Clean Up Hitter

Softball is more than holding its own in a difficult economy, as serious players keep spending serious money even in a down economy

If the team market is looking for a ray of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy economic climate, it just may be women’s softball. Dealers and suppliers report that the game continues to grow, perhaps not in participants but certainly in sales.

“It’s the only market that we’ve found that is recession-proof,” says Keith Klinedinst, store manager for John M. Grove Sporting Goods, which covers south central Pennsylvania with four roadmen from its base in York, PA. “It’s been growing for 10 straight years. It’s to the point where the girls are traveling to more tournaments and more states, and it’s basically a $3000 to $5000 investment per player,” Klinedinst notes.
“With the economy trending down, this has been one of the areas for us that has seen growth,” concurs Eric Luckenbach, director of outside sales for Kramer Sporting Goods, Santa Monica, CA. “As one of the largest blocks of consumers, women have shown little decrease in their appetite for gear and equipment. As youth programs have grown over the years, we’ve seen high school programs that used to just have a varsity team add junior varsity and freshman squads to their programs,” he adds. It doesn’t hurt to cover southern and central California, either, where weather permits year-round play.

Steve Johnson, one of the owners of Jones & Lang Sporting Goods in Columbia, TN, sees softball as one piece of the growing importance of the women’s market in its team sales. “Our women’s market continues to grow in all aspects. There are now so many specific equipment and uniform choices for women and girls,” he notes.

Suppliers, too, call women’s softball a consistent, strong player in the team business.
“We see a consistent and healthy market within the sport,” says Matt Arndt, senior VP- baseball/softball for Easton Sports, Van Nuys, CA. “Although overall participation numbers seem to be flat to down slightly, the active and organized segment of the market is very healthy.

“Sales for us have been increasing in women's softball,” Arndt adds. “It is one of the bright spots in an otherwise tough environment.”

“Daddy will still buy his daughter the best gear possible,” notes Larry Brushett, product manager for baseball/softball, Mizuno USA, Norcross, GA. “Our market is still very strong and getting stronger. The female athlete is still looking for performance equipment that is designed and created for them. They are not interested in boys’ gear.’"

Perhaps the biggest downside to the ladies’ game has been the loss of the Olympics as the game’s spotlight. Only time will tell what impact that has before a vote in September decides the fate of the sport for a return in 2016. Brushett believes that from everything he’s heard, it should be favorable.

In the meantime, Brushett sees the college game playing a more important role. “It is my opinion that the college market will become dominant in the marketplace. The Women’s College World Series will become the ‘Olympics’ for a period of time and be the focal point for the market,” he notes.

Full Lineup

Still, dealers and suppliers say softball is firing on all cylinders right now — from youngsters to high schools, from travel teams to collegiate stars.

College programs provide the marquee for the sport and equipment, Brushett says. “The college programs are the marketing and promotional tools for fastpitch, but the volume is still in the lower levels of youth programs.”

Arndt agrees that the upper levels influence the product that teams and players want. “We see the travel and high school/college fastpitch players as the drivers of the market right now,” he notes.
Kramer Sporting Goods has seen increases across all segments of the fastpitch game. “We feel that what’s driving the market is the desire to keep up with the Joneses,” Luckenbach says. “You’ll see a high school team with high-end custom uniforms, and the next thing you know is that other teams from that same league all want to know where they are getting that great uniform. It’s key to find a program to serve as flagship for your highest level of service/pricing and develop referral business from there.”

For Jones & Lang, business is great at the school level — middle, high school and college. The sweet spot, though, is the elite travel teams that the team dealer now services. Those high-end sales to travel teams are increasing business.

Some 2000 girls play on such elite teams in his region, double the number who played on such teams 10 years ago, Klinedinst says. “The travel teams want to come and talk to you.”

In fact, Klinedinst has noticed that teams are moving from ASA to USSSA tournaments, which are deemed more friendly and fun. It also means more teams are playing in Maryland so the dealer, on the border of Pennsylvania and Maryland, has shifted its focus to that area.

The Online Challenge

And while the rec business is steady, Klinedinst says the high school market is gravitating to the Internet.

Needless to say, performance products sell in this market.

“If we continue to offer superior technology that offers a benefit to the player, we will continue to be successful in the market,” Easton’s Arndt says. “We expect that women softball players will continue to demand performance product that is made for their needs rather than having to adapt to men's product and/or sizing.”

