Author: Randy Clark, NSSF Managing Director, Business Development

Manufacturer/Retailer Market Research Seminars Scheduled for 2015 SHOT Show

New to the growing schedule of educational classes, NSSF is pleased to be offering two presentations of its Market Research 101 Seminar during the 2015 SHOT Show. Lead by NSSF’s own Jim Curcuruto, Director of Industry Research & Analysis, in partnership with research experts Rob Southwick and Nancy Bacon of Southwick Associates, this seminar will cover industry indicators affecting how our member manufacturers and retailers are and will be doing business.

Discussions during this seminar will cover topics such as the current status of the National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) system, excise taxes, firearms production numbers, imports and export numbers for firearms and ammunition and hunting license sales. There will also be an overview of NSSF’s research on first-time gun buyers and women gun owner demographics, as well as the increasing importance of understanding diversity in hunting and shooting sports. Along with an overview of current consumer sentiment, buying trends and related demographics from Southwick Associates, this in-depth seminar will provide a detailed picture of the firearms industry and its consumer behaviors today, allowing manufacturers and retailers to make better informed business decisions in the coming year.

“This kind of research is invaluable to the members of our industry, but it’s not something everyone knows to take advantage of,” explained Curcuruto. “We want to give our manufacturers and retailers every chance to be the most successful businesses they can be by providing them the full picture of today’s buying trends and customer demographics and helping them to identify fresh ways in which to conduct their businesses.”

The Market Research 101 Seminar will be presented twice, first on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and again on Thursday, Jan. 22 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30pm. We will announce the location in the Venetian closer to the show.

Registration to attend either Market Research 101 Seminar is $50 for NSSF members, $100 for non-members. Click here to register. For additional information, contact Jim Curcuruto, jcurcuruto@nssf.org.

Diversify Your Marketing—Special SHOT Seminar for Retailers Hosted by Shooting Stars Julie Golob and Randi Rogers

In case you haven’t noticed, the clientele walking through your door is increasingly young, urban, and female. Or at least it should be. New data released by the NSSF in its latest Industry Intelligence Report, “Hunting and Target Shooting Participation, 2014 Edition,” shows that during the most recent eight-year period studied (2006-2013), female participation in shooting of all kinds rose a whopping 42 percent. How significant is this? One doesn’t have to look any further than the comparison number for males: up just 1.1 percent for the same time period.

What do such numbers mean to firearms and shooting retailers and ranges? It might just mean it’s time to change gears with your merchandising plans and marketing efforts. But how? What products should you stock to bring more of this growing segment into your store? And how do you keep them coming back for more?

To help answer those questions and others, the NSSF has designed a new SHOT Show seminar for FFL retailers and range owners. “Merchandising to Women” will be held Thursday, Jan. 22, from 9 to 10 a.m. Hosted by top action-shooting pros Julie Golob and Randi Rogers, this special event will provide the insight needed to adjust product inventories and marketing efforts to bring more women into your stores and onto your ranges and keep them as loyal, regular customers.

“We’re extremely excited to have Julie and Randi headlining this event,” said Patrick Shay, NSSF Director, Retail Development. “Both are household names in the shooting sports, and being as successful and skilled as they are with firearms, I can think of no two better able to speak to what sells and what doesn’t sell to the female consumers in our industry.”

“The trends we see in women getting their concealed carry permits and heading to the range is great news for the shooting industry,” said Golob. “Being able to provide women with the guns, accessories, and training opportunities they want and need to help them shoot better is critical to continuing that momentum. I am excited to work with the NSSF and fellow shooting champion Randi Rogers to help retailers prepare for this growing market and help them truly welcome women into their stores.”

To register for SHOT Show’s “Merchandising for Women” event, click here. We look forward to seeing you there!