I don't think any rising tide in a consumer market lifts all boats. There will always be winners and losers.
I don't think so. If bat sales are growing and supply is constant, every bat seller will see demand. This simple principle was more than obvious during the pandemic.
I find it hard to believe that a new brand like WCW could have grown in the way it has, selling at the price point it does, in the era before online retail. Established brands like Kippax and Keeley have manged to expand beyond their geographical areas.
I don't think that the large Indian brands could have expanded into the UK at the rate they have if they had required individual shops up and down the country to take a risk on stocking new products
Your assertions are a:) bat buying market is growing because more young people are getting into the sport; b:) custom bat brands have grown because of online presence; c:) established brands like Kippax and Keeley have also grown "beyond their geographical areas". TCB's original post that I commented on was about this forum helping with sales. That's all I was responding to with some additional comments about bat buying behavior.
Regarding Kippax and Keeley, don't forget Laver & Wood and their mass appeal. Now, we are talking about larger market's buying patterns and not
just forum related sales. You are correct, those brands have expanded & yet in larger context, not every clubbie is buying those brands and I refer you to my points 8, 9, & 10. These brands are expensive. Cheapest Kippax I see on their website is GBP 295 (
https://kippaxcricket.co.uk/shop/); I know about pingy no-brand India made sold for USD 250. Find a friend in India and you will find many good deals.
Outside of UK, people buying those expensive bats are less than 1 percent of the 1 percent club players. People buy goods (bats in this case) that are priced reasonably for them. I am talking about adult club players, not internet/social-media savvy kids. Do people buy more bats because they are available online? My point is that accessability is not necessary growth.
How many of these kids play club cricket as adults? Are they return customers? How many bats they buy during their playing years? Is market reach "beyond their geographical areas" same things as market growth?
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Topic: Is 2024 The Year Of The Bat Revolution? (Read 5365 times)