Monthly Features
Are They Coming...
The events of 2020 and 2021 propelled an unprecedented number of novice firearm shoppers through the doors of gun stores across the nation.
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Marketing To The...
White-tailed deer may be, overall, the most widely hunted big-game animals in North America. But when it comes to hunter fanaticism, it often centers on the...
8
Secrets Of...
Was 2022 a profitable and growing year for your brand or business?
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Technology +...
Any firearms retailer who’s been through an ATF inspection— which is almost everyone — can tell you how important it is to have every detail handled...
7
When Storms...
After a powerful storm passes through, you’ll hear stories of beachgoers stumbling upon many an item on the beach. These items range from dangerous...
7
Win The Customer...
The first rule of customer service in today’s world? Hire nice people and, if possible, make sure they’re not all stale, pale and male.
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HAVA: Making A...
Since its founding by shooting sports industry executives in 2007, Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) has been laser-focused in its mission to serve...
7
Night Sights
As more hunters become more proficient at hog and predator hunting, they demand optics that complement their tactics.
7
7 Social Trends...
The marketing and advertising universe (a better term is “metaverse”) moves fast, and no marketer sees this more than those who live in social media.
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Market Smarter,...
In a world with Amazon Prime, on-demand streaming services and the internet in the palm of our hands, consumers have grown accustomed to instant gratification.
0
To Delegate Or...
All too often, I hear from friends, customers or family how amazing it must be to own my own business and the freedom to do what I want when I want.
7
2023 Industry...
Despite grumblings from some corners, 2022 was strong from a historical perspective.
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Outbox Big-Box...
Independent gun stores have always been the backbone of the shooting sports industry.
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Trendspotting -...
We find ourselves once again at that time of year when we look ahead and question what’s in store for the industry.
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Overcoming A...
Owning a retail store has been challenging the past few years. Supply chain issues, rising costs and regulatory requirements add up.
1
Be Omnichannel...
We’ve all heard the claims — newspapers and magazines are dying industries, no one watches regular TV anymore, direct mailers are a waste of money …...
7
Do You Really...
What motivates Americans to buy firearms? According to new research from Southwick Associates, there’s no single answer.
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10 Tips ATF...
Having ATF Industry Operations Investigators (IOIs) walk through the door can make even the most stalwart of gun dealers weak in the knees. It’s...
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5 Ways To...
Welcome to “National Firearm Industry Data
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Navigating...
When interruptions occur in the firearms industry supply chain, the ammunition and reloading markets get pinched the hardest.
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Home-Based...
Whether they’re labeled as “kitchen-table dealers,” “basement bandits,” “garage shops” or “pariahs” — home-based FFL dealers have been...
7
SHOT Show 2023:...
There’s no question: SHOT Show 2023 is roaring back in a big way next month.
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Visual...
What’s the first picture that comes to mind when you think of Visual Merchandising?
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Varmint/Predator...
Varmint/predator hunting is a niche market, but it can translate to lucrative commerce outside of traditional big-game hunting seasons.
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Safe & Sound
Firearm sales remain strong despite falling behind the record pace set in 2020 and 2021. This year is on track to be the third- or fourth-strongest in...
7
It’s Time To...
What is a “Buyer” in a retail store? If you ask Mr. Webster, it sounds like “a person employed to select and purchase stock or materials for a large...
7
A Year-End...
Whether it’s planning a weekend sales event or big year-end blowout, one of the biggest challenges facing gun stores is finding a way to grab the...
7
4 Attributes...
With an unwavering commitment to providing complete retailer support, Zanders Sporting Goods continues to refine its business practices while always seeking...
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The Crossbow Market
Participation in crossbow hunting continues to grow across the country. According to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, 28 states now allow...
0
Gun Safes
With instances of gun violence dominating the news cycle, coupled with the upcoming midterm elections, the firearms industry is yet again
4
Handguns
It wasn’t too long ago optics-ready handguns were little more than a novelty. But today, it’s difficult to talk about the handgun segment without...
0
Decision Time
It was January 2015. I just started as president of the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW). My first official workday was the...
0
Selling Steel!
Blade steel to a knife is like ammunition to a firearm. Just as your firearms customers choose ammunition, blade steel is a huge consideration for knife...
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Air Power
The airgun industry has strong wind in its sails, and its growth appears to have immense potential.
1
Making The Most...
Not every retailer can make a profit selling used products. Firearms retailers, however, can make significant incremental sales when they add used guns to...
3
At The Starting Line
During their first five years in business, the owners of Legacy Indoor Range & Armory were happy with a homegrown website. For the most part, it did what it...
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Crisis In Confidence
There’s no debate: Salesmanship is a perishable skill. The ability to engage with a customer and close a profitable sale is something that must be learned...
3
No Range? No...
News flash: You don’t need a range to be successful in this industry. Yes, having a range to host the “live-fire experience” gives range operators a...
