GAP YEAR
Acceleration of retail trends in a pandemic has given run specialty a chance to grow. / By Ryan Callahan
N
ow it is 15 months into the pandemic and I find myself stuck in a paradox to which many of us in run specialty can relate — the post-COVID challenges facing our industry feel more tangible and significant than ever before, yet the opportunities in our industry feel exciting in a way that we haven’t seen in years. For better or worse, the pandemic has rapidly accelerated several trends that were gradually playing out prior to March of last year. Consumers flocked more heavily into online shopping, the home began replacing the gym and communities migrated online in the form of Peloton leaderboards, Facebook groups, Instagram Live sessions and Zoom breakout rooms. The fear, of course, is that this shift, the “Amazon-ing” of our economy and digitizing of our communities, is permanent and represents an ongoing threat to our channel. Simply put, people are worried that the gap has gotten too big – and the playing field too unequal – for us to keep up. I see it differently. Opportunities Aplenty For the first time since the online shopping boom began in the 2000s, there is an opportunity for run specialty retail to catch back up as the barrier to entry for quality e-commerce has been dramatically lowered. Technology is getting better and cheaper, data tools are getting more robust and user-friendly and small businesses are able to create high-quality, traffic-driving content for minimal cost. At Pacers Running, we see this confluence of trends as a major opportunity for run specialty retailers. We believe that we are entering a new era where we can 26
runninginsight.com
Pacers Old Town Alexandria store manager Victoria Sanche stands in front of Pacers Runnings’ original location. The DC retailer is celebrating 30 years of business this year and still sees its brickand-mortar stores as the core of its plans to expand into e-commerce.
finally go wherever the customer is and compete with larger companies and create a new generation of running customers. To get there will still require an investment in time, education and resources, along with a dedication to the values that make us so successful in our local communities. But we believe the opportunity is within reach for nearly everyone in the channel and will be built on three pillars. 1. Technology. For the first time, small businesses can build an A to Z strategy for online selling that doesn’t require a six-figure web design firm, a complicated inventory management system, a dedicated marketing team or a sophisticated understanding of how to leverage data to target new customers and increase ROI from existing customers.
Using online e-commerce platforms or integrating a service like Fitted is making it increasingly easier for stores to have a robust e-commerce that integrates with their inventory and allows them to seamlessly sell online. If you tried e-commerce years ago and found it to be too complicated and time consuming, try again. The ability to build and support an e-commerce site today is light years ahead of where it was just five years ago. On the marketing front, tools such as Mailchimp and Zaius let you send dynamic e-mails to customers that look and feel like they were professionally designed without the need to code or graphic design, while social media continues to give us direct access to our consumers 24/7. Even things we take for granted like the iPhones in our pockets have become
© 2021 Diversified Communications
