Innova Declares War on Retailers

[tomsdiscs]

As most of you know, the Innova Factory Store has been encroaching on its retailers turf for a while.

In the past year or so, they have started listing production runs of molds in Pro and Gstar, but now the gloves are off and they are listing regular production runs of Star Destroyers, Star Bosses, etc direct to the public, I wonder what Marshall Street, Discgolfcenter, Disc Nation, etc think about that ?

 

[brutalbrutus]

I'm pretty bored so this should be mildly entertaining...opcorn:





...well maybe tomorrow when more people are on:\

 

[rocthecourse]

Their prices are terrible. $17.99 for Star? http://www.discgolfcenter.com/ has Star for $13.99 and you get free shipping. It shouldn't hurt the disc sellers with decent prices and free shipping.

The only reason to buy from the Innova store is if you want something that is limited production or a special run.

 

[scarpfish]

Much ado about nothing.

 

[brutalbrutus]

I am not entertained...

 

[mgamache8]

It costs too much to buy production run discs on the factory store. $18 plus shipping on the factory store versus $14 including shipping on other sites. I don't see this being much of a problem.

And the retailers don't have any "turf". It's 100% innings desision as to what they want to do for distribution, so there's no "encroaching"

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Their prices are terrible. $17.99 for Star? http://www.discgolfcenter.com/ has Star for $13.99 and you get free shipping. It shouldn't hurt the disc sellers with decent prices and free shipping.

The only reason to buy from the Innova store is if you want something that is limited production or a special run.

Seems about right to me. I don't see point in paying full retail plus shipping for something you can buy at your local shop, without the cost of shipping.

And DGC has good better prices plus free shipping.

 

[JedV]

This thread's title is click-bait. I even thought that 'tomsdiscs' was a retailer with actual news, but nope.

As has been stated, the factory store prices aren't competitive and shipping is atrocious unless you spend a lot. They aren't going to take big bite out of their retailers.

 

[Halcón]

I am not entertained...

Wait till Aim gets here.

 

[JC17393]

If they were selling production runs at barely above cost, or frankly anything less than MSRP, there would be a valid reason to be upset. As long as they're sticking to the MSRP that they ask/require of their retailers, how is the Innova Factory Store any different than any other competitor in the online market? Are you unhappy that Marshall Street or Infinite or Disc Nation or GGGT exist, too?

Seems to me the only difference between the Innova Factory Store and <name your retail website> is they have a larger potential profit margin (since their inventory costs them less than wholesale). And there's nothing that can be done about that. If they ceased their online presence, other retailers' profit margins wouldn't change one iota.

 

[Streets]

Oh brother.....

 

[davetherocketguy]

This thread's title is click-bait.

:thmbup:

Move on...nothing to see here

 

[mostlynorwegian]

OP doesn't seem to understand the concept of war. The concept or retail war is to undercut. Not to offer it at the same price, or above it.
By selling them at the MSRP, they are hardly doing anything more than offering the option to buy in a way that appears convenient when you are ordering a limited production/OOP run, or a factory second.
If they were selling their regular production discs to the consumer at wholesale cost. Then there'd be a war on retailers. But, you don't bite the hand that feeds you. It's the same reason why production breweries taprooms sell packaged beer at a higher cost than the liquor store down the block from them. It is to offer their customer a convenience, not to provide them a better price than the liquor store. That's shooting yourself in the foot with a smile.

 

[_MTL_]

If they were selling production runs at barely above cost, or frankly anything less than MSRP, there would be a valid reason to be upset. As long as they're sticking to the MSRP that they ask/require of their retailers, how is the Innova Factory Store any different than any other competitor in the online market? Are you unhappy that Marshall Street or Infinite or Disc Nation or GGGT exist, too?

Seems to me the only difference between the Innova Factory Store and <name your retail website> is they have a larger potential profit margin (since their inventory costs them less than wholesale). And there's nothing that can be done about that. If they ceased their online presence, other retailers' profit margins wouldn't change one iota.

Exactly.

This is nothing different than basically every company in the world.

 

[Dire Wolfy]

Prices might drop then, I might order some new stuffs.

 

[lyleoross]

I read the title and the sound of a 50 caliber mowing down a row of heroic discs, tromping through trenches, came to my ear. I swear a Lightning F15 shooting rockets into the Innova distribution center in NC. I heard the DD Marshall locking Dave Dunipace up in the Slammer.

Ah yes, the manly art of war.

 

[sjberry2017]

A manufacturer selling directly to consumers? Dynamic has been doing that forever, and their product seems to shift just fine at brick and mortar stores and other online storefronts. Meh, competition is a good thing.

 

[Nova P]

I looked at the Innova site, because I recently received a small cache of reward points redeemable at that shop to spend as a reward for doing a thing. In addition to the regular run discs being priced at MSRP (as has been mentioned several times already), the Innova site is not very granular when it comes to selecting disc weight, breaking the choices out into clumps of 3-5 grams at a whack, with break points that may not align well with the ranges that a customer desires.

For example, I'll throw pretty much any driver that's 162-168, or so, with 165 being my sweet spot. The pull-down menu options for selecting a weight break at 160-164 grams, and 165-169 grams. That's a bit awkward and inconvenient, for sure, when other online shops are much more specific about the weight, and I have three nearby retail shops where I can examine each disc in person.

If this is "war," it's a tepid and mild one. The thread title is click bait.

 

[SonicGuy]

Retailers should rejoice at this. It gives a clear benchmark for pricing that they already beat. If nothing else this gives online retailers a chance to correct upwards and increase profit margin.

 

[chevis]