Steve Bird, Foremost Golf Business Development Consultant and Education Lead
offers four crucial tips on how golf shops can improve their shoe ordering and margin for next season.
Do you go into your footwear pre-book meetings armed with a buying plan? Many do not, which has contributed towards a general overstocking in this category over the last couple of years. If yours is a shop that is forced to have a big sale at the end of the season because you have too many golf shoes, let’s do something about it.
The phrase ‘don’t try the same thing over and over
and expect a different result’ comes to mind.
Putting a buying plan together does not need to be complex. This article will explain four key points for golf pros to focus on when constructing a buying plan in anticipation for next season.
How many shoes to order
Even though we’ve experienced very different years in terms of trading patterns recently, our till system analysis shows that there is a real pattern to the number of shoes sold in golf shops each year.
Factor in any marketing campaigns your retail group is doing that could require additional purchasing, to help drive sales in this category. You will then have a good estimate for your pre-book number to stick to. Don’t be tempted by ‘better terms’ for buying more because it is only better if you sell them. The biggest contributor to low margins isn’t buying at the wrong price, it is overstocking.
Custom ordering
When analysing pairs of golf shoes sold each year, the average number should be reduced by 15% to allow for custom orders. There are so many brands, models and colours to choose from nowadays, custom ordering is becoming increasingly popular, meaning an enormous pre-book could be a big mistake. Concentrate on the most popular sellers, price points and margin makers. Stocking too many brands usually results in diluted sales, larger pre-book commitments and more ‘bitty stock’ to try and sell off at the end of
the year.
Foremost select a number of key models from our suppliers and put together a comprehensive marketing support package for these models before the season has even started. Careful stock management and allowing for increased numbers of custom orders reduces this risk for pro shops. This ensures their digital marketing is promoting the exact models that they have in store.
What sizes to order
According to FootJoy, 80% of shoes sold in 2023 were between sizes 8 and 10. Consult your till system to see your sales breakdown by size and order accordingly. The typical 7-12 size run order in each shoe leads to overstocking. You could have all size options in your most popular model, but it makes sense to reduce risk by removing the less popular sizes in other models.
Margin mix
If you have access to higher margin footwear options or exclusive products, make sure you always have these in stock. Selling products like these is a much better way to increase margin than just ordering more shoes to get a higher discount.
Buying for your golf retail store isn’t straightforward by any means, but you can definitely stack the odds in your favour by doing a small amount of preparation before your pre-book meetings. Follow these simple guidelines and reach out to your retail group for support, as they will be well versed in helping put these plans together. GR
For further advice, email steve.bird@foremostgolf.com or call 07843 619377.
or visit https://grip.foremostgolf.com/
