A New Niche?

In the course of preparing the material we use in our printed publication and on this Web site, I spend quite a bit of time reading. Some of the time it's items companies and individuals send in, sometimes it's one of a large group of favorite Web sites. Magazines are also a popular source for information, and not just the horse-related ones, either.

For instance, one of the magazines I read (online) is called Wearables Business. It's a trade magazine for people who purchase promotional apparel. That can be anything from uniforms to logo shirts, coats and other items.

A while back, the magazine's assistant editor Danielle Andrus write an interesting feature entitled, "Cowboy Classics." It detailed our some of the Western wear manufacturers we work with regularly are getting on the bandwagon where promotional apparel is concerned.

Among those featured were Ely & Walker, Dri Duck and Schaefer Outfitters. The current popularity of Western apparel overall is probably driving some of the interest. In Rick Schaefer's case, the fact that his products are made in the USA is also winning attention in the promotional apparel sector.

Companies that aren't tuned in to opportunities, such as promotional apparel (among others) might want to consider it. Diversification has to be good for the bottom line.

Although the article is generally excellent, I did get one chuckle out of it. About a quarter of the way through, the author writes:

Located in country music capital Nashville, Tenn., Capital Apparel has no limit of cowboys to draw inspiration from.

I guess from my side of the desk, I'd like to see the inspiration drawn from a cowboy in say Wyoming or Colorado, rather than Nashville! But that gets us back into that argument about what is Western and what isn't, which will have to be the topic for another blog.

You can read the entire articles here http://www.wearablesbusiness.com/wearablesbusiness/mag/apparel_cowboy_classics/index.html

Online Grinch

For a lot of brick-and-mortar equine retailers, it wasn't the Grinch who stole Christmas this year, it was the Internet.

Retailers of products for horse and rider have been experiencing a mostly lackluster holiday shopping season. An email survey conducted by Tack ‘n Togs Magazine last week revealed that the bulk of retailers had sales about equal to or only slightly ahead of last year.

About 20 percent of respondents said their sales were "even" with last year and another 24 percent indicated their sales were "slightly ahead." Another 19 percent said sales were slightly below last year. You can find a complete report at www.tackntogs.com.

Competition from online retailers was a common theme expressed by those polled who said their business was way up or way down. Several merchants with above average sales said their Web site was responsible for the higher numbers, in one case as much as 40 percent of this season’s sales coming from online customers.

Conversely, retailers on the other end of the spectrum said they were being hurt most by traditional brick-and-mortar shoppers migrating to online shopping sources.

The short lesson seems to be that if retailers want their holiday shopping seasons to continue to be profitable, they're going to have to step up the pace to the point where consumers MUST come to their shop or get on board with an online presence.

It's not so odd that this should be happening in the equine trade industry. It's happening everywhere else. Online retail sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 were up 25 percent over last year, according to Internet marketing research firm ComScore Networks. The firm estimates that Wednesday, Dec. 12, was the busiest online shopping day of the year. Nearly $670 million in sales was recorded, topping last year's highest sales day be more than $100 million.

Mid-December is popular for online shopping because that's generally when guarantees of delivery by Christmas begin to expire. Not only are there considerably more online shoppers each year, but the repeat-shoppers are spending more each year.

It doesn't appear to be trend that's going to be stopped anytime soon. The ease and convenience appear to be outweighing the touch-and-feel experience of shopping during the holiday season.

It's a fact of life retailers everywhere are going to have to face head-on. Online competition is probably as significant in retail today as bar codes were 25 years ago.

Time to take up arms.

The Final Push

This week marks the final push into the holiday shopping period for retailers. For the last few years, the equine trade industry has had to rely on statistics for retailers a whole to determine success.

This year, Tack 'n Togs Magazine decided the equine trade industry should have a shopping survey of its own. The returns are still coming in, but we expect to announce the results on Tuesday. It will be an eye-opener for some, an "I told you so" for others and just plain misery for a few.

The national statistics have been all over the board this year. That makes finding trends that much more difficult. Perhaps the trend this year is that there is no trend.

We asked a number of retailers to share their individual experiences with us, and that has been helpful in making sense of the statistics.

The other thing to keep in mind is the survey was completed with a full week of shopping remaining. American consumers are known for their proscratination as much as anything else. The final week can make all the difference between a lackluster sales period and stellar one.

Another interesting survey would be to ask equine consumers how many of them have completed their Christmas shopping. I'm willing to bet from the wide circle of friends I have who are involved with horses, the numbers is very small. It seems like putting things off is part of the genetic makeup of horse owners!!!

We'll talk more about the survey and the indentifiable trends here tomorrow. We'll also post information on our Web site www.tackntogs.com.

Fear of Flying

All this talk this week about consolidation in the airline industry has left me thinking about what's a head for those of us who fly regularly as part of our work in the equine industry. Many of us attend trade shows and conferences regularly, usually availing ourselves of airplanes to do so.

Some of us are old enough (and have good enough memories) to remember when airline deregulation was the big issue. We were told this plan was good for everyone -- the airlines, passengers, airports, etc. Turns out it probably never was the ultimate solution, and there are those who would question whether it ever worked at all.

So here we are poised once again on the edge of big changes. With big airlines gobbling up bigger airlines, there will be fewer flights and if the law of supply and demand holds, higher prices.

