"We are working hard to tailor the next survey to focus on the retail business,” Al Barton, president and owner of Cascades Archery, said. “We are trying to bring the questions to be more centric and a little less minutely detailed. I, as a retailer, do not have lots of time to fill out a detailed 30-minute survey. In the last survey, for example, the age question was by gender and several age categories. For me, it is more about how many men and how many ladies. This type of question would help me decide where our shop focus needs to be. I think the next survey will be more of a 5- or 10-minute survey and be more focused on our needs as retailers."
When retailers know the buying habits of their customers, they can market and make buying decisions accordingly. The data in the survey provides manufacturers with important information like equipment sales, buying habits, and whether the customers are interested in target archery or bowhunting. Armed with this data, they can assist retailers in making good product selections based on their region and focus their efforts on the gear that will best serve the customer. It’s a win-win for retailers and manufacturers alike.
ATA-member retailers should make it a priority to complete the survey each quarter when it arrives in their inbox. The more information we have, the more useful the reports will be.
The ATA will be adding the Retail Trend Tracker Report for the second quarter of 2024 to the Member Dashboard soon. Members can visit the Member Dashboard to download the most recent report and nonmembers can visit the Store to buy a copy of the current report and reports from previous quarters.