FEATURE
Sinyard, who founded Specialized in 1974, has long been critical of online sales in the bike industry, and the impact it has on local shops. While the brand has a
history of selling shoes and accessories direct to consumers online, earlier this year Specialized announced that for the first time the public would be able to order their brand new bike from
Specialized.com, and get a range of delivery options for their machine to be delivered directly to their door. The news has been met with a cocktail of feelings – from
consternation, to inevitability, and even some positivity at consumers being given more options – while the UK wing of Specialized says its relationship with retailer partners will remain key to the business. BikeBiz has canvassed its readers to see how the industry is
reacting to the news. Mike Leonard, a distribution manager from Salt Lake City
in Utah, USA, said: “It’s about time. It’s what consumers want and if you’re not doing it, somebody else will. “It will get bikes to people who want them, whereas in the current state there’s an imbalance of supply and demand. People who otherwise may not be able to get a bike because their LBS has low inventory, can buy one now.” On whether other brands may follow suit, Leonard said: “I assume they’re scrambling to make it happen.” The new Specialized business model will offer two delivery options to customers – Ship to Home and Specialized Delivery. Ship to Home will be the basic delivery option, allowing
customers to order their bike to be shipped to their desired location, pre-built but with some assembly, with a ‘rider care specialist’ on hand to offer over-the-phone advice. Specialized Delivery is a premium delivery service, which will see the bike delivered by a professional technician who will then ensure the bike fits and is properly set up. The technician will then go over basic maintenance and stay with the customer while they go for their first spin. Shaun Wells, the owner of Cookson Cycle in Manchester, also understands the decision to sell bikes online, but has
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his own concerns about the impact on stock. He said: “Just another online channel for consumers to buy – though holding back stock and offering a personal delivery service I don’t think is great. Standing in your shop with a bike that is not available to order via the local dealer but the consumer can order direct – this ring-fenced stock is awful. “Maybe Specialized could have asked their large dealer network to take delivery of the bike, build it and hand deliver, similar to the model Giant offer.” Following the ongoing supply issues the bike trade is facing, it’s not a surprise that bike shop owners are fearing the impacts of a new online model from Specialized, further splitting stock from the shop floor. Wells added: “I think others will
follow. It happens in other industries where consumers can buy direct – I
don’t agree though, I think bike sales require more customer interaction and dealer support. If shops close down, who is going to look at warranty work etc. It’s not like buying a camera or phone that you can just send back in the post easily.” Paul Cheynard, a data analyst from Connecticut in the US, said: “My thoughts are mixed. I see this move as bad for smaller shops that don’t bring in the large shop revenue, so I believe we’ll see small shops lose Specialized bicycle access as the company moves to support big shops and company owned stores.” A spokesperson for Specialized UK said: “The exceptional
service, community, and choice that our aligned retail partners offer riders will remain a key part of the Specialized eco-system, now and into the future. We continue to communicate directly with our aligned partners, working in partnership with them towards a clear vision for the future.”
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