A logical forecast was put to me recently: that in these troubled economic times we would see the golf trade's biggest swingers chopping down their retail prices in a bid to maintain unit sales and to put the squeeze on smaller competitors. That makes perfectly good sense, I thought, particularly with the rate of inflation heading south. It'll be good news for the consumer at least, if not necessarily for the retailers and smaller manufacturers.
Since the beginning of the year we have already had a number of significant equipment releases, and if TaylorMade's new R9 driver (from £349) and Ecco's Ultra Performance shoe (£150) are anything to go by, the price war is yet to begin. Bionic is even boldly stepping in with a new price point for gloves at £24.99 (see p14). One exception comes from Cleveland, however, whose HiBORE Monster XLS driver is recommended at £219 - that's £30 less than the HiBORE XLS last year.
Price is only part of the equation of course. If the price fairly reflects the quality of the product, and it is supported with dynamic sales and marketing, a premium item will still sell through.
So that's my forecast for 2009: products and services at a variety of price points will prosper, but only if the complete strategy surrounding it is just right.
Robin Barwick, Editor
