a strong draw

While the COVID-19 pandemic chilled much of the nation’s economy, many sectors of the outdoor retailing market have been ablaze. Notably, bowhunting and basic archery gear is flying out of many stores with midrange and high-end gear driving sales, according to retailers with whom we spoke.

Mark Copeland, manager of Jay’s Sporting Goods in Gaylord, Mich., said archery sales are soaring in the Midwest. January 2021 sales at Jay’s were up more than 200% compared to January 2020.

“COVID really pushed people outside,” Copeland said. “Every category in my store is up.”

Randy Phillips, owner of Archery Headquarters in Chandler, Ariz., is also seeing robust traffic.

“For some segment of the customer base budget will always be a concern, but since the coronavirus situation, I’ve been selling more higher-end pieces of equipment than I would expect to be selling in a typical season,” Phillips said.

He is seeing many first-time buyers — with some raving about the fun they had shooting bows while camping with new friends.

“They enjoyed the recreational shooting so much the entire family comes in and gets outfitted with bows,” he shared.

These new consumers are split almost evenly between buying midrange to high-end products, Phillips noted.

“Hunters don’t mind spending the money for quality products, especially if the company backs the product.”

Brian Clark, Owner B&B Archery Pearl, Miss.

“I think these are the people who also probably bought an RV, bought a truck — people with some wherewithal,” he suggested.

Another significant pandemic-driven development, Phillips believes, is reengagement with people who consider themselves bowhunters but haven’t hunted in years.

“That crowd bought high-end bows — a bunch of them. They may have been away for 5 to 10 years, but when they came back, they went all in,” he said.

Copeland and Phillips are members of the Archery Trade Association’s governing board. Jay’s is a full-spectrum outdoors retailer. Archery Headquarters, a 7,000 sq. ft. operation, is more of a mom-and-pop business, with Phillips’ wife Gladys helping at the store alongside a couple of employees.

In Pearl, Miss., husband-and-wife team Brian and Becky Clark own B&B Archery, another mom-and-pop shop. In April, they moved from a 4,100 sq. ft. location to a new 10,000 sq. ft. retail space augmented with a 3,000 sq. ft. range. They hope the expansion solidifies their position as a go-to archery retailer in south-central Mississippi where hunters comprise 90% of their business.

Good, Better, Best Options

All three retailers agree bow products stratify along these lines: $500 and below represents entry level; $1,000 and up is high-end; everything in between is midrange. Clark adds price differentiation is even keener when classifying accessories, with a gap much larger than seen with bows. He pegs $1,000 to $3,000 as high-end, $300 to $100 as midrange and anything under $100 as a “value” line.

Copeland calls it a “good, better, best” proposition, adding, “We sell a fair amount of midrange products. You get what you pay for.”

Still, the surge in high-end sales surprised Copeland.

“When we went to tradeshows a couple years ago, the Ravin crossbow wasn’t even on our radar and we sell a significant number of crossbows. Everyone was raving about this new, narrow-profile Ravin,” he said. “We wondered who would drop that kind of money on a bow, but then Ravin became our number-one crossbow by a longshot the same year. There was no shortage of money in a customer’s pocket if there was something innovative and different.”

Brian Clark said the allure of high-end accessories surprises him. “I never thought people would buy a sight for $1,000, but I was wrong! Maybe because we are a specialty shop people are looking for more high-end equipment. There is a market for anything to improve the odds of a successful hunt, no matter the costs. Hunters don’t mind spending the money for quality products, especially if the company backs the product,” he asserted.

Phillips is in agreement, noting some bowhunting junkies readily upgrade whenever something comes along to up their game. High-end aside, though, Phillips is high on the “startling developments” he is seeing in midrange products and expects 2021 to be a good year.

“Bow manufacturers have really stepped-up their midrange game. They may have raised the price $100, but the equipment you’re getting in the range is amazing, drawing much closer to what you usually see in high-end gear. The performance of the midrange base bows is incredible. They’re faster, smoother, quieter, lighter. They are killing it!” he pronounced.

Hoyt’s Torrex (MSRP $599–$699) is a bow Phillips sees gaining strong traction. “It has a great value point and delivers excellent performance,” he said. Another top midrange offering is PSE’s Drive NXT (retailing for about $699).

“The midrange products really beefed up the quality of the components, well above what you saw just a few years ago,” Phillips observed.

