Tips for retailers

One shot can boost (or brake) sales

It is amazing what one shot can do.

It terminated South Africa’s World Cup chances in 2003 and cricket sales dropped virtually overnight.

South Africa was on course to reach the Super Six phase when they played Sri Lanka in Durban on the 4th of March 2003.

Mark Boucher, in a late, desperate attempt to improve the run rate and put South Africa ahead of Sri Lanka in terms of the Duckworth/Lewis method when rain intervened, smashed a six off Muttiah Muralitharan.

According to the ball-by-ball calculations, Boucher’s six took South Africa ahead of Sri Lanka with one ball remaining in the 45th over. He tapped the final ball of the 45th over to mid-wicket, without seeking a run, with the score on 229/6. The umpires then decided the rain was too heavy to continue.

That final delivery from Muralitharan increased the par total from 228 to 229 and the match therefore ended in a tie.

That sent Sri Lanka to the top of the table and put South Africa out of the tournament.

That gentle tap by Boucher was the shot that ended South Africa’s World Cup hopes.

Three years later, Boucher was the centre of attraction again, on 12 March 2006 as South Africa needed a run to beat Australia with two deliveries remaining. Boucher slammed a boundary over mid-on off Brett Lee to send the Wanderers-crowd into exhilaration as the Proteas scored 438/9 to win the series-decider fifth One-Day International against the world’s best team in what is still described as the greatest one-day game ever played.

It is not correct to suggest that Boucher’s boundary resurrected cricket sales in the country, but sales did soar after that series-clinching shot.

It is amazing what one shot can do.

A year later, Herschelle Gibbs needed a six off the last delivery by the occasional leg-spinner Daan van Bunge to achieve a world record of six sixes in one over in a One Day International at the Cricket World Cup of 2007.

Gibbs smashed the hapless Dutch bowler over deep mid-wicket and into the pavilion at Warner Park in Basetterre in St Kitts to create a new interest for cricketing products in South African shops.

One shot...

Performance and sales

Mike Hermanson of Cricket Horizons, a specialist cricket shop in Fourways, Johannesburg, says there were many reasons for the poor sale of cricket equipment in SA in 2003.

One of them was that South Africa was dumped out of the Cricket World Cup early, which affected the whole vibe and people lost interest. "As has been demonstrated after the Ashes-victory by England in 2005, success creates interest and new customers develop overnight."

Hermanson says: "Its human nature to want to belong. Replica clothing sales are the first sign of the potential. They lead the way. Young aspiring cricketers will blossom as the event takes its shape. Rushing off into the garden to bowl a few balls after a South African victory is what we all hope will happen to deepen awareness in cricket.

"No doubt that a win for us in the Caribbean would offer us the best ever season in 2007/2008."

Colin Farrer, sales director of LGB Distributors, says that in 2003 there was disappointment and a tad disillusionment after the Cricket World Cup in SA due to the hosts’ early dismissal at Kingsmead.

Generally, the host nation should experience improved sales in replica material at a Cricket World Cup.

On the other hand, there has been a huge upsurge in the sales of cricket equipment internationally during the past calendar year, even though there was no significant event to drive sales.

"From a retail perspective, the increase has been dramatic. The traditional brands like Gunn & Moore, Gray-Nicolls, Kookaburra, Stuart Surridge and Slazenger have all had record years with us, while the new guys, Woodworm and Screaming Cats, have been phenomenal," says Hermanson.

In the past season, LGB Distributors has surpassed all expectations with MRF, says Farrer. "This is mainly due to our own efforts in marketing the brand locally. I predict that next season will be even better."

Does a World Cup boost sales?

There are two schools of thought regarding the power of the World Cup to improve sales.

The visibility of the World Cup and the fact that two legends like Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar play with the MRF-bat, would boost sales and build a brand like MRF, says Farrer.

