Rick Vosper has been covering the IBD and LBS marketplace for Bicycle Retailer through a series of in-depth articles. His most recent piece had a lot of compelling information, with many pointers I too believe are some of the keys to the equation of success in an arguable struggling time for the local bike shop. Here is one excerpt and here’s a link to the full article:

“The second was, “The core of the brand’s success is the experience the consumer has with the retailer.” This is an important point because, while it’s regarded as a gold standard in other consumer product industries, it’s almost unheard of in the specialty retail channel bike business. Suppliers make the units and splash out marketing cash, but actually closing the sale is left to the retailer. And retailers are rewarded according to share of units on the shop floor and number of units sold, not according to the customer’s experience purchasing that brand.”

Which ties in wonderfully with Gloria Liu‘s piece from a month or so ago on Bicycling Magazine’s website.

Both articles are great reads and if you have the time, I suggest you check them out!

As for the above photo, it’s from our forthcoming Shop Visit to Broken Spoke in Santa Fe. It is not tied directly to either article.