Update On Ammo & Reloading Market
In Shooting Industry’s June Issue
(ArmsVault.com) – The June issue of Shooting Industry features up-to-date perspectives on three key segments of the market: ammo and reloading, optics and hunting-related products. Unique in their own right, successful sales in each of these categories requires effective planning, attention to trends and forging the right partnerships with distributors and manufacturers.
With the high demand and low availability of all sorts of ammo for the past few years, enthusiasts have been keeping a close eye on the ammunition segment of the market. At the onset of a new national political climate, retailers are hoping for more moderate supply and demand — as opposed to wild surges caused by panic buying.
Miles Glass, store manager of Kevin’s Fine Outdoor Gear and Apparel in Tallahassee, Fla., observes, “Ammo seems to be more readily available, both direct from manufacturers and through distribution channels. I still can’t pick up the phone and get just any particular bullet I want, but availability seems to have gotten considerably better here in the last few months.”
Optics sales represent an excellent opportunity for retailers to optimize their revenue. Embracing a hands-on approach to encourage sales and educating staff on the finer points of an optic’s use are just some of the ways retailers can gain an edge in this segment. Marketing plays an important role as well, according to Matthew Tyler, VP of development at SafeSide Tactical in Roanoke, Va.
“The best way to market any business is to market in as many ways possible,” Tyler shared. “An easy-to-navigate website, coupled with a responsive and constantly updated social media page, and even a phonebook listing for the folks with time and money who grew up without Google all play an important part. The most important thing about marketing to remember is: You can always buy a customer’s first trip, but the second one you have to earn!”
The June issue also highlights hunting sales, and explains why successful dealers approach this category as a year-round effort. Further points of interest include insights to ways brick-and-mortars can break down the barriers between e-tail and retail sales, how gun sales have adjusted under a pro-gun president and the debut of the Hunting Season Showcase — a presentation of must-have hunting gear to have in-store as fall approaches.
This issue of Shooting Industry can be accessed in its entirety online at www.shootingindustry.com/digital-version. Have a comment after reading the issue? Send the SI team an email at comments@shootingindustry.com.