“The players still want the best gear so they can perform at the highest level,”

The Bat Factor

Mizuno’s Brushett agrees and maintains that the bat still dominates the mindset of most players and coaches. “Everyone is looking for the edge, and they believe it’s in the bat. To be the leader in this market, you must provide the best gear,” Brushett says. “Unfortunately, sometimes that comes down to the bat, but that's very short-sighted. This is still a relationship industry but hard goods have become more important as winning becomes more important. College coaches wanted parity and now they are getting it, but with that comes the pressure of winning.”

High-end performance bats still command attention – and sales – but players are certainly spending on other gear, too, says Luckenbach. “Most interesting has been the trend to purchase high-end fielding gloves in the $150 to $250 price range. That’s something that we used to see exclusively on the boy’s institutional side.”

Metal cleats also have made inroads, thanks to a rule change by the National Federation of State High School Associations that allowed the metal spikes last year, Luckenbach adds.

A noticeable trend has been a demand for training aides, Klinedinst says. Players want indoor sliding pads, hitting tees and more. “I basically went from zero to 10 different training aides,” he says, but it’s still not near the level of demand on the baseball side of the business.

Fashion plays a big role in demand among females, Johnson says. They want designer helmets, gloves, bags, uniforms and more.

Pink even is an accepted athletic color now, Brushett notes, but sales are slowing for a color that was red hot the past few years.

The big fashion push is on the uniform side. Rec leagues may buy the same old shorts and tees but “the sky is the limit for travel teams, Johnson says.

Sublimation has become a huge part of this, Klinedinst says. “The girls want to look good. Sublimation is huge for the unique look.”

Plus, they do want the moisture-management fabrics.

“Once high school and travel ball programs started to go with pants, we saw a lot of the Dazzle uniforms fall by the wayside in favor of more of the moisture-management types of materials,” Luckenbach says. “I would bet that as long as the retail market tends to focus heavily on moisture management, so will the team market.”

Not So Fast

With demand still strong, there are still some caution flags.

For one, dealers and suppliers are more cautious on inventory commitments, Luckenbach says. “The most interesting component to that dynamic this 2009 selling season is that there really hasn’t been much decline in demand from the customer. We’ve seen inventory shortages all year because of the forecasting done by both dealers and manufacturers, and that has created some service challenges. Hopefully, we can all do a better job next year with our crystal balls.”

Suppliers are adjusting their mix, Brushett says. “We are looking to provide the right products. We cannot have endless inventory. We must have the right products for the consumer. This means leaner and proper products that the consumer wants. We can no longer provide something for everyone."

Easton still offers a wide range of products, Arndt says. “We are watching our orders to look for mix changes to ensure proper inventory levels.”

As for the consumer, Klinedinst says more people are willing to buy last year’s model but he still
doesn’t need to blow out product.

Easton is keeping an eye on this, Arndt notes. “We are looking very closely for changes as we move into the season. We are currently seeing strength in our fastpitch product orders, which are outpacing some of our other sports. One thing we are watching out for is a mix change within the category as players could potentially trade down price points in this tough economy. So far we are not seeing much of this, but we are hearing of it in different areas and are keeping an eye out for it.”

Lineup Change

Brushett sees a shift in buying reasons, if not patterns.

“Where gloves and bats were purchased on an impulse in the past, they are now becoming gifts or special rewards,” he says. “The consumer is shopping more to get the best deal for the best product. Team dealers have become increasingly more important in the market. The retailers are seeing signs that the market is changing and fewer products are being purchased at retail.

Internet, online and catalog companies have become more important in the overall marketplace. Service is still king, though, on the team side,” he notes.

Placing a Premium

That’s why Kramer and other team dealers continue to focus on the high-end, premium product. “We tend to focus on the high-end brands,” Luckenbach says. As in real estate, the high end typically gets pinched last in a tough economy and recovers more quickly when the situation improves. “We’ve noticed similar trends in team where the demand for the higher end, branded product seems to fluctuate less and be fairly resilient from a price-integrity standpoint.”

While Jones & Lang Sporting Goods always is mindful of excess inventory, it still sees promise in its high-end softball goods because that “sells best for us,” Johnson says.

“You cannot plan for failure; we plan for success,” Johnson notes. And such plan spells success in the women’s softball market.



PART OF THE TEAM

Team dealers find a variety of ways to promote their services and products to diverse softball markets.

“We sponsor a lot of local tournaments,” Keith Klinedinst, of John M. Grove Sporting Goods, says. “We also do grassroots marketing through our suppliers. They give us freebies to promote. Sometimes, it’s as simple as buying an ad, but it’s usually giving the leagues or teams a product.”