Cricket sales generally slow down at this time of the year (March and April), but with the World Cup being televised for more than a month at the Cricket World Cup, that will ensure that interest in cricket is revived, with sales expected to pick up in Gauteng as early as June, says Farrer.

Steve Gallienne, director of Dunslaz Distributors, says the Cricket World Cup creates a slightly extended season and it influences youngsters who either continue to play in the nets or take up the sport for the first time.

Retailers also tend to take a little more risk in stocking the shelves a while longer so you end up with hockey kicking off, but cricket continuing.

"Memorabilia (during the Cricket World Cup) is a risky business and I think if you talk to any retailer, they generally burn at the end of the event as they have to drop pricing below cost to get them out of their stores," says Gallienne.

"A World Cup in June (as was the case in 1999 in England) is better for us as it is in line with our season starting and can create a better buzz about cricket and influence players to start cricket or even re-enter the sport.

"Pro 20 is generally a good thing for cricket all around. It was definitely something like 20/20 to get the crowds back into the stands and in turn create revenue for the stadium and sporting code of cricket."

Gallienne says cricket is generally on the rise again, but it remains difficult to supply what the consumer is necessarily looking for as retailers struggle with space and budget to do justice to all brands.

Nigel Prout of Opal Sport, supplier of the Gunn & Moore-bat, says the World Cup is generally good for cricket as a whole as it ensures that the game lasts almost twelve months a year.

"Interest is good as long as South Africa does well — this in turn results in sales — both wholesale and retail."

But, it will be difficult to gauge the influence on sales as most schools would be purchasing cricket equipment from August onwards, says Martin Ferreira, owner of Sportoria in Pretoria.

A Cricket World Cup does, however, create heightened interest in the game.

"Interest in memorabilia is good as long as SA performs — but in general the event would not have a huge effect on general cricket equipment sales," he says.

But at local level the fact that four day cricket is finished, club cricket winding down and Pro 20 also concluded, means that most cricketers would not invest in new products.

"Cricket normally launches in July in Gauteng and August in the Cape, and therefore I have my doubts whether next season’s cricket hardware would benefit much from the Cricket World Cup now," says Arnold de Villiers, merchandise executive of Sportsmans Warehouse. "The World Cup would, however, be good for replica-sales," he adds.

There won’t be a big surge in retail sales, as hockey and rugby would be foremost in some people’s minds. "On the other hand, in the UK, where the season is just starting, cricket sales have been phenomenal," says Edward Lowy, MD of the Unicorn Group, owners of Gunn & Moore.

Player influence

The number and quality of cricketers playing with a specific brand in the national team would definitely have a direct influence on sales of that bat in the shops, adds Ferreira.

That would depend, cautions De Villiers. The fact that Gibbs smashed those six sixes in one over won’t do the sales of Gunn & Moore any harm, but how many people would notice what brand of bat it was? he asks. "You don’t build a brand in one morning of frenetic batting action."

But, the local high profile players would obviously inspire more sales, he adds. Also, larger than life cricketers or the flamboyant ones would sell bats even if they are from another country, like Ricky Ponting, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.

"There is no doubt that Ricky Ponting sells bats all over the world," says Chris Bryant of JRT Crampton, local distributor of Kookaburra.

The youngsters are very aware of the bats these top players use, says Lowy. "On the first day of the last test in the Ashes we even got calls from SA asking: what is the name of the bat Trescothic is playing with when he was sent out to bat with his new bat."

SA’s series win against Australia in the ODI series in SA definitely had a positive spin-off on sales and influenced the next season, says Anne Vilas of Opal Sport.

This is confirmed by Lowy, who says he was travelling at that stage, but was awakened by a phone call. "I couldn’t understand why the people in the UK would get so excited about a match played in SA, until I switched on the TV. We immediately had to send more bats to SA."

(The three players who played a decisive role in this 438 ODI — Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs and Mark Boucher — all play with Gunn & Moore).

One shot changed the shape of things.

Just imagine what a Cricket World Cup-deciding shot by a South African could do for the 2007/2008-season.