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Once upon a time, the colorful game of paintball was considered an extreme sport, and a growing interest for the army/navy retailer. Newbie paintballers found that the army/navy store was a great source for cheap, durable military-style apparel that could be easily replaced after one splash too many.
In modern times (post 2002), not only is paintball no longer considered an extreme sport, but paintball's less messy cousin, airsoft, has supplanted paintball as the ballistic sport of choice for the army/navy retailer.
Which is not to say that paintball has gone the way of the hula hoop. But what once was a loosely organized, highly personal and spontaneous activity is now hyper-corporate, mass-marketized and somewhat sanitized for better and worse.
Army/navy retailers now face competition from a growing number of mass market and niche retailers, leading to the attrition of both customers and profit margin.
Army/navy retailers still in the paintball game find success through several means, such as becoming entrenched in the local paintball community and building a reputation as a reliable source of correct information and competitively-priced products; developing relationships with the growing number of organized paintball leagues and sponsoring teams in those leagues; providing schools and businesses with paintball programs (companies increasingly consider paintball a "team-building" exercise); and by promoting the sport to their non-playing, but paying customers.
Staying on the ball
As paintball becomes more of a business, it has become more of an indoor sport with fields filled with obstacles and mazes. The loss of a natural playing environment removes much of the need for military-style camouflage, and many indoor players now wear colorful team uniforms, complete with corporate sponsored logos and artwork not unlike a NASCAR driver's jumpsuit.
This has hurt the sales of surplus BDUs at army/navy retailers, but those that have build up a loyal paintball following can still count on sales of paintball BBs, protective gear, CO2 cartridge refills and plenty of advice and encouragement. Retailers should also investigate the possibility of becoming a team's official uniform supplier.
Although paintball is a price sensitive market, the quality of markers, paintballs and protective equipment truly matters for accuracy, weapon reliability and most importantly, safety.
Retailers should always emphasize quality products over cheap ones. In fact, that's the competitive edge that army/navy retailers can carry over the mass market brands.
Airsoft market anything but soft
The winner and new "champeen" is airsoft, which is both casual sport and deadly serious training vehicle for police, tactical and military personnel.
"The hallmark of airsoft is MilSim (military simulation) and tactical game-playing," according to Fred Heim of Palco Sports, a major provider of both paintball and airsoft products.
This duality of purpose expands the market for the army/navy retailer, since both the casual enthusiast and the law enforcement professional are suitable customers for airsoft products.
Airsoft differs from paintball in two major ways; there is no messy paint involved, and the guns used are completely different in form and appearance.
The attraction of airsoft for the law enforcement professional lies in the painstaking replication of actual size, weight and appearance of the guns involved, whether handgun, rifle or assault weapon.
This makes airsoft guns excellent for tactical training purposes, since real-world conditions can be closely matched without the lethality.
On the game-playing level, army/navy retailers may find that airsoft gamers are a breed unto themselves, and not simply paintball veterans in the mood for a new fix.
Of course, retailers with a strong paintball base should certainly promote airsoft to the paintball community by extolling the virtues and the challenges of airsoft that are unique to the sport. Citing the added realism of the weapons and the cleaner end results are both powerful enticements.
With the army/navy market's expansion into retail and institutional law enforcement sales, airsoft is a vital component of the total product mix and sales approach to the law enforcement professional.
Military personnel also utilize both airsoft and paintball for training purposes.
With their appeal to consumers, military personnel and law enforcement professionals, paintball and airsoft should be key categories for most army/navy retailers.
author: BY MARK HAWVER