What impact will that have on trade shows in our industry? It could be just enough to deter those folks who watch their pennies very carefully from attending. Any other activity in our industry that requires folks to get in an airplane could also be impacted.

Mergers and acquisitions probably isn't the worst case scenario where airlines are concerned. Bankruptcy hold more potential for disaster for most of the flying public. Clearly not all of the airlines operating today are not going to make it in the final analysis, so now the question becomes how do you pick the winners.

One other random thought on this topic: Some people will be jumping for joy when higher prices hit the airline industry. Certainly the airlines, who will be accorded the opportunity to operate profitably will be one. The people who believe planes have become the "subways of the air" will also be happy. For them, higher prices means more quality passengers (read: richer) on the planes, meaning your average flight will look more like a corporate boardroom than the inside of a bus traveling through India.

Rodeo Roots

I didn't get a chance to make the trip to the Wrangler NFR this year in Las Vegas so I've been catching up online for the past few days. The Las Vegas Review-Journal has an excellent set of photos from each day of competition on its Web site www.reviewjournal.com. I also came across this piece. Thought you might enjoy it.

Character pervades the Nationals Finals Rodeo from the contestants to the fans

Records seem to be set each year when the 10-day rodeo takes over the Thomas & Mack Center, and not all of them on the arena's fabled 22-year-old dirt.

Whether it's folks holding open doors for others or saying "sir," "ma'am," "excuse me," "thank you," and "please," the rodeo community surely breaks the mark for courteous acts performed at a sporting event.

The rodeo might be the only place in society where manners and courtesy still are handed down through generations.

"There's no comparison because all the rodeo people are polite. They're one of a kind," said Mary Wilmore, a dealer at the Mirage and a veteran of working events at UNLV, including the NFR.

Wilmore also noted their behavior during the national anthem.

"There's no movement going on, and there's not a hat on a head," she said. "What other event do you see on TV or in person that every person takes their hat off?

"And you'd never know that a lot of them are well off (financially) because they don't show it by the way they act."

And some of those britches have plenty of jingle in the pockets.

-- By Jeff Wolf, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Can it be time already?

Last week, I received my badge and official booklet from the folks at the WESA Denver Market in January. My how time flies. It seems like just yesterday we were gathering for the Denver Market and here it is, time to go again.

It is without doubt our busiest time of year as we try to jam as much work and fun into five days as humanly possible. The market is a great place not only for retailers to shop, but for the industry to gather. Many times companies use this market as a platform for launching new products, new faces and even new directions.

I remember fondly my first Denver Market in January five years ago. Like everyone else who walks into the Denver Merchandise Mart for the first time, it took me the first day to close my mouth! The mass of vendors and buyers is huge, the noise level can be deafening and the hustle and bustle leaves you exhausted.

By the second year, I was an old hand. Each market, the faces become more familiar, which makes my work of covering the event and industry easier. It also presents challenges because I find myself stopping to chat with nearly everyone I meet. Sometimes a full day of "agenda items" go undone because of the crush of conversations.

I never consider it wasted time, though. There's no better way to take the pulse of the equine trade industry than to attend the Denver Market in January and speak with absolutely everyone you bump into.

Denver is only the first stop in the campaign, as those of us veteran trade-show-goers know. But Denver is the first and the largest, so it holds a special place for most of us.

See you in Denver!

A Word on Our Behalf

Today, permit me to brag a little. I don't do it often and I promise I won't make a habit of it.

Tack 'n Togs received a favorable mention in the Canadian Equestrian Equipment and Apparel Association Newsletter this month. I will share the details verbatim from the publication here:

Today, Nov. 28th, I was the recipient of some of the best service I have seen in our industry. While looking up an address in my Tack 'n Togs Buyers Guide, I noticed that I was not up to date. I emailed them to ask if one could be sent to me. I got an answer from Paul Wahl, the editor, within the hour. This was on the 27th. It arrived today, the 28th. That is fantastic service. Those of you that do not get this free publication nick named throughout the industry as the retailer’s bible, can go to: www.tackntogs.com to request your free subscription.
-- Lloyd Wiebe, Editor CEEAA Chatter

Thanks for the kind words, Lloyd. I should also mention that if you don't get the CEEAA Chatter Newsletter, you can contact them at ceeaamarket@hotmail.com. I'm not sure what the qualifications are for receiving it, but in addition to news of the Association, it always has many good tips for retailers and manufacturers in the equine trade industry.

We do take customers service seriously here at Tack 'n Togs. It would be rather hypocritical of us to preach it to manufacturers and retailers and then not practice it ourselves. Are we 100 percent spot on all the time? Probably not, but do our best to make sure that everyone who contacts us receives a timely response.

We're always happy to provide answers to questions. Sometimes we know the answer right off, sometimes it takes a bit of research. Sometimes the question doesn't have an answer, as in this one: How large (in millions of dollars) is the equine trade industry? I'm asked that question at least three times a week.

I used to hazard a guess, but after a couple run-ins with people who disagreed with my number and were able to present rather convincing evidence, I've retreated to simply saying "there's no way of knowing."

If we can ever be of service to any of you who read this blog regularly, don't hesitate to ask. I do respond to email pwahl@tackntogs.com.