Industry 05/31/2008
Quiksilver Launches E-Commerce Site and I Don't Care
Well one of the big stories in the surf industry this past week was that Quiksilver finally launched it’s full e-commerce site. A lot of people are pissed that this is taking money away from all of the surf shops that helped them build their brand into what it is today.
I don’t really understand what the big deal is, and here’s a few reasons why:
• Most people still like to try on clothes before they buy them. I mean really, what percentage of your clothing are you buying online at this point? I know I’m super picky about how t-shirts fit and feel, and I know most girls like to actually see how their butts look in jeans before they buy them. Call me crazy, but I like to feel how a wetsuit fits around my fat neck before I spend $400 on it.
• Let’s get real, all of the products from all of the companies are the same thing with different logos and 80’s inspired graphics on it. So what you’re buying is image. If you think Quiksilver has “sold out” because of this online thing, and is ruining their image in the core surf market, you can wear somebody else’s logo and retro 80’s graphics. Luckily there are a lot of other cool and upcoming surf brands for you to choose from, and you can buy their boardshorts at your local surf shop instead.
• Plenty of other brands are doing this (RVCA, Nixon, Etnies, No Fear, FOX...) it’s not just Quik. This is where they will all be going soon enough. It’s inevitable, things move forward, so why fight it. It’s like trying to hold on to your cassette player.
• It’s great for new brands! This will clear shelves in the “core” surf shops to make room for your cool new clothing line. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there’s been a bit of a paradigm shift lately. It’s not the big brands that are really cool anymore. Kids who want to prove that they’re cool and cutting edge are discovering the younger brands (RVCA, Insight, O’Quinn, etc.), so it’s just up to the shops to start carrying the sub-giant brands.
What do you guys think? I’d like some other opinions on this one. Do you care if Quik has an e-commerce site now? Will you stop going to your local surf shop?
Comments
Russell Stone
Tue, Jul 08, 2008 at 03:39 pm
About time! Everyone else in the apparel industry markets direct to consumer (except “core” action sports related brands). All emerging brands know the benefit of having a special relationship to thier end consumer. They can guarentee timely delivery and a good experience for their core fans. The shops wont suffer and lets be honest – if the shops suffered its when they sold directly to large chain stores.. many moons ago.