Aqualung's stance on e commerce

[String]

Looks to me like clever wording of "price fixing" and eliminating good deals.

Whether people like it or not, the internet exists and isn't going away. You cant ignore it.

When i buy dive gear my first goal is to get what i want as cheaply as i can. I know exactly or roughly what i want and what shops charge. I go to the internet and usually find it 30-40% cheaper.

Ive got no personal interest in one individuals business and so on - hell i'll support the business of who can give me what i want at the best price and normally thats online.

Its a pity, aqua lung make some very good regulators but the above comments seem to imply they arent prepared to compete financially with other companies of equally good equipment. That means bluntly, they'll lose out.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

This is why the 1st Aqua Lung product I purchased last year will be my last. I recently bought a regulator for a pony bottle rig, and I went with Oceanic. One of my main criteria when deciding which regulator to purchase was which vendors allow the open sale of their product via the internet. Any vendor that did not allow such online sale was off my list. Didn't consider Aqua Lung, Apeks or Scuba Pro. I was pleased to be able to take my money to Oceanic, one of the most forward thinking gear companies out there in terms of ecommerce.

 

[covediver]

If you object to Aqualung not selling except through local dive shops, you have an simple recourse, don't buy their product and boycott the LDC that sells it, but let them know why. Lots of companies that ignore the consumer go out of business.

About 10 years ago, people objected to dive boats enforcing the buddy rule. The solution was simple, don't go out on dive boats that require the rule if you don't like it.

In many ways, this debate reminds me of the mail order dive gear business of the 1980s when Skin Diver was criticized for offering ads from companies doing what e-commerce does today.

In private enterprise, a company's business model dictates their strategy and willingness to explore alternative marketing techinques. For Aqualung, the LDC is the backbone of their distribution network. I worked for a then-US Diver distributor who invested a lot of time and money in branding the Aqualung line in his store. He objected to any practice that eroded the territory he had or the investment he made.

As shortsighted as we may think not allowing on-line sales may be, it is none-the-less their decision to make. And in one sense, an integrated point of sale strategy works in that an LDC provides training. How many people think that folks should be certified on line despite the advances in distance education, but that is a digression.

 

[String]

Of course they're perfectly entitled to do what they want. However that doesnt mean theyve made the right call. Sticking their fingers in their ears, closing their eyes and pretending the internet doesnt exist is short sighted. It will cost them sales.

Eventually the internet will win. They will either have to change or be screwed. In the same way as dive shops need to recognise the internet, use it and reorganise their physical business model to account for the fact. If they dont, they'll go too.

 

[The Chairman]

Doc,

Why don't you just go ahead and open Aqualung and Scubapro sub-forums. Even if they chose not to use them, at least we can.

Bad precedent. Manufacturers have quite a bit of latitude in their private forums and we do that for a reason. They also get e-mails everytime someone posts in there so they CAN respond. AL has already suffered some bad press on here and I don't want to exacerbate that one whit. I even e-mailed and called their corporate office (no response) when those negative threads came up. They need to be here to CLARIFY things (such as this statement) and to give us their side. We clearly want them here as well. It's a win/win situation for everyone involved.

 

[Cudabait]

PADI's recent position on e-marketing has been thought provoking to say the least.

What would happen if Aqua Lung would boycot PADI dive centers? Or, vise versa?

It would seem, as in most business, the ultimate playing field will be accomplished by simple "supply and demand." Affordability is a major consideration of most divers.....particularly those that have been diving for some time. Inflexibility in equipment prices tends to make divers even more flexible in where they go to exercise their purchasing preferances.

Regards,

 

[thomjinx]

They say this......but if you go to a popular online retailer whose initials are LP you will see no shortage of AL and SP and Apeks gear. They are selling at well below retail, but AL will not let LDS's compete or match these prices.

So....where does LP get their AL gear? What does AL do about it?

I am among those who do not purchase AL or SP gear, even though it seems to be good stuff, for the most part. I just don't like to support companies who have their heads up their nether regions.

 

[String]

I've got no morals like that, price is my bottom line. If i can find something i want cheap i'll buy it

 

[MikeFerrara]

As shortsighted as we may think not allowing on-line sales may be, it is none-the-less their decision to make.

Yep, they can do what they want.

And in one sense, an integrated point of sale strategy works in that an LDC provides training. How many people think that folks should be certified on line despite the advances in distance education, but that is a digression.

I'm not in the market for training. In fact, I can't think of a dive shop that I have first hand knowledge of that I would recommend to someone who is. Even when I owned a dive shop, I was of the opinion that, in the current business model, equipment sales and training actually create a conflict of interest...ie, the cheap training subsidized by equipment sales. In this model, the definition of good training becomes that which sells the most equipment. At that, it must sell the most equipment out of the limited number of lines that you can afford to carry given opening order requirements, anual sales requirements and a host of other requirements placed on dealers by the manufacturer.

The businesses providing the best training ARE NOT the same businesses that are offering the best (or any) retail services. IMO, the average dive shop does a poor job of both training and retail. Yep, they have both but you can go to a junk yard and find anything you want too...it's just that none of it is any good anymore.

 

[redacted]

AL will not let LDS's compete or match these prices.
.

I really believe that AL (and Scubapro) are doing exactly what many of the LDS's want. Many LDS's don't want to compete or match those prices. And those that do can emphasize other lines or provide packages of goods and services that make them very competetive with LP. What is your LDS's reaction when you ask them if they can be more competetive with LP's prices?