She advised dive shops to shift the in-store experience away from just product sales and into immersive storytelling. “Your customers should walk in and be hit with adventure - through images, video, brochures - not price tags and cash registers,” she said. She also noted that most divers travel 3 to 5 times a year. Dive shops that don’t provide local or international travel BUSINESS EDU continued
Start by thinking local. When travelers stay closer to home, that’s your moment to shine. Promote nearby lakes, quarries, or coastal dive sites as accessible escapes. Frame them as mini-adventures. Bundling training courses with a local trip gives new divers an immediate goal to aim for and opens the door for full family involvement. Offer discover scuba experiences for younger family members or non-diving
spouses, and encourage certified divers to continue learning with specialty courses. These programs help foster community and deepen customer relationships. Richard Thomas of Interna- tional Scuba in Dallas takes this even further. He created a “Dive Tribe™” to offer a sense of be- longing and pride among divers, inspired by the community en- gagement models seen in indus- tries like motorcycling and fitness.
opportunities risk losing cus- tomers. “Some shops say it’s too complicated. But if you’re not of- fering travel, your customers are going to find it somewhere else - and when they do, you’ve lost out on thousands in potential rev- enue.” In tough times, Patterson rec- ommends focusing on lower-risk trips: “Pick packages with refund- able deposits and low comp re- quirements. Divers are resilient -
It’s a reminder that your shop can be more than a store - it can be a hub where divers connect and grow together. From there, think about your travel messaging. Instead of promoting long-haul destinations that may feel out of reach, highlight quick escapes that are easy to book and close to home. Consider destinations like Florida, Cozumel, Hawaii
they won’t stop traveling. They might choose the Caribbean over a long-haul trip this year, but they’re still going to dive.” How Dive Retailers Can Adapt - Practically and Positively So how do you take all of this - the shifting travel market, the uncertain economy, and the evolving diver mindset - and translate it into something that actually helps your business?
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