees (Taurus USA), panelists shared how the current challenges facing the industry and the growth opportunities ahead.

“The Second Amendment is being attacked, but that’s not new,” said Bartozzi. “However, now they’re coming at it by first attacking the First Amendment.”

“We’re in a big fight politically, increasing discrimination and making our lives more difficult” said Vorhees. “We need a unified fight as an industry.”

Bartozzi encouraged attendees to shift the narrative by collectively being better storytellers.

“We always only hear the negative when it comes to guns,” he said. “If we were any other industry, we’d be touted as a success story for all the lives we’ve saved and changed.”

Through programs and initiatives like Project Childsafe, “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy,” and the AFSP-NSSF Suicide Prevention Program Toolkit, the firearm industry has distributed 100+ million free safety kits that include a cable-style lock for safely storing firearms, partnered with 15,000+ law enforcement agencies to keep guns out of the wrong hands, and worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and American Foundation on Suicide Prevention to help prevent suicide among U.S. Veterans.

Additionally, the excise tax on sporting arms, ammunition, pistols, revolvers and archery equipment generates over $600 million annually for wildlife conservation and restoration.

“If we don’t talk about the positives, all everyone will continue to hear is the negative,” Bartozzi said.

5. Survival Of The Most Innovative

Despite the challenges facing the industry, all three panelists are optimistic about the future.

“The industry is more dynamic than it’s ever been before,” said Vorhees. “And if you aren’t innovating, you’re losing market share.”

Craighead echoed his sentiment by stressing the importance of listening.

“In 2016, women made up 6% of our customer base. That figure grew to more than 30% in 2022,” she said. “All we did was listen to women. Their needs are complex and can change often based on their lifestyle or what they’re wearing. They may be in a dress one day and yoga pants the next.”

Products such as CrossBreed’s Modular Belly Band 2.0 Package, Liberty Band and Purse Defender were the direct result of listening to those needs.

Earlier in the day, World Champion Adventure Racer and Guinness World Record Endurance Kayaker Robyn Benincasa shared the following advice on how to think outside the box and overcome challenges:

“Operate in the white space. Don’t focus on what’s in the rules, but think about what isn’t,” she said.

Save The Date

If you’re a forward-thinking dealer, marketer or industry executive, consider attending the 2024 Marketing & Leadership Summit. It will be held May 7-9 at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

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