I am currently thinking about purchasing some new sneakers. I am a runner/athlete and very loyal to Asics, however I do not want to wind up spending over a hundred dollars. My dad is very good at finding good deals and has mastered the art of “shopping around.” He often orders his sneakers from Holabirdsports.com, where he finds excellent deals. The site has been around since 1981 and features the most popular brands in sporting goods. It offers exclusive deals and various promotions. Users can shop by sport, brand, product, accessories or fan gear. There are also product groups displayed which include running shoes, tennis shoes, tennis, sportswear, running gear, for juniors, shoes – men, shoes – women, racquetball, squash, platform tennis, sports equipment and gift cards. Evidently the site offers a wide variety of products as it tries to cater to various athletes, particularly tennis, squash and racquetball players. Products come from the Holabird showroom outlet in Baltimore, MD, which the site invites users to visit.When looking at shoes, the site provides the option of comparing sneaker attributes and price side by side to determine which you prefer. Also, all prices exclusive to the site are displayed in a bright orange color in order to emphasize how much money has been taken off the retail price. Due to the short lived nature of some of Holabird’s promotions and how fast discounted products sell out, a fixed pricing strategy, particularly promotional pricing is being employed here. The home page displays “exclusives” which are deals that can only be found at Holabird. It also features current “promotions,” next to which it says “check back often for new offers” to emphasize that the promotions are short term. These are excellent incentives for consumers to buy, as they are great deals. An example of the "compare" option is pictured below.
In addition to the deals offered on the homepage, as users browse through the products, other deals are highlighted. As mentioned before, discounted prices are in orange. Also next to many of the products it says “close-out” depicting that it is the final sale and a small number of the particular products remains. This reinforces the popularity of the product and just how good the deal is.
Based on the prices depicted on the site, products are significantly cheaper than they would be in a sporting goods retail store. Sneakers that are discounted or on “close-out” are around twenty bucks less than retail. For example, I am interested in the Asics GEL-DS Trainer 13 Lady and they were originally $100, but are now on close-out for only $66.95. Racquets are significantly discounted, often $100 less than retail. For example an E-Force Bedlam Dagger 150 racquetball racquet is listed at $280 and Holabird sells it for $144.95.
Holabird’s pricing strategy is evidently very successful as products on the site sell very fast. Since Tennis Pros founded the site, creators know exactly what consumers want especially when it comes to squash, tennis or racquetball. Consumer reviews of Holabird on pricegrabber.com are excellent. Almost all consumers have found their desired products and experienced easy purchasing and fast shipment. Holabird’s estimated annual sales are $6,000,000. To read more about Holabird’s company profile, visit this site: http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_hn8ft0.
