CWA Blog Archive-Harness The Power Of Retail Panel Discussion

Harness The Power Of Retail Panel Discussion

Pdf Summary

This article shares highlights from an expert panel assembled for the CWA's Retail Webinar Series, discussing why retail is a great opportunity for gyms, considerations for starting a program, and common potholes to avoid. It distills favorite pieces of advice from several industry experts. Todd McCormick, Owner of Keystone Climbing Consultants, emphasizes having a fluid plan to continually improve your product mix, noting you need a plan for when a product isn't selling well, that it's a process of trying over and over, and that you may never find the optimal product mix but must keep trying new things. Brett Merlin, Sales Rep at CAMP, offers a tactic for those who already have a program: invest in really good rental or demo harnesses, and stock those same harnesses for sale in your retail store, so you're demoing harnesses that can be sold later. Mike Sobol, Director of Retail for El Cap (Earth Treks, Planet Granite, Movement), gives confidence to those hoping to launch a retail program, advising that you could do it pretty minimally to start. The throughline is that retail is an accessible, valuable opportunity for gyms, and that expert guidance can help operators start and improve programs while avoiding common mistakes. For operators considering or running retail, the article delivers practical, credible advice from people who've done it, encouraging them to start even small, keep experimenting with product mix, and use smart tactics like demo-to-retail harnesses to build a program that adds real value to the gym.

Asset Caption

This piece shares expert advice from the CWA's Retail Webinar panel. Keystone's Todd McCormick urges continually refining product mix through persistent experimentation, CAMP's Brett Merlin suggests demo harnesses that can be sold later, and El Cap's Mike Sobol reassures that you can start a retail program minimally, framing retail as accessible, improvable, and worthwhile.