3. Host Fun Archery Events
Caminati, Demeter and Kneeland all agree that retailers must make archery fun if they want to appeal to youths.
Archers Afield hosts cosmic archery nights with fun music, colored lights, and flashy targets to interest young audiences. They also average five birthday parties per week where participants get to shoot at balloon targets after a brief archery lesson complete with safety rules and an equipment overview.
The shop also gives away bright-colored pencils with old vanes glued to them to children as souvenirs. Kneeland said the kids love them. He also attaches a flyer to the pencils to advertise birthday parties, family nights, date nights, and other events.
Caminati has his young archers play shooting games, or shoot at zombie or animal targets to get them smiling and laughing.
“We want kids to be safe and have fun, and not be focused on, or intimidated by, the score when they start,” he said.
That approach and introduction gives students the energy and confidence to continue with the sport if they want to.
Average Joes Archery also uses summer camps, youth leagues, a techno hunt simulator, and a Junior Olympic Archery Development program to attract youth.
Click here for more tips to recruit young archers.
Provide Next-Step Opportunities
Once you interest kids in recreational archery, keep them engaged, entertained and craving more. Caminati and Kneeland said once kids are hooked, it’s best to show them their options and introduce them to other archery disciplines, including bowhunting, bowfishing, 3D archery, and competition archery. Chances are, they’ll likely dabble in other disciplines, which helps them find their niche, and helps you expand your business and make more money.
You can help students explore their archery options by offering next-step classes or programs. Read the ATA article “How to Offer Archery Programs and Classes in 4 Simple Steps” for guidance. Teaching classes, hosting events and providing follow-up opportunities helps create lifelong customers, too.
Caminati suggests retailers be patient and open-minded when working with youths. He said experienced shooters usually enter his shop with a specific need, but retailers have to help create and shape that need in a new shooter.
“It takes more work [to support youth archers], but it’s more rewarding because you get to watch them grow,” he said. “And as they grow and come back, they become lifelong, dedicated customers.”
To learn more about attracting youth and providing archery programs, contact Nicole Nash, ATA’s range and retail programs manager, at nicolenash@archerytrade.org.