Golf professionals all over the British Isles have discovered that Softspikes can become one of the most profitable products in their shops.
Professionals who have installed a new Softspikes Cleat Management Station have witnessed a huge upturn in business and this has been particularly marked in shops where staff offer a free cleat changing service to their customers.
“There is no doubt that the new Cleat Management Station has been an outstanding success,” said Kevin Smith of Warley Park Golf Club.
“I started to notice an increase in sales almost as soon as I put the unit beside the counter. But it really took off when we decided to go one stage further, actively asking customers if they wanted us to check to see if their Softspikes needed to be changed. I also noticed that customers would browse the shop while I changed their cleats, this has given us a lot of add on sales.
“Often, a golfer simply forgets to check to see if his Softspikes need replacing but, when reminded, he is quite prepared to fork out £8.99 for a replacement set.
“The product doesn‘t need selling, it has been accepted by the golfers. Customers just need reminding to change cleats. It is a great way to generate increased business.”
Over the years, Softspikes has discovered that around 80% of sales came from customers who had not intended to purchase cleats but were persuaded to do so when they saw the products in a shop.
The new Cleat Management Station was designed to enhance the likelihood of such impulse sales. Measuring 100 cm by 55 cm, it is small enough to sit beside the counter, but still large enough to attract attention when placed in a prominent area of the shop. Each unit is designed to hold 48 packs of ‘Black Widows’ 48 packs of Shadow, all for impulse buy and customers that don‘t want to wait to have their cleats changed and prefer to change themselves and 4 x 500 count bowls of each thread.
“We have no doubt that the new Cleat Management Stations will drive sales of Softspikes products,” said Sharon Fish, Softspikes UK sales merchandiser. “In fact, we have seen it work in practice. Already, 250 shops up and down the country have installed one and many of them have reported a considerable increase in business.
“Our research shows us that golfers like our products but still do not understand they have to be changed on a regular basis. The Cleat Management Station helps to change that.
“Likewise, we have found that many retailers do not realise just how profitable the sale of replacement cleats can be. However, the maths is simple enough. Let’s assume that you are the professional at a club with 500 members. Let’s also assume that half of the members have one pair of shoes and the other half have two. That means the professional has the potential to replace 750 sets of cleats, which at £8.99 a time translates to £6,742.50, more, in fact, if the member changes cleats more that once a year.”
“What’s more,” she continued, “this business is also highly profitable for the retailer because the trade price for a blister pack of Black Widows is around £4.50, meaning a net profit of £3.15 on each pack of Black Widows sold.
Retailers wishing to obtain more information about the new Softspikes Cleat Management Stations should contact Sharon Fish on 07771 506426.