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SHOT Show 2024 Recap: How Dealers Are Embracing Technology
February 7, 2024 / 6 minute read / By Nick Borowitz
Blog
Click above to watch our SHOT Show Recap Video
Showcasing Changing Trends throughout the Firearm Industry
SHOT Show is an incredible experience for anyone in attendance. Nowhere else in the country can a firearms dealer see and experience all that is offered by the NSSF over 5 days in Las Vegas.
Diverse attendees at the event shared a common experience: technology’s growing impact on the firearm retail industry. Younger generations, whether through familial ties or as new entrants, are shaping the dealer industry. Notably, women, as highlighted by ‘Women of the Gun,’ play an integral role in driving significant change and more business to the industry.
Technology Driving Change in the Firearm Retail Industry
Celerant has witnessed industry evolution, notably with technology becoming a driving force. The shift includes younger generations embracing digital strategies like social media, digital marketing, and mobile apps, while previous owners hesitated, marking a transformative trend in business ownership and operations. More dealers are also embracing electronic bound books, cloud storage of 4473’s, integrations with distributors and more.
Keeping Pace with New Shopping Habits and Preferences
The firearm retail industry, adapting to post-COVID changes, efficiently implemented ‘buy online, pickup in store’ and diverse payment options. Catering to younger buyers’ preferences, businesses now seamlessly blend in-store and online purchasing with these convenient choices, meeting evolving consumer demands.
Saving Time with a Centralized Retail System
With firearm retailers embracing technology, the advantages of centralized retail systems are becoming evident. Handwritten records and paperwork burdens are replaced by efficient POS systems. Digital records streamline A&D books and 4473 forms, while enabling online sales, inventory management, and range scheduling, all in one place.
- Point of Sale: By using a centralized system that ties everything together inside the POS system, dealers can more effectively and quickly manage sales.
- Compliance: When A&D books and 4473 forms are stored digitally in the cloud, dealers are able to save literal space inside their back offices.
- eCommerce: With eCommerce seamlessly integrated to the POS system, dealers can save time making product updates in one place and avoid the hassle of manually reconciling sales data.
- Marketplace Integrations: With marketplace integrations, dealers can connect their on-hand inventory and pull orders into the POS as if they are coming from their own website.
- Range Management: When dealers can manage their ranges from the point of sale system, they can more efficiently cycle customers through and eliminate scheduling conflicts and errors.
Selling More by Leaning on Firearms Distributors
The concept of integrating with firearms distributors is not new- in fact, this began over 10 years ago with AcuSport and Celerant at the start. Over the years, it too has evolved and grown, and now the concept of leaning on your distributors to help you save time, reduce manual effort, and get faster, easier access to products to help dealers sell more products has become the norm. These days, for example, Celerant offers 25+ distributor integrations to dealers which can be reviewed here.
This includes facilitating dealer-distributor integrations, incorporating automatic ordering into inventory tracking, expediting product catalog imports for efficiency, and enhancing the drop-shipping process for dealers catering to customers through their distributors.
- Catalog Imports: Dealers can streamline their eCommerce websites by directly importing product catalogs from distributors, saving time and ensuring accurate product data.
- Inventory Auto Ordering: Dealers can automate inventory tracking and generate electronic purchase orders by setting min/max stock levels in the software.
- Online Product Feeds: Dealers are able to display their distributor’s products directly on their own websites to allow ordering.
- Drop Shipping: Dealers are able to drop ship orders to customers or FFL dealers when they display their distributor’s product feeds.
Implementing Competitive Digital Marketing
In the firearm industry, advertising faces restrictions, but technology has allowed dealers to get creative and stay competitive. Utilizing strategies such as comprehensive website content, SEO optimization, automated email marketing, and branded mobile apps with push notifications, dealers can enhance visibility and encourage repeat business.
- Website Content: By writing and posting informative, timely content on their websites, dealers are able to educate visitors about their business, products, and services.
- SEO Optimization: When optimizing the back-end and meta data of their websites, it works in tandem with the content to move their websites to the top of search engine result pages.
- Email Marketing: With automated emails based on triggers within the POS and eCommerce software, dealers can send out promotional offers tailored to individual customers.
- Mobile Apps: By offering mobile shopping or range apps to customers, dealers can send out automated push notifications to be in their customer’s pockets and in their minds.
Looking Back on 20 Years of SHOT
SHOT Show 2024 marks 20 years of Celerant’s presence at the convention, serving as a preferred retail software provider of the NSSF for nearly two decades. Over the years, it has enabled us to forge strong connections, engage with diverse challenges, and interact with customers and industry partners.
This direct interaction allows us to understand their needs firsthand and continually enhance our software and services. Through these relationships, we have established ourselves as a trusted brand in the firearms retail industry. As SHOT Show 2024 concludes, we eagerly anticipate SHOT Show 2025 and look forward to connecting with you and furthering our partnerships.
Streamline your Firearms Business
Learn how you can save time and increase sales both in your store and through your online eCommerce website using Celerant’s all-in-one retail software and digital marketing.
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