In With The New!

We’ve all met the gruff, grizzled gun counter employee who badmouths anything new.

That guy is costing you money.

Tapping into the unlimited reservoir of information on the internet, modern shooters have researched the new gun or the accessories they want to buy for weeks before they darken your door. They want the “expert” behind the counter to reinforce their bias and close the sale. If they encounter Donnie Downer, there’s a good chance they’ll go to another store staffed by people who will make them feel good about the substantial purchase they’re about to make. 

To this end, retailers can improve the buying experience and increase revenues by keeping abreast of and promoting the latest trends in the shooting industry.

Explain The “Why” For Enhancements

Simmons Sporting Goods in Bastrop, La., is known for its staff of ardent young hunters. This demographic embraces anything new. They experiment with new gear. They hunt with it and they promote the good stuff enthusiastically, contends Hunter Simmons, chief operating officer. Donnie Downer doesn’t have a place in this environment.

“A lot of old-school guys, they give you their opinion, but you don’t want his opinion,” Simmons said. “Until you ask his opinion, his opinion doesn’t matter. My guys are trained to be very knowledgeable about telling you what you need to know but also to be respectful of customers.”

Simmons Sporting Goods is in the heart of Northeast Louisiana’s duck-hunting country. Applying aftermarket finishes to waterfowl guns is very popular, and Simmons accommodates hunters who want them.

“We do a process called ‘Duracoat,’” Simmons shared. “It’s similar, but it’s a different brand. We hydro-dip in-house. We built an area to do it. We have a hydro-dipping tank. We do push it quite a bit because everybody wants something different. It looks cool, but it really protects your gun better in the marshy conditions and wet areas duck hunters are always in.”

Hunters might want to put a new finish on their guns, but sometimes they still need to be sold.

“My guys are trained well,” Simmons said. “We’re all duck hunters and deer hunters. We understand it. We explain how it will protect their investment better. It’s not a lot of extra money. We do have to tell the story, though. It’s not just a different color, but it protects your gun better because it adheres to metal better than traditional hydro dip.”

You might not think of camouflage as being a fashion statement, but hunters are very trend-conscious. An astute retailer will have the latest patterns in stock when hunters start updating their wardrobes in late summer. This does not apply only to apparel. Firearms that wear an outdated camo pattern often have to be put on sale at deep discounts to move them.

“Hunters are pretty attuned to what’s in style,” Simmons remarked. “They want what they want. They want something different than what their buddy has. We know a new pattern is coming out. All our manufacturers tell us, and we try to move through that inventory before new ones come out.”

New Cartridges Generating Interest

Simmons is equally enthusiastic about new rifle cartridges. Newer cartridges like the 6.8 Western and the 7mm Backcountry, and also the PRC family, generate a lot of interest and excitement in the shooting and hunting community. Simmons believes it’s important to give people what they want and make them feel good about it. Not every store sees it that way, and Simmons welcomes their refugees.

“I don’t want to say anything bad about anybody,” he stated. “What I’ll say is my guys are being trained up. There is a reason for the 7mm Backcountry. You get the same velocity as a seven mag out of shorter barrels.”

And this creates an opportunity to up-sell accessories, like suppressors.

“We sell a lot of suppressors because there’s more guys hunting with that,” Simmons said. “You get 7-Mag. velocity with a shorter barrel and reduced noise. What’s not to like?”

Riding The “Trend Crest” Wave

In the middle of rural Mississippi, just outside Corinth, is the massive structure of 2nd Amendment Outdoors, one of the biggest gun shops in the region. Kevin Cribley is the lead archery technician, but he also manages most of the organization’s social media. It gives them a worldwide presence.

A big part of 2nd Amendment’s success, according to Cribley, is riding trend crests and being sufficiently well-informed to help customers make the best purchase for their needs.

“We generate interest with social media,” he confirmed. “We use Facebook. We can’t post pictures of firearms or ammo, but we can talk about it and post logos.”

