Blog Archives

The Best Innovations in Golf Retail Right Now

2/28/2019

Golf innovators are increasingly finding novel ways of bringing in and engaging shoppers in brick and mortar retail. Golf stores across the country are updating their retail operations, bringing in golf simulations, putting greens, and even backyard golf courses to draw shoppers and provide experiences that online retailers can’t. In-store technology, paired with Instagram-friendly store design, are bringing golf retail to the forefront of marketing innovation.

Here are some of the best innovations in golf retail right now:

PGA Tour Superstore: with over 30 locations across the country and 23% sales growth in the last year, the PGA Tour Superstore has demonstrated the success of innovative in-store retail. Stores boast hitting bays, golf simulations, and even lessons, and provide services including fitting and gripping clubs. The opportunity to test products before purchasing, advice and services from knowledgeable staff, and a golf playground to use products after purchase can’t be beat by online retail. It’s a surefire way to attract avid golfers who otherwise shop online, and it works--while brick-and-mortar sports retail has seen a sharp decline in the last few years, PGA Tour Superstore has tripled its store count and intends to reach 50 stores by 2020.

Malbon Golf: Nestled on Los Angeles’s stylish Fairfax Avenue, Malbon Golf is bringing the game to California’s hippest residents. Founded in 2017 by Erica and Joseph Malbon, she a designer and he the founder of street-style magazine and creative agency Frank151, the Malbon Golf store fuses old-school game with new-school design. The store features sleek white walls, mirrored shelves, and carefully-curated displays that can be found scattered across Instagram with the hashtag #malbongolf, sometimes under the face of a celebrity like Justin Bieber or Steph Curry. A putting-range stretches across the middle of the concrete floor, past chic succulents and a glassed-in watch display. An open doorway leads to a so-called Swing Studio, where golfers can take lessons or play an 18-hole game. Their back patio looks out on their “Celebrity Green,” a curated green which has seen the likes of Bieber and Curry as well as Travis Scott, Schoolboy Q, and others of the Los Angeles fashion set. Malbon’s sense of cool, paired with in-store toys and visual treats, brings golf to the Instagram generation--and into its supremely chic storefront.

Do Shoppers Care about Retailers being Socially Responsible? Yes, and Here’s the Data

2/14/2019

Author: Greg Cuccinello
VP, New Business Development
In-Store Experience

In a market with an abundance of online retail and big chain stores, small and local businesses are finding new ways of standing out and retaining customers. While the ease of online shopping and big-box stores is appealing, there is more and more evidence that consumers care just as much about the social impact of their purchases when deciding how and where to shop. Adopting socially responsible business practices, is not only good for the community, but also good for the bottom line. Here’s why more and more businesses are promoting social responsibility in their operations.

Social responsibility helps attract Customers
Consumers have more retail options than ever before. While price, quality, and convenience are all important to consumers, they’ve become expected in a market driven by technology and national chains. A greater cause, then, can be that extra pull that leads consumers to make a purchase. A 2018 Cone Communications survey found that 87% of consumers are inclined to purchase a product from a company that supports a cause they care about; meanwhile, the Cone 2017 CSR Survey found that 89% of consumers are likely to switch to a brand associated with a good cause given competitive price and quality. Importantly, Nielson’s 2015 Global Corporate Sustainability Report found that 66% of consumers, and 73% of millennials, are willing to spend more on a product if it comes from a sustainable brand.

Social responsibility leads to marketing campaigns with more impact
The inundation of advertisements that face consumers every day mean that they are more and more critical of what can be seen as self-interested marketing tactics. Consumers are increasingly responding to cause-driven marketing as they become desensitized to traditional advertising methods. REI’s #optoutside campaign, as well as American Eagle’s #aeriereal campaign, connect their product to a positive message, which in turn appeals to consumers who want to feel good about the businesses they patronize. In fact, 81% of millennials expect companies to make public statements of their corporate citizenship.

Employee Loyalty and Engagement
Now more than ever, employees care about what their companies stand for. That’s important for retailers looking to attract motivated staff. The 2017 Cone Millennial Employee Engagement Survey found that 76% of millennials consider a potential employer’s social and environmental commitments and practices when deciding where to work, and their successors in Gen Z are likely to follow suit.

In-Store In-Sights

The Best Innovations in Golf Retail Right Now

Do Shoppers Care about Retailers being Socially Responsible? Yes, and Here’s the Data

Archives

Categories

COMPANY

LATEST NEWS