I am writing this on my return from a fun, energizing trip to the CABDA Expo in Chicago. It is inspiring to see a relevant regional tradeshow that is thriving, outgrowing its expo space in just two short years. I have to think there will be more of these regional shows popping up in the years to come.
I was particularly honored to meet a TON of owners and managers of retail locations who met two key, exciting criteria:
- Under 32 years old
- Leading a shop that could be described as “niche”
Criteria one is exciting to me. A 25-year old manager today could easily be working in bicycle retail (likely owning their own business or working part-time self employed one day as trends indicate) for another 40 or 45 years; meaning the year 2060! I hope many of the bright people I met have careers that stretch that far into the future.
Criteria two is fascinating. These “niche” retailers didn’t exist 10-15 years ago and I argue they could not have survived 10-15 years ago. Niches I observed include:
- Service focused
- Van-based retailers
- Cargo-bike focused
- Service and assembly only
- Commuter focused
- Custom lifestyle only
…and the list goes on.
Niche is the new normal and the creativity, unique branding and exceptional customer focus that comes with it is energizing. These “new normal” retailers are exactly the type of retailer that will serve what is now the largest generation of people in the US: Millenials.
So the future is here! I regrettably missed Jay Townley’s seminar on “The New Era of Bike Shop Retailing”, but the description indicated that we agree: these two criteria sure look like the future.
To be clear, this isn’t meant to take away anything from do-it-all retailers. I still love seeing a retailer who can be everything cycling-related to the die hard enthusiast with five or ten bikes in the garage. After all, that enthusiast is someone I can relate to.
But these new normal retailers are the ones who will determine the future of the industry with their focused consumer relationships, buying/stocking decisions and vision for that future. I’m excited to do more and more work with the new normal bicycle retailer.