Also, 2nd Amendment maintains a presence on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

“We do a podcast here called ‘Caliber, Arrow, Spine and Tackle,’” Cribley informed. “It’s our spin on the podcast. We have posted four episodes so far. Some episodes have over 200 views already. Some of our TikTok videos have over 90,000 views.”

The great thing about having the podcast is the store can reach “anyone,” Cribley added.

“We’ve had people travel all the way from Ohio, from the other side of Alabama and from Kentucky to come to our store,” he pointed out.

Cribley said it is vital to keep current with new releases in guns, ammo, archery and optics because customers are so well-informed.

“We have a lot of customers who bring in articles — ‘This is coming out. This is something we’re interested in,’” he relayed. “Our owners and managers try to get it themselves and check it out. You won’t get a knee-jerk reaction from any of us in the store.”

Weighing The Risk

Turkey hunters have a saying: “If a turkey does something twice, make him pay when he does it a third time.” Hunter Simmons employs the same philosophy with new gear.

“If we hear about something once, we check into it,” he noted. “If somebody asks twice, we get it.”

Sometimes a new, much-hyped product is a clunker. Having first-hand experience with the bad and the good ultimately benefits the customer, Cribley maintains.

“It’s a risk on some things,” he said. “In archery, we were all hearing about the next greatest thing in bows. It had a flaw. It hit social media and just killed it. It had something wrong with the first bunch of limbs. Nobody wanted to touch it. We were sitting on a whole bunch of these bows. The manufacturer did a great job. They came out with a forever warranty. If you have a broken limb, they will replace it and even transfer the warranty if you sell it or give it away.”

There’s also a risk in stocking all of the latest and greatest gear, Simmons said, adding that it takes a discerning mind to predict which new items will hit and miss. Knowing your customers reduces the risk.

“For us as a business, it’s pretty difficult when everybody comes up with new stuff all the time,” Simmons acknowledged. “The money in that. If I get 15 new things, and then 15 new things come out next week, I’ll have to discount the others. It can take a big financial toll. It’s difficult to keep inventory fresh.” 

Staying abreast of other trends will engender goodwill with customers, Cribley advises. onX Hunt, a popular mapping app, is a prime example. Young to middle-aged hunters consider onX to be essential equipment, but increasing numbers of senior citizens use it, too. In the tech world, however, hunters dabble with a long roster of new releases.

“DeerCast is up and coming,” Cribley said. “They’ve made a lot of improvements. I don’t think it’s going to be as big a hit as OnX, though. And Odyssey is coming out soon. It’s kind of going to be like Instagram for hunting and the firearm community. I’m kind of leaning toward it.”

The Fight To Stay Current

Simmons acknowledges the challenge of staying current in such a rapidly evolving information environment. Consumer appetites for new gear are insatiable, and a deft retailer can’t afford to fall behind the curve.

“The publications drove a lot of that, but now with the internet, YouTube and podcasts, information is a lot faster,” he reasoned. “If somebody releases something at SHOT Show, everybody knows about it in 15 minutes. The speed of information is astonishing. We put more value in somebody like yourself than YouTube, but we still have to keep up with what’s going on there.”

Keeping current also depends on maintaining close relationships with distributors, Simmons emphasized. The reps are the front-line soldiers, so to speak, and they can profoundly influence a retailer’s inventory decisions.

“The relationships we’ve made are a large part of the reason we’re successful,” Simmons said. “Jason Vanderbrink from Federal, the guys at Vortex, they stay abreast of what’s coming. Too many people sit back and wait until it’s announced to the public. Going to SHOT Show and doing those things, meeting people, having conversations, making contacts — we’d be nothing without those relationships.”

If He Knows What He Wants … Sell It!

Ultimately, astute firearms retailers recognize a large portion of their clientele is extremely knowledgeable. By tapping into their customers’ knowledge, they keep their fingers on the pulse of the shooting industry.

“Things change so fast,” Simmons concluded. “With the internet, a guy knows more than you about the particular item he’s come to buy. The gun or scope they want to buy, they’ve been studying it for a while. If a customer knows what he wants, sell it to him.”

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