3
Cool New Range Tech
The generation gap between traditional shooters and today’s MILLENNIALS/GEN Z is real. Older shooters may be content to plink at paper targets and mark...
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Nearing The End...
There comes an end to every era, whether you’re an empire, business or both.
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500 Range Visits...
For this special Range Issue, I thought a rundown of some “best practices” I’ve picked up in 500+ onsite visits to individual ranges around the...
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The 5-Star Treatment
Sustained high-level business performance requires paying attention to details — large and small. Everything must come together to create the desired...
3
Firearms Report 2022
Over the past two years, the U.S. firearms industry has faced both unprecedented opportunities and mounting obstacles.
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Selling Guns...
Something I’ve been seeing as I work with ranges around the country — I just recently passed 500 individual range visits — is less and less focus on...
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The Simple &...
Social Media Strategy — three words dreaded by many companies.
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Fly In The Milk
Shall we play a game? First, pick a place where you’ve never been — not a specific destination, but a general category or type of place.
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The State Of...
Dealers we spoke with last year reported remarkably strong sales of bore brushes, cleaning rods and patches, lubricants, solvents and other maintenance...
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Get Ready For...
Patrick Connaghan owns 717 Armory in Harrisburg, Pa. A dedicated hunter himself, Connaghan wishes the fall hunting season would just “hurry up and get...
1
DIY Gun Sales...
Many people buy cars and trucks with visions of custom rims, custom lighting, custom body parts and high-performance add-ons like custom exhausts and...
0
Have You Thought...
As temperatures rise, so does the crime rate. According to a report from the Department of Justice, each summer, home burglaries increase by around 10.5%.
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State Of The...
We may be starting to move past COVID (finally!), but supply chain issues continue to abound. Talk to any firearms retailer and you’ll still hear stories...
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Is Ammo Really Back?
Over the past two years, no segment in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry has been hit quite like the ammunition market.
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Kinsey’s Full...
Throughout its first 70 years as a family-owned business, Kinsey’s has been dedicated to the success of its customers through superior customer service,...
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Don’t Sweat It.
The beginning of summer often marks a slowdown in firearms sales depending, of course, on a store’s inventory mix and the demographics of its customer base.
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High-End Appeal
Eddy Rodriguez remembers the days when customers would walk through the front door of his former shop, Pistol Parlour, and make a beeline for a particular...
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Training Today
The past couple of years have been a wild ride for gun stores and shooting ranges. Historic firearms and ammunition sales, unprecedented shortages, a...
0
Adding Value
Accessories are major components in the handgun market, and red dot sights are popular, user-friendly additions.
0
Point-Of-Sale...
One of the biggest decisions facing prospective as well as established dealers alike is determining which point-of-sale (POS) system they’re going to...
2
Equipping...
Among the key things to know about the long-range shooting segment is the fact it’s not cheap — neither for the customers or the dealers catering to...
0
Gunsmithing:...
At least 12 gun shops are clustered in Denver’s western suburbs.
1
Hottest New...
From concealed carry firearms and accessories to the latest hunting gear and apparel, we’ve rounded up the hottest new products for women — many of...
0
Forging Her Own Path
As the number of female hunters and shooters increases, so does the number of women in the industry.
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The Full-Circle...
Naming the generations started in 1991 and is generally credited to generational theorists Neil Howe and William Strauss.
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The Invisible Woman
It was summer 2018. In my usual unassuming sweatpants and T-shirt, I strolled into the impressive pro shop of a well-stocked, well-staffed, modern, indoor...
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Understanding...
It’s no secret the number of female gun owners is rising.
2
8 Ways To Retain...
Nearly half of new gun buyers continue to be women.
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Converting...
As a business owner, you pay attention to Google for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes when it comes to your website and ranking in searches, right?...
0
Supply Chain Woes
By all estimates, the demand for firearms and ammunition remains historically strong. According to NSSF, 2021 was the second-highest year on record for...
2
Calling In...
While it seems like 2021’s big-game hunting season has only just ended, spring fever has likely already struck some of your store’s cadre of turkey...
1
Audition Time
Geneva Solomon remembers well the day she shopped for her first gun. It was 2009 and she’d come to the realization she wanted to take more responsibility...
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Honoring Our Heroes
Approaching 15 years of serving thousands of disabled veterans and injured active-duty military personnel — and their families — Honored American...
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Innovative...
Asmuch as retail gun shops have changed the past few years, ranges have changed even more. Today’s successful ranges are brightly lit destinations spots...
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Market Smarter,...
In a world with Amazon Prime, on-demand streaming services and the internet in the palm of our hands, consumers have grown accustomed to instant gratification.
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Own Your...
Living through 2021 was more than a challenge. Making it through this past year with your sanity in place — as well as a marketing strategy — was a...
0
Help Wanted
As we head into the first quarter of 2022, the future remains uncertain for many industries plagued by ongoing labor problems. Construction, food service,...
