In the two years since the closing of Clark Foam, surfboard sales have been on the decline—much to the dismay of surfboard shapers, glass shops, fin and accessory companies, and surf shops alike. There are many reasons or theories as to why this decline happened, especially after several years of steady growth in hardgood sales.

As an industry observer (and consumer), the reason seems obvious— today’s consumer is completely and totally confused with too many choices, blanks, shapes, and materials.

Foam, epoxy, TufLite, Aviso, Firewire, four-fin, moontail, vector fins, whatever. It all spells product overload. In addition to the overwhelming number of choices and options, prices have also risen on new boards.

Now more than ever the consumer needs to be educated by experts working in the shops.

“Too many choices, too many options, not enough information, too expensive if you buy the wrong board”—I’ve heard it all while standing in shops along both coasts. Even surf shops with more than 300 new boards in stock are frustrated, as their sales are still flat.

As evidenced by the success of recent consumer-oriented surfboard expos in Southern California, the consumer wants to know about all of the new materials, new shapes, new fins, and more! Today’s consumers has more choices and questions than ever before in the history of surfing, yet more must be done to educate them about which board, shape, fin set-up will help improve their surfing.

I know that you, as retailers, are nodding your heads in agreement. But what can you do, you ask?

Provide Plenty Of Consumer Materials/Handouts
Knowledge is power, so ensure that your surfboard customer has plenty to read. I’ve seen excellent info from Lost, Channel Islands, Surf Tech, FCS, and Futures, among others, as well as recent issues of the surf mags, discussing design, materials and function. Make sure that your surfboard sales staff is trained on all of the different materials, shapes, fins, and more.

Have Surfboard Workshops And Other Educational Events
Many of the top surfboard brands (and their sales force) are eager to organize fun, informative events to speak directly to your consumers. Offer your board reps and local shapers opportunities to educate your consumers face-to-face.

Have Demo Surfboards For Key Styles, Types
This is a key element in re-building your surfboard sales. Not even the best salesman can fully explain the differences between a TufLite 2 and a Firewire. Your customer needs to find out for himself, if he is going to spend his hard-earned dollars. Work with your key vendors and shapers to have demos available for your customers to ride; incorporate it into your current rental program. The same can be done for the various fin systems available; FCS and Futures have great demo availability!

Don’t Stock Too Many Surfboards!
In general, surf shops have too much inventory, with surfboards taking up a lot of room, a lot of cash, generating lower profits. Select your brands, shapes, and lengths carefully, mixing local and international shapers. Utilize the custom order program wherever possible.

Price Competitively
Thanks to the Internet, today’s consumer is extremely price-savvy. Ensure that your prices are competitive, relative to local and online competition. If you want to provide incentives, use your private label products—i.e. buy a surfboard at full price, get a free shop sweatshirt.

There have been plenty of waves over the past 2 years, so it’s not a lack of surf that’s hurting surfboard sales. The consumer is confused—it’s your job as a surf shop owner/manager/employee to take the time and educate your consumer. Explain the options and performance differences. Have consumer-oriented board/shaper events, and offer demo boards to ride! Done correctly and consistently, you will see your board sales start to increase!


This article was written by Dave Seehafer and was brought to you by the Board Retailers Association. For more information on Seehafer, log on to www.globalwaveventures.com or phone: 949-466-4110.