MidRange Opportunities

Clark believes most manufacturers do a good job of offering products across the range of price options. Savvy retailers cannot only guide consumers to a sale, but they can also use a bow’s resale value as a selling point.

For example, he said, “Mathews bows hold their value. A bow purchased 15 years ago for $700 will bring $450 today. Equipment able to last and hold value is important.”

Even with some of the price hikes over the years, Clark said consumers can find many nice, midrange setups for under $1,000.

According to Copeland, independent of package-bow options, retailers can meet some customer needs by selling more basic bows, perhaps at a lower price point, and then accessorizing with midrange options, such as optics, rests and releases. Adding accessories like T.R.U. Ball releases or AXCEL sights offer good midrange upgrades for customers.

“There’s no way I’m going to beat Amazon. We’re service driven. We help determine customer decisions and we drive product, but those products have to be functional and work well.”

Randy Phillips, Owner Archery Headquarters Chandler, Ariz.

With crossbows, Copeland suggests differences in construction and component quality can be significant between entry-level and midrange points. Triggers, optics, adjustability, cranks versus pulley systems — there’s a lot of room for differentiation.

Phillips said his store’s approach is to encourage a buyer to get the best base bow he or she can afford and then work on accessories later.

“It’s more attainable. There’s not a lot you can do with a base bow that’s not smooth or fast, or maybe has plastic cams on it,” he noted.

Clark is intrigued with how trends shift in archery.

“Ten years ago, you saw broadheads get really big, some as large as a 5″ cutting diameter. Now they are much smaller. One trend we are seeing is a really heavy arrow with lots of forward weight, while in years past, people were trying to shoot as light as possible,” he informed.

Influence & Information

Figuring out individual customer needs fuels the retail train.

Clark’s store tries to have some midrange bows set up with comparable accessories for new shooters to see and try.

“It can be overwhelming for someone new to archery to choose every component. Having every price level set up to shoot and offering to let them shoot all of them helps the customer make a more informed decision,” he said.

Jay’s has a process they go through in assisting each bowhunting customer. It’s especially important with new customers, the ones they want to gain as customers for life.

“First we assess their level of experience,” Copeland stated, noting some customers have a vague interest in archery and just want to give it a try. For these customers, a $100 recurve, some arrows and targets get them rolling in the right direction.

“We want to sell them on their passion and our information,” he continued. “We want to become a trusted resource when they talk about upgrading or moving into bowhunting gear.”

Copeland said they don’t try to direct consumers into midrange products; instead, they focus on coaching them with careful attention to budgets and desired outcomes.

“It ultimately comes down to a budget question. How much are you willing to invest in your sport?” he said. “If you want a $1,000 bow, I’ll sell it to you but, ideally, I want to match the equipment to your passion, desired outcome and skill set — in a package you can afford. The last thing I want is to have a person spend too much money and walk out of the store feeling like we pushed something on them.”

“Our customer service is what makes us different,” Clark proposed. “Having people who work in the shop who love archery is key. Lots of people come in just to talk about archery.”

“It’s why with midrange bow packages, the ones shipping anyway, I’m going to sell the one that gives me the most margin. And this goes for entry-level and high-end packages as well. We’re selling what we can get.”

When it comes to accessories, Phillips’ store might carry three or four releases but will likely only recommend one of them. Guess which one? Right, the one with the best margin.

“We carry 15 to 20 different types of broadheads. Some I’ll be making 54 points on and others just 40,” he continued.

He also spoke of the significance of finding products with excellent quality but little brand recognition because they do not have a marketing machine behind them.

Citing rests made by Schaffer Performance Archery, Phillips said, “We sell a ton of them. It’s a good, functional product that works extremely well. All my guys use it, and we make 60 points. I could target Hamske if I could do the numbers, but I need those deals to drive my margins up. We’re very margin driven. We’re going to sell 5% of the product 90% of the time. Our guys know what release to sell, what rest or arrows to sell.”
Sales and margins fuel retailer success.

“There’s no way I can compete with online when it comes to price. There’s no way I’m going to beat Amazon,” Phillips concluded. “We’re service driven. We help determine customer decisions and we drive product but, again, those products have to be functional, reliable and work well.”

Editor’s Note: An extended version of this article appears online at ShootingIndustry.com.

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