0
Training Profits
In the past two years, we’ve all experienced one of the most intense and prolonged buying frenzies ever. We gained millions of new gun owners, but as...
0
2022 New...
It’s good to see 2020 further and further behind us. Though the craziness of that year is subsiding, the grand sales run has continued. Demand and sales...
0
Adjusting To...
The past year-plus has brought great change to our industry. Mergers and acquisitions, unprecedented demand and the challenges created by COVID-19 all have...
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The Roadmap To...
There’s no wrong time to create an annual marketing plan, but with the new year quickly approaching, goal-setting is at the forefront of many people’s...
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Look Back To...
Over the past year and a half, the way we do business has changed. Every aspect of it. No matter the industry, it’s all changed. Whether it’s travel,...
1
Margin Boosters
Let’s think back to “normal” times in the gun business. Imagine a scenario where your firearms department was really humming along, advertising was...
0
7 Burning Questions
After 2021 delivered a second consecutive year of industry turmoil, it’s tempting to give up on the idea of forecasting. Yet even in times of uncertainty,...
0
5 Ways To...
What started as “two weeks” then “two months” and now “two years,” the pandemic has continued to have significant impacts on the evolution of...
0
Forecasting the...
Major weather events make for great television stories. In the early part of my career, I worked in television as a reporter and anchor. And from time to...
1
The Digital Age
I’ve heard it dozens of times before. “That’s not how we used to do it…” Have times really changed? No matter how archaic an object, some part of...
1
Doors Opened!
Varmint and predator shooting is an often-overlooked niche of overall firearms sales. While rifle and pistol sales remain at an all-time high, now is a...
1
Airguns Mean...
If you ever find yourself looking around your store, exploring different options for filling empty shelf space, you might want to consider airguns. Given...
0
Eyes + Ears Are...
Forgive me if I get a little personal, but I’m a clear example of what you, as a younger shooter or person selling shooting products never want to become....
0
A Team To Be...
339 events, 41 different sports and 11,000+ athletes competing. It was the Tokyo Olympic Games. One of the most celebrated sports events in the world. With...
0
Store Security...
It’s no secret business has been booming across the shooting sports industry. Lingering uncertainty about the future is continuing to drive sales of...
2
One Platform,...
It’s the season for scheduling hunter education classes and preparing for fall expeditions. I’ve been in contact with many stores, and — no surprise...
2
Cashing In On...
In recent years, crossbow sales have risen slowly and steadily. Coinciding with the expansion of hunting seasons allowing the use of crossbows is the...
2
Handgun Sales Today
After what the industry has been through during the past 18 months, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone ready to make predictions about when we might...
2
5 Ways Zanders...
For nearly 60 years, Zanders Sporting Goods has been committed to providing outstanding service and the resources its customers need to be successful.
Not...
3
Charged For Growth?
With the emphasis on home defense and self-protection the past 18 months, the muzzleloading and black powder segment flew under the radar. While modern...
2
On The Safe Side
The surge of people taking to gun shops like yours to find a means of arming themselves continues to flow. In the U.S., we’ve viewed all-out chaos in some...
3
Keys To Growing...
When it comes to membership programs, Midwest Shooting Center in Lima, Ohio, has it dialed in and has achieved rapid success in short succession. What’s...
3
Maximize Your...
There’s no denying it — e-commerce is here to stay. Research conducted prior to 2020 estimated 95% of all retail purchases would occur online by the...
5
The In-House...
Where would we be without gunsmiths? Think of a world without auto mechanics. Automakers would churn out new cars, with no one there to fix them when they...
2
Home-Defense...
Like most segments of the industry, the home-defense long-gun market received a significant boost thanks to the events of the past year-plus. While there...
3
Glow Your Profits!
In today’s economy profits are where you find them, and portable lighting is an easy way to make your bottom line shine. The past year has been harsh on...
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Market Insights:
A combination of social, political and epidemiological issues cause demand for firearms to skyrocket in 2020. In fact, information from NICS indicates...
3
Market Pulse
Used firearms have always provided an important revenue stream for many shooting sports retailers. Pre-owned guns attract a broad array of customers,...
2
Showstopping Deals!
The year of a pandemic and a change in our nation’s leadership gave cause to reevaluate how customers shop and how you sell. Holiday shopping season is...
3
COVID-19’s...
As 2020 progressed, Americans’ demands for outdoor recreation and escape became apparent. “Lockdowns” increased rates of unemployment and working from...
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The Gun-Care Market
As we enter the third quarter, the shooting sports industry continues to address last year’s historic firearm and ammunition sales (and shortages)....
3
Emerging Trends...
During the past year (and counting), millions of Americans raced into gun stores to snap up their first firearms. Now, the industry is left wondering what...
2
U.S. Firearms...
The U.S. firearms industry finds itself at a crossroads: Now more than 15 months into this period of unprecedented, relentless and, at times, unforgiving...
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