What a possible NHL Lockout means to HockeyTron!

   After a great NHL season and playoffs that were exciting for all to watch, the summer almost seems like torture as Baseball is winding down and Football is staring up and the hype of hockey dwindles away. Hockey players everywhere are left to their own rec leagues or travel teams to get their fix.  One can only watch so many reruns of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and this is coming from an LA Kings/ Montreal Canadiens fan.

 

To make this inconvenience even less tolerable, we are starting to hear the word that NO fan of any professional organized sports wants to hear.  The idea of a lockout bringing hockey to a screeching halt is indeed serious business. It hurts everybody involved on every level from morale to pocketbooks.  Advertisers, merchandisers, manufacturers, the arenas that house them are all suspect to trickle down effects of some agreement not being reached.

Good thing we aren't THAT big yet, although we absolutely will be in due time, so HockeyTron is in a comfortable spot to keep working towards the things we are, one of which is always to give you the best prices on the kind of gear the pros will be hopefully wearing in the next couple months.  We currently have several semi pro teams using our sticks and shields and wearing our Pro jerseys.

While Bauer, Easton, Warrior, and countless other brands will scramble to find something to do for the players they sponsor, such money isn't going to waste here.  Sure, we would LOVE to see someone in the NHL sporting TRON anything, but we will not add an additional $60 to our sticks to get a Pro name on them.  Sponsorships never made sense to me in this sense.  Is that why a high end stick selling at $250 dollars With $60 in profits going to the manufacturer, $60 to the people who make it for the manufacturer, $60 to Iginla because you chose his name, and the last $70 just because they feel like they can?

Consider this though!  Just recently, one of the premier teams in Europe recently called up our offices.  He wants over 90 TRON 405XS in the various curves and flexes for his entire lineup.  Normally we sell this stick to you for $129.99, and maybe we cut you a break if you got 2 or even 3.  Exact figures aside, we still made good money on the sale, they happily bought the stick, we happily shipped them the stick, and they are now happily LOVING it more than any other stick they ever used. Ask the Waterloo Siskins what they think of the 150 Tron 405XS sticks they just bought!!

TRON 405XS Senior Composite Hockey Stick

 

But everyone BUYS their stick.  That's the difference.  Think of how many sticks an elite NHL player like Alex Ovechkin uses.  He's not buying those things, the manufacturer is pouring them out like water out of a truck parked outside his house.  Who's paying for those sticks!  The sad, sad truth is EVERYONE who buys that stick for close to $250:  You, the customers/loyal fans.  Some thanks huh!

While the dream has only just begun for us, it is good for us, for the time being, to be a little low key and off the radar.  We are definitely loving the immediate and long term plans we have set out for ourselves.  And you can feel very re-assured that when we have those meetings discussing our future, our concerned and loyal customers are absolutely in attendance.

We wouldn't think of holding that meeting WITHOUT you.

The New Generation of Jersey Customization and Team Sales

It's been no secret that TRON Jerseys and Socks are staple items to the success of HockeyTron.  Many clubs, teams, and organizations worldwide have trusted TRON to supply and outfit their teams and have been more than pleased with the results, and even more so with the incredible turn-around times we offer with all the customization being done in our building.  Just read some of the incredible customer reviews on the bottom portion of the Team Sales section on our site!

customized hockey jerseys

But we continue to up the ante here at HockeyTron. In about 2 months time (October 2012), the DJ300 Replica jerseys and DJPro jerseys will be completely in stock for all 30 teams in the NHL, featuring 8 sizes in the DJ300 styles jerseys and 7 sizes in the DJPro option.  There will be hundreds of options available among the 4 different jersey types, colors, and sizes.  Add on the fact that you can add customer logos, names, or numbers, and you can easily have unique jerseys that fit the personality of your team.  And as if the process wasn't easy enough (Simply call the toll free number and ask for Chris Jarvis, the man who knows the in's and out's of every customization option you can think of), we are making that process totally available online, for those computer savy people who are capabable of placing their orders online.

Introducing the Custom Hockey Jerseys section of HockeyTron.com!

Customized DJ100 Senior Hockey Jersey Customized DJ200 Senior Hockey Jersey Customized Senior Hockey Jersey DJ300 Personalized hockey jersey DJ PRO

We can honestly say there is nothing quite like this offered anywhere else!  Browse 6 unique team package options for each type of jersey (The DJ300 and DJPro sections will be offered on the site once those jerseys are in stock,  but the  DJ100 and DJ200

models customization section is available now).

  We offer everything from basic plain jerseys with just a single color number, all the way up to multi-colored jerseys with multi-colored logos, personalized names on the back, and 2 tone numbers, with up to 6 color options for the name and number on the back!  A unique look is merely clicks away now thanks to HockeyTron's continued innovation in the jersey customization field. Get Hockey Tron Coupons

And for you more traditional folks, the option to phone in your order with Jarvis is still very much available.  He is always here in the shop Monday through Friday to answer any questions not only about jersey customization and pricing, but also for custom team track suits, shirts, bags, gloves, pants, everything to outfit a team to look good on and off the ice, as well as offer his own insight into how you can better complete the look you are going for or how we can expedite the amount of time each order takes.  An online Team Sales Page will soon be up for all your team purchase needs.

But no matter how you choose to order up a set for you and your teammates, the absolute best prices, highest quality, and fastest turnaround times are all in one place: Hockeytron.com!

Why don't Hockey Manufacturers sell to the Public Online?

Here is a quick fact for you:  Other than HockeyTron, no manufacturer in the Hockey Equipment industry sells directly to the customer.  In every other industry, manufacturers jump at the opportunity to serve their consumers directly.  Companies like Nike, Reebok, and Proctor and Gamble sell many of the products they produce directly to their consumers via their respective websites.

This sales method is causing great concern amongst wholesale and retail companies alike.  Up until recently, manufacturers wouldn't compete with their retail customers.

What has completely changed the face of the game is the internet.  The retailers do very little work and spend so few dollars on buildings and employees but reap all the benefits of selling products to customers online all over the world.

Online retailers also cause havoc in the retail marketplace by undercutting traditional retail stores and by being able to show an impressive amount of products than what would traditionally be available.  It is difficult to see the size of an online retailer when all you're looking at is a computer screen.  They could potentially not have a single thing!  They could just be drop-shipping orders directly or be running an online business out of their own home with virtually 0 expenses.  The economy being what it is, even manufacturers are starting to feel the pressure of reaching profitable margins.  That is why they are starting to take aim at the online marketplace, effectively cutting out the internet business from online retailers.

Hockey manufacturers are going to wake up and smell the coffee one day.  They will say to themselves "Why DON'T we just lower the retail prices of our items and sell direct to the consumer?"  The facts are simple:  Online retailers take the majority of the inventory away from the manufacturer and tend to go out of business if they are not able to heavily discount and in turn destroy the brands they are selling.  In other industries, the manufacturers are beginning to realize that they don't need a middle-man retail store to validate their products:  The products can speak for themselves now.  The internet has allowed manufacturers to sell directly to the consumer without opening expensive stores and most importantly, without suffering distribution markups.  This is single-handedly the biggest difference maker from years past:  Manufacturers are building direct relationships with customers, offering them products at prices thought to be unimaginable before this time. The manufacturer wins, but more importantly, the customer wins.  That's why HockeyTron is proud to be the first manufacturer to sell directly to consumers in the hockey industry, and why we have seen so much success in our first year and a half of business.

How long before Bauer, CCM, and Easton go direct to consumers?  We hope they never do!