Spreading the wealth, especially through co-op, works well in keeping the team dealer’s name out there, Klinedinst says. He prefers to go to the league directors, which not only promotes referrals but eliminates the “revolving door” challenge. “It eliminates the problem with changes in coaches and parents each year. The director knows where to tell people to go. Plus, it helps us understand how the market is moving.”

In business for 43 years, Jones & Lang is well known among the schools and leagues it serves, Steve Johnson says. It supports those programs that support the team and retail operation.

“We buy advertising in the form of programs and fence signs,” Johnson says. “We also print specific discount coupons for league officials to pass out at sign-ups for the various leagues. We do not do any tournaments or sponsor any teams. We feel that whatever we do for one we would have to do for all. We deal with so many leagues and teams that we simply could not afford to sponsor them all.”

Kramer Sporting Goods builds relationships, Eric Luckenbach says. “We typically seek out a program that is looking for service over price and then work hard to develop and earn their business over time. Then, if they are satisfied, we seek referrals from them. Obviously this type of relationship doesn’t equal huge business right off the bat. It does, however, create relationships that tend to last and contribute to our bottom-line year after year.

“We’ve done tournaments and shows in the past. They have netted very little in return because most teams that participate in these events seem to already have their guy that they work with,” he adds.

And Kramer won’t give away the store, either. “We’ve seen a lot of loss-leader marketing efforts where some dealer will offer something at cost or a $1 over cost. In our experience, these types of efforts tend to muddy the waters and generate only marginal sales. Our philosophy is that there is value in the relationship you bring to the table and while probably worth less than a million dollars, we’re sure it’s worth more than $1.”



THE DIAMOND LOOK

This is not your father’s softball uniform. Nope. Women are demanding more than a man’s uniform both in fit and looks. As with men, though, women want performance fabrics.

“They want very specific cuts,” says Todd Levine, president of Alleson Athletic, Rochester, NY.
“From the standpoint of softball uniforms, the industry in general has shifted toward patterns of uniforms that are more specifically tailored to a woman’s body,” agrees Ali Azhar, president of Velocity Athletics, Jacksonville, FL.

That means low-rise pants with an elastic waistband and jerseys and shorts that fit a women’s silhouette, Levine and Azhar note. By and large, too, pants have made a big comeback in women’s uniforms.

As for looks, forget baseball’s traditional styling. The fairer sex just wants to stand out more.

Sublimation continues to grow to fill this need, Levine notes. “It’s more accepted, and dealers are finding out it’s not that difficult.

“What’s new and exciting?” Levine asks rhetorically. “It’s sublimation when a dealer walks into a school. You’re only limited by your imagination. Fill-in products are easy, and it locks the team into the dealer, too. The only downside is the expense.”

While some dealers still feel intimidated by the design process in sublimation, Alleson is making it easier with a new design configurator it launched in February, Levine says.

Women want a different look and something that fits their bodies, but they also want a performance fabric just like the men.
“Every program is looking for performance-oriented uniforms that are also durable,” Azhar says. That means more fabrics blended with Lycra that stretch and contain moisture-management properties.

Velocity is hitting that market with its stretch polyester and power dry fabrics, Azhar says. “The fact that we don't charge any more money for those materials and include them in our one price model has resonated well with consumers and created the opportunity for us to enter some new territories,” he adds.

“Due to the economy, there is a lot of pressure for schools to purchase uniforms that find a balance of performance, durability and price,” he adds.

Alleson learned the hard way that women want a specific fit. In the past, the company had a category called multisport sublimation, but it pulled women’s softball from this line-up. It completely revamped its softball line geared for sublimation, Levine says. “We did all new cuts for our shorts and jerseys and took our most popular silhouettes for sublimation.”

As a relative newcomer to the uniform business, Velocity anticipates modest growth. The real key is to see how the economy affects school budgets, Azhar notes.

“However, we are very concerned about the state of the economy and the impending decisions from different states to cut junior varsity, middle school and freshman programs, as well as close entire schools,” Azhar says. “If those decisions come to pass, it will have an extremely deleterious effect on sales for us and the industry as a whole.”

Team dealers were pretty optimistic during the buying groups’ recent shows, Levine says. “Dealers are pushing booking orders. They are looking for commitment from the leagues. It’s a challenging time. Now we are all waiting to see what happens.”

One worrisome sign is a delay in orders from school coaches who aren’t sure of their budgets, Azhar says. This trend isn’t new but this year coaches aren’t banking on anything.

“It is no longer a foregone conclusion that a school will get the go-ahead to purchase new product simply because their time in the rotation has come up,” Azhar says.

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