Cally x hot 2

[HawkeyeMS]

The funny thing is its exactly the same with the mobile industry at the moment, it was mentioned earlier about apple products. They can release a new phone every year, and generally very little changes between them, in fact the latest iterations of the iPhone are prime examples of this, and yet each autumn people are literally queuing up to get get one, usually upgrading one that was only bought a year ago and it's still perfectly functional (and sometimes still paying a 2 year contract too). There are some that will buy every year, without fail, simply because it's the latest one, and there are some that will wait until the end of the contract to get another. Some will buy last years model specifically because it's much much cheaper and because they know it still does everything they want without compromising anything. It may be the older model but it functions, makes phone calls, downloads apps and browses the web ... and they saved themselves a hundred quid too.

Strange how similar the two industries are. I wonder how many people hate TM products on here and yet still have a new phone each year (even more often for some people I know) even though the old one still works fine

It's a good comparison, personally I fall into the buy new when I need it camp on both fronts. I guess the manufacturers are just supplying the demand.

 

[Hacker Khan]

If the manufacturers were really offering us something new every 6 months then fine, but the technology isn't really changing, it hasn't really changed for years so apart from making themselves loads of money, what good are they actually doing the customer and golf in general?

How about they are giving the punter more choice and the chance to buy perfectly good equipment as lower prices when a new model comes out. Or may be the chance for people new to the game to get some very good quality but last years model clubs at a good price, seeing as cost can be perceived as a barrier to entry to the game. And as you say and most people know, as things do not change that much between models then surely that is even better when you can get last months perfectly good model on the cheap?

I do agree that the marketing claims are annoying and to be taken with a very large pinch of salt. But I don't not see how this is a big problem when you can get perfectly good equipment on the cheap. The only people I can see being rightly razzed off are those that seem to need the latest and greatest equipment all the time.

 

[Imurg]

I still want to know what happens to the old stock...
Just wandered round AG and they have vast amounts of RBZ, Superfast2, RazrBlack product on show - all of which is now effectively obselete.
They obviously can't return it as they would have done as soon as the replacement arrived.
They had about 20 RBZ drivers - unless the price drops to next to nothing they won't ever sell them...
So, from that very un-scientific approach, it would seem that people don't always "snap up" old product...

 

[GB72]

I think, to a large extent, that TM simply have to do what they do and that there is nothing wrong with it bearing in mind the realities of the market.

To sell clubs you need square footage and displays in shops and you need column inches in magazines. The only way to get this is to release new product. Magazines are not going to produce articles and reviews on 2 year old products and without public awareness, people are not going to buy in the same volumes. Same goes for golf shops. The biggest displays go to the new releases as that is what helps bring customers through the door. It may be that you are producing the best clubs on the market but the average customer (and do not forget that we are not the average customer as being on here means that we probably have a level of interest and knowledge that is above that of the average golfer) going in to a shop to spend is going to be drawn to what is the latest and greatest and not to that set of irons on the small rack in the corner that were released a couple of years ago.

You also have to look at the profit for the shops. It may be that manufacturer X released a great range of clubs a couple of years ago but the simple fact is that many people are not going to want to pay full price for a product that is 2 years old. People start to expect hefty discounts the further into the life of a product you get and so the margins on older product get less and less. New releases sell at a premium and, I assume, make the most money for the shop and so a constant churn not only attracts interest but also makes more money.

You could also look at the competition with budget manufacturers. It is not unusual for companies to have a premium and a budget brand. Rather than spend the time and money marketing a budget brand, it may be that the intention is simply to make your own, older clubs the budget option. TM and the like see themselves as a premium brand but by continuing to sell older models at a lower price, they can also compete for the budget market with the likes of Benross, MD etc without having their label associated with budget product. People on here talk about the benefit of being able to buy older products at much reduced prices and it should not be discounted that this may be a deliberate marketing strategy as opposed to an unwanted side effect of a new product release.

Simple fact is that new products only feed the desire that is already in the market and give the retailers something to promote and the get the necessary column inches in magazines to boost sales. Even on here we are talking about new TM releases and publicity spreads. Sounds to me that, as the market stands at present, TM have got the right idea.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I think, to a large extent, that TM simply have to do what they do and that there is nothing wrong with it bearing in mind the realities of the market.

To sell clubs you need square footage and displays in shops and you need column inches in magazines. The only way to get this is to release new product. Magazines are not going to produce articles and reviews on 2 year old products and without public awareness, people are not going to buy in the same volumes. Same goes for golf shops. The biggest displays go to the new releases as that is what helps bring customers through the door. It may be that you are producing the best clubs on the market but the average customer (and do not forget that we are not the average customer as being on here means that we probably have a level of interest and knowledge that is above that of the average golfer) going in to a shop to spend is going to be drawn to what is the latest and greatest and not to that set of irons on the small rack in the corner that were released a couple of years ago.

You also have to look at the profit for the shops. It may be that manufacturer X released a great range of clubs a couple of years ago but the simple fact is that many people are not going to want to pay full price for a product that is 2 years old. People start to expect hefty discounts the further into the life of a product you get and so the margins on older product get less and less. New releases sell at a premium and, I assume, make the most money for the shop and so a constant churn not only attracts interest but also makes more money.

You could also look at the competition with budget manufacturers. It is not unusual for companies to have a premium and a budget brand. Rather than spend the time and money marketing a budget brand, it may be that the intention is simply to make your own, older clubs the budget option. TM and the like see themselves as a premium brand but by continuing to sell older models at a lower price, they can also compete for the budget market with the likes of Benross, MD etc without having their label associated with budget product. People on here talk about the benefit of being able to buy older products at much reduced prices and it should not be discounted that this may be a deliberate marketing strategy as opposed to an unwanted side effect of a new product release.

Simple fact is that new products only feed the desire that is already in the market and give the retailers something to promote and the get the necessary column inches in magazines to boost sales. Even on here we are talking about new TM releases and publicity spreads. Sounds to me that, as the market stands at present, TM have got the right idea.

Top post and interesting point about top end manufacturers deliberately selling clubs at reduced prices to compete in different sectors. Never thought of that but it makes perfect sense. Any industry needs to make profits, a constant turnover of money and incentives for punters to keep buying their products to keep it alive. And that's all golf manufacturers are doing.

 

[USER1999]

The manufacturer sells to the retailer at a set price, and the retailer adds his margin. If the retail price has to drop to sell off old stock, the manufacturer won't give a monkeys, as they already have their money. It's the retailers loss, for not balancing stock before the new version is launched.

 

[patricks148]

I added a similar thread earlier in the year which got very little reply and yet, as you said, when TM release something it goes to 20 pages within a few hours ... and yet the make the same distance /speed/ etc claims too.

Snap. i posted something well over a year ago when Callaway brought out 3 drivers quite quickly and i got a couple of replies saying they didn't agree that Callaway were getting as bad as TM.

I have the Xhot pro driver and 3 wood only purchased this year and only released end of last year..

just means i have to now go out and buy the new version for that extra 2 yards

 

[BTatHome]

Looks like another callaway new driver thread is needed soon. It appears the big Bertha is being resurrected soon

 

[Imurg]

Don't sweat it - you don't have to buy it....:clap: