Anyone help with gun products into RETAIL markets??

[Dont4get2doubletap]

Hey guys,

Sticking this out there incase anyone can help which is the only way I know how to do things from friends and other local boys help.... I my self manufacture these bad boys and people around america as well as a few other countries love them but i haven't been able to get them into the hands of anyone or talk to anyone who's the man in charge of new products for gander mountain, dicks, cabellas, field & stream etc etc etc etc. From what I understand (not a sales guy but an engineer and race car guy) the gun shops around the country only place 3-5 different accounts for orders to keep their book simple which is keeping these from reaching a lot of the population of guys who DONT spent their entire work day browsing youtube or amazon... which is 99% of the demographic. I ended up spending so much money in the wrong places to advertise its been a money losing endeavor. I have sold a BOAT load of these thanks to the few guys that are selling them and the guys endorsing them but its time to take it to the next level and if I could help someone else out from the area I certainly would.

Hoping something here can help me out with these....


Here are just some of the youtube reviews so you can know what were talking about.... (for all the buyers reading this I do have UPC and everything 100% ready for store shelves and unlimited production capability)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKSS...AkoEHe6V9atFfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q0m...AkoEHe6V9atFfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQw...AkoEHe6V9atFfg

Also available free shipping thru Amazon Prime! people love it just need it to be on retail shelves!
https://www.amazon.com/Harris-Bipod-...s_a_1_1&sr=8-1


Any help beyond the "well why don't you send a set to their headquarters... I've already done that multiple times" would be so appreciated you have no idea.



Thank again gents

[swack]

I will preface this by saying that I have ZERO experience in the retail gun world. That said, I do have quite a bit of experience in the retail space and particularly specialty retail.

My assessment is that it is going to be an uphill fight for you to break into more retail. As you mentioned, most stores only deal with a handful of distributors and they do so because 1) its too difficult to deal with a separate vendor for every product you carry, and 2) CREDIT TERMS. Most distributors offer good credit terms as well as RMA policies that make it very easy for retailers to do business with them.

This creates a barrier to entry for you with most gunshops, but with good salesmanship it can probably be overcome, but that takes time and a (relatively) high level salesperson doing the selling.

The problem with getting into both distributors and the Big Box stores you mentioned is the same, MARGIN. You have to take a cut, the distributor has to take a cut, and then the store has to take a cut. If your margin going direct to consumer isn't VERY healthy to begin with, going this route will not be successful. And Big Box is no different than dealing with a dealer and then subsequent retailer, its just a clearer line of distribution. Big Box chains will demand as big if not greater margins than distributors.

The other issue here is the product itself. It looks to be an awesome product, and probably one that I will buy for my Harris on my RPR. That said, it has a relatively small market. The market for this is not only people who are willing to drop ~$100 on a bipod, but people who are willing to drop half of that again on an enhancement to that bipod. Your average Cabelas customer is simply not this guy. There is a reason that the Harris Bipod on amazon has ~400 reviews and the UTG POS Harris knockoff has more than 2,000. My point here is not to be insulting, but to identify that the majority of Big Box customers are not your customer. You are looking for the guy that is willing to invest in top of the line equipment and then invest even more to improve that equipment. As a rule, that guy isn't shopping at dunhams.

If I were you, I would focus on direct to consumer, and possibly marketing locally to gun shops. If you can afford a sales guy to sell it locally to shops great, if not, no biggie, Direct to Consumer is where it is at. You need to focus on your online presence and making sure that whenever someone googles harris bipods, they find YOU. I know you joked about guys who spend all day researching but that is YOUR CUSTOMER! You just need to focus on making sure that they find you early and often in their searches.

I hope this was helpful and I didn't ruffle too many feathers. It's just my honest opinion and I would love to see you be very successful with this.

[Remington788]

I agree with Swack. You have a specialized product with a specialized market.
May in suggest you spend a few weeks on the gun show circuit. Let us here know where you will be.
It will get you n front of thousands of consumers and hundreds of vendors. Work up a schtick, a routine you use to demo it. Set up w TV and show those videos on loop

Your goal should not just be to sell product to consumers but to make contacts with shops and traveling vendors.

Best of luck. I love seeing a success.

[Dont4get2doubletap]

I appreciate the replies and thought and effort put into them.

That said.... more people buy my product and there is more of a market for it than their is an ENTIRE market of buyers for certain calibers that people carry. Everonehere can name at least 10calibers NOBODY, I mean NOBODY buys that they have 30-60$/box ammo prices at everywhere. Everyone with a bipod needs this.


Just my thoughts. Its got more mass appeal than people give credit, then again, its already sold over 1000 units.... its ones of those things that you don't know you need until you see the LRSU review or see a guy at the range with one and then hop on his gun and you can't go back..... I mean look at all the other super specialized BS SCAM products field n stream sells t the check out and in the the rifle products... tons of BS products that DO NOT SELL so idk what the deal is. I can pay a sales guy if anyone here wants to take it on!