Foremost Golf has just completed what is believed to be Europe’s largest public Equipment Survey on behalf of its Elite Marketing Programme (EMP) members.
The Survey attracted a total of over 19,500 respondents from all over the country and is crammed full of up-to-date information which EMP professionals will be able to use to maximise equipment sales and business opportunities over the winter and into 2015.
The latest Equipment Survey provides a wide range of information collated on a national level and it also provides EMP members with valuable information appertaining to the purchasing habits of their own club members.
It show which brands are currently most popular in the driver, irons, wedge, putter and ball markets, which clubs respondents are likely to play next and how often they are likely to change each club in their bag.
All Foremost’s EMP members received a copy of the completed Survey together with a personal report drawn up by their EMP Campaign Managers setting out how best to use the findings to their best advantage.
“It would be no exaggeration to suggest our new Equipment Survey contains a treasure trove of information our EMP members can use to maximise their sales during the coming year,” said Foremost Company Director, Andy Martin.
“On one level it gives our EMP members a massive head start when it comes to making a decision on what products to stock in their shops and it also goes deeper because it provides every EMP professional with valuable information of what each respondent from his club is likely to purchase next.
“Just one example result shows that nationally 13% of our members’ customers aren’t happy with their current driver which is interesting information but it also goes further by highlighting exactly which of our members’ customers come into that category.
“It’s the same with irons. We know that nationally 12% of our respondents are thinking about changing their irons and we know from club to club exactly who each of those individuals is.
“That makes it a valuable marketing tool and means our EMP professionals can contact those customers individually with specially targeted offers they are almost certain to find attractive.”
“It also means that working with their personal Campaign Managers they can fine- tune the content of their personal websites, newsletters and special mail-outs to ensure they include information they know their members want to read about.”
The new Equipment Survey is the latest initiative aimed at helping EMP members boost their retail income and comes hard on the heels of an important piece of independent research undertaken by Datatech which shows EMP members are already outperforming their on-course and off-course rivals in most key retail categories.
Foremost recently signed up its 300th EMP member and it is anticipated that number will continue to increase heading into the start of the 2015 season.
“I think members have come to realise the benefits of EMP membership vastly outweigh the costs involved,” said Martin. “At the Harrogate Golf Trade Show so many new members told us they regretted not joining sooner and believe non-EMP members are likely to be left behind if they chose not to join.”
“Access to the information found in the new Equipment Survey is only the latest example of that,” he added.
Foremost members can find out more about joining the EMP by contacting Graham Starkey on Tel 01753 218913 or email graham.starkey@foremostgolf.com