Innova Declares War on Retailers

[Dire Wolfy]

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

Agreed.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

Wait till Aim gets here.

Eh. F it. Discraft is even worse tho.

Who really cares on the stock stuff.. Give dealers some meat on the bones with the limited stuff that actually sells. Still bad 4 small biz. Innova doesnt need to retail discs but retailers need innova... :wall:

 

[JC17393]

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.

I wouldn't expect that they'd get any more granular than those ranges any time soon. Those breaks are the exact same ones they use on their wholesale order forms, which coincides with how they're stored in the warehouse. You go the area where they have the Champion Valkyries, and it's boxes of 173-175, 170-172, 165-169, etc. You have to dig to find the exact weight/color you want.

A retailer will order discs by range but unless they make specific requests, they get whatever the order picker grabs out of the nearest box that fits the weight range ordered. Sometimes it's 5 at 173, sometimes it's 5 at 174, sometimes you get 2 at 173 and 2 at 174 and 1 at 175. Depends on who's picking and/or what happens to be on the top of the pile they're picking from.

But when the order gets to the retailer, the smaller quantities make it easier to break it down to individual weights and colors. It is one advantage to going through a retailer is that they have the time and manpower (and motivation) to be more precise with their inventory.

 

[PoorPutter]

Probably unrelated, but I have a question. A friend of mine has been noticing a general lack of GStar Destroyers in the online market the last couple-few weeks. He very specifically likes 167g, so he's most in-tune with stock in that weight.

I don't buy discs, nor keep up with rumors or production crap, but I know you guys do. Any thoughts? Is there a GStar (Destroyer) shortage right now? (Yes, I know discgolfcenter and Innova and discstore have *some*.....he's just claiming it's way less than usual.) Or are these normal ups and downs? Or perhaps off-season slowdowns? His biggest fear is that Innova is phasing out GStar plastic.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dire Wolfy]

Probably unrelated, but I have a question. A friend of mine has been noticing a general lack of GStar Destroyers in the online market the last couple-few weeks. He very specifically likes 167g, so he's most in-tune with stock in that weight.

I don't buy discs, nor keep up with rumors or production crap, but I know you guys do. Any thoughts? Is there a GStar (Destroyer) shortage right now? (Yes, I know discgolfcenter and Innova and discstore have *some*.....he's just claiming it's way less than usual.) Or are these normal ups and downs? Or perhaps off-season slowdowns? His biggest fear is that Innova is phasing out GStar plastic.

Thanks in advance.

If you dont mind flat destroyers, try a colossus, it is essentially a destroyer3, dave dunipace even said it himself.

 

[zj1002]

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 ?

Having worked at Disc Nation I can tell you they were doing this with DiscGolfValues way before the factory store. Exclusive fundraiser/tour discs have always stolen more business from retailers than stock discs will. Why do you think DN did so much custom stuff back in the day? Why do you think Infinite does it now? Most manufacturers also know it hurts them to bite the hand that feeds by offering dirt cheap stock discs.

 

[SD86]

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 ?

I noticed the Star TL page on the Proshop site was updated, as well.

Having said that, what others have said is accurate: the proshop's very high prices and usurious (i.e. gouging) shipping prices make them totally non-competitive and therefore a non-factor in this "war". I'm not worried. I'll get worried if Innova starts enabling the MLMers like DD apparently has...

 

[Lazerface]

LMAO WAR = Standard practice for virtually every company that sells through multiple outlets but also has their own store.

Like most consumers, I don't really consider going directly to Nike's website if I want to buy a pair of Nikes. I go to Amazon, or walk into my local corporate shoe giant. Just like Innova, their own stores are going to be selling for MSRP outside of special seasonal sales/discounts.

As far as the tour series stuff goes that's a different animal considering player royalties are involved. To my understanding it's more/unit than a signature disc. It may just be that there is not enough margin for them to pay the royalties if they wholesale them to retailers. If that's the case, you can't blame them.

 

[F. Howl]

Eh. F it. Discraft is even worse tho.

Who really cares on the stock stuff.. Give dealers some meat on the bones with the limited stuff that actually sells. Still bad 4 small biz. Innova doesnt need to retail discs but retailers need innova... :wall:

Welp that seals the deal for me. Used to love some DC. F that'

This doesn't "seal the deal" for you, in regards to Innova?

 

[Streets]

 

[F. Howl]

Oh yeah, well:

Wait...what are we doing here? Equine gifs, right?

 

[Inverted]

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.

Other retailer's profit margin per unit wouldnt change, true...however, their volume of discs sold could potentially increase if Innova stopped selling discs directly.

 

[JC17393]

Other retailer's profit margin per unit wouldnt change, true...however, their volume of discs sold could potentially increase if Innova stopped selling discs directly.

True, but their volume could potentially increase if any online disc golf retailer shut down, so it's silly to single Innova's site out.

 

[elmexdela]

I think this is a brilliant move, and completely ethical. Anyone who suggests otherwise clearly doesn't under stand our economics, or business ethics.

 

[Cool]

Off Market

The "war" on dedicated disc golf stores (Infinite Discs, Marshall Street, etc.) is not from Innova"s direct to consumer, retail price sales, but from brand new Innova discs available at Dick's Sports, Wal-Mart, Play It Again Sports, and yes, even 7-Eleven convenience stores.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

This doesn't "seal the deal" for you, in regards to Innova?

Dawg.. Even if i find an innova disc with no name i just toss in in the clear for the next person. Aint got no time 4 that BS plastic in my bag. Duh. They sealed the deal years ago when i first started playing and couldnt get a replacement viper or wraith to fly the same. DC was better so went that route on buzz XS/XL flash etc. Disc golf as a business just isnt really that great when you have the 2 biggest makers in the game now taking away from a big part of the market which supports them. In a healthy industry it is one thing but disc golf really is dead in that regard.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

True, but their volume could potentially increase if any online disc golf retailer shut down, so it's silly to single Innova's site out.

The profit innova can make selling discs at a premium via their e-retail is probably double that of their retail partners. Sad really.

 

[elmexdela]

Dawg.. Even if i find an innova disc with no name i just toss in in the clear for the next person. Aint got no time 4 that BS plastic in my bag. Duh. They sealed the deal years ago when i first started playing and couldnt get a replacement viper or wraith to fly the same. DC was better so went that route on buzz XS/XL flash etc. Disc golf as a business just isnt really that great when you have the 2 biggest makers in the game now taking away from a big part of the market which supports them. In a healthy industry it is one thing but disc golf really is dead in that regard.

Bro, but were you paying the inflated prices on innuva pro shop?

Probably why they werent flying right. You pay more for better flight.

 

[wericsson]

The "war" on dedicated disc golf stores (Infinite Discs, Marshall Street, etc.) is not from Innova"s direct to consumer, retail price sales, but from brand new Innova discs available at Dick's Sports, Wal-Mart, Play It Again Sports, and yes, even 7-Eleven convenience stores.

7-Ele... wha... what? You're telling me I can go in a gas station and buy discs? (admittedly, I've been in a tackle store that sold discs before... and frankly, I see non-dedicated retailers like that doing plenty for the DGing community...)

 

[brutalbrutus]

7-Ele... wha... what? You're telling me I can go in a gas station and buy discs? (admittedly, I've been in a tackle store that sold discs before... and frankly, I see non-dedicated retailers like that doing plenty for the DGing community...)

One of the local shops here vends out discs to a couple gas stations.