SKI EQUIPMENT - WHAT ARE THE POLES’ SHOPPING OPTIONS?

The white madness aficionados’ equipment is generally available. The stationary and Internet stores have a very wide range. This has not always been the case. Ski equipment  availability patterns have changed over the years. The market has changed over the last 25 years in an extremely interesting way.

Business beginnings

The nineties, regardless of the economy sector are associated with the open air market and the exchange shopping.  The same applies to the winter sports equipment. The unprecedented opportunity to buy the ski equipment abroad and bring to Poland  caused that the stock market was packed with previously unavailable brands. At the same time small  ski services  which had been in business for years broadened their offer by selling new and second-hand models.

 Ski revolution

The end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s saw the large and world-wide stores of global brands open all over Poland. These also expanded their offer by selling winter equipment. Skiing business was in the middle of the revolution, with a complete   geometry  and   skis construction   change. The so-called  carving skis  triggered a massive movement to reach for new  ski equipment . That was the driving force for  the ski market development. Stock exchanges  were in their renaissance again.  Interestingly, this was the time when exchange and open market traditions in other industries were almost extinct. Poles also began to visit stationary ski shops and many sellers who had had their stands at the ski open-air markets decided to run parallel specialist stores. Customers started looking for better, more advanced equipment.

 Internet and new possibilities 

The Internet revolutionized our communication and offerred a breakthrough in commerce, i.e. shopping without the need to leave the house. Stationary sales points have faced a new competitive channel - online sales. Many e-stores opened and went into business in parallel with the  ski shops  of regular nature.  From now on it was easy to check the price of the competitors, find an opinion …. this completely changed the sales method and had a huge impact on prices. In a short time the role  ski exchange role  was marginalized, today these sales channels focus more on used equipment. The number and overall profitability of stationary ski shops also decreased. A few years before they were successful without any Internet competition. There are other large players in the market - these combine online and offline stores.

What does it look today?

The changes have taken place in recent years and have changed the stores and customers perception.  Today, the customer enjoys a greater choice and thus can pay less for the equipment. You can check the opinion on a particular model on the Internet and compare its prices, any time, anywhere. It is no longer the seller that is the only source of knowledge regarding the equipment.  Sellers’ knowledge can be verified more easily today, which is why today even greater professionalism is desired. Today the store is closer to  skier . Stores should also be present on the slope. 

Quite of: Jacek Mieszczak, A stationary ski shop, an online store or a ski exchange? Where do Poles buy equipment?

(JL)