Gurbo's?

[JRA]

Google recently took delivery of 500 Turbo's and here are about 200 of them.

 

[Kaldeem]

Wow, what did they buy them for? Their staff or market?

 

[JRA]

They are for use on and about the Google campus as a perk for their employees.

 

[Kaldeem]

Lucky bastards!

 

[Brambor]

board room - should we get the city kit ? Sure, what the heck.... hello this is Google. Could we get 500 Turbo's with the city kit installed? ASAP. Yes thank you. ;-)

 

[GW Shark]

That will help clean out the pipeline in a hurry! Good for Specialized and recouping some R &D

 

[Deleted member 803]

My understanding is that Specialized gave the bikes to Google as a major bay area promotion. This information could be garbage but that is what I heard from a dealer. If this is true or not, having more product on the roads only leads to one thing: more sales for local dealers.

 

[Deleted member 803]

Don't bike manufacturers have programs to lease their bikes in the US? Stromer has a corporate rental/lease program on this side of the pond. It's good business, especially when dealing with such a fleet. Someone's going to have to maintain the bikes... Spare parts will be needed... In Switzerland Flyer has managed to position itself extremely well in the rental business, and I suspect it's one of the reasons why that company always seems to have a financial health that's stronger than an M1 tank. Their bikes are rented in train stations and touristic locations all over the country. It's a great business model...

A good question. My opinion is that bike vendors are rather myopic when it comes to marketing creativity, especially in the US. Since this is a very small tertiary market for most vendors I am sure the US operations have very little budget to try different things. There is an overwhelming attitude that retail is the way to grow the e-bike business. I cannot convince the major players that this is not the right approach.

 

[spencer.justin]

A good question. My opinion is that bike vendors are rather myopic when it comes to marketing creativity, especially in the US. Since this is a very small tertiary market for most vendors I am sure the US operations have very little budget to try different things. There is an overwhelming attitude that retail is the way to grow the e-bike business. I cannot convince the major players that this is not the right approach.

Retail is one of the right approaches... but there are many other avenues that also must be persued and any decent shop should know this and be trying to push it. Hotel courtesy eBikes contracted with a local shop. Corporate fleets contracted through a local shop. Numerous other ways to interject eBikes into society and the eyes of the uninformed. Local shops, especially ones that are the only eBike dealers in there town, should be doing much more than traditional shops to market their product.

 

[Deleted member 803]

Retail is one of the right approaches... but there are many other avenues that also must be persued and any decent shop should know this and be trying to push it. Hotel courtesy eBikes contracted with a local shop. Corporate fleets contracted through a local shop. Numerous other ways to interject eBikes into society and the eyes of the uninformed. Local shops, especially ones that are the only eBike dealers in there town, should be doing much more than traditional shops to market their product.

Hi Justin: Can you give me the name of a retail bike shop that has an ongoing outbound sales program. I'd like to talk to them.

 

[spencer.justin]

Hi Justin: Can you give me the name of a retail bike shop that has an ongoing outbound sales program. I'd like to talk to them.

Private message sent.

 

[Deleted member 803]

Private message sent.

If you are a dealer please identify yourself as one. Thanks

 

[spencer.justin]

If you are a dealer please identify yourself as one. Thanks

I have in other posts. I find it a little weird to state in every post "as a dealer"....

 

[Deleted member 803]

I have in other posts. I find it a little weird to state in every post "as a dealer"....

It wasn't obvious to me. What is the name of your bike shop? Most forums (not this one) restrict dealers from participating (other than the For Sale section) as they tend to want to promote themselves and their services. This forum is more lenient. If you read my posts you will see that I am not opposed to retail, just believe that no one is looking for e-bikes as a solution to a problem. If there success stories you have had with outbound activities, I am sure the community would benefit from hearing about the specifics.

 

[spencer.justin]

It wasn't obvious to me. What is the name of your bike shop? Most forums (not this one) restrict dealers from participating (other than the For Sale section) as they tend to want to promote themselves and their services. This forum is more lenient. If you read my posts you will see that I am not opposed to retail, just believe that no one is looking for e-bikes as a solution to a problem. If there success stories you have had with outbound activities, I am sure the community would benefit from hearing about the specifics.

I agree with the morals of why some forums restrict dealers, which is why I choose to not give the name of my shop. I am here to participate in the community not make sales.

"no one is looking for e-bikes as a solution to a problem" what type of problems are your referring to? There are numerous problems that are being solved with eBikes.

eBike dealers as a whole should be taking note of how customers come into their shop. A large percentage of customers in the market for an eBike have rented one overseas or in places like San Francisco. They have been introduced to eBikes in some form other than walking into a bike shop. Bike shops have the ability to get into the public rather than waiting for the public to come to them and with products that the general public does not know exist waiting for them to come to you is not how to increase sales. eBikes are so fringe right now in the US, slowly coming out of the fringe, that shops across the nation should be doing what they can to educate the public that these products exist and are great.

If I put in 4 bikes at a local hotel for guest services (there are a few business models that work for this depending on the hotel's commitment level) that could lead to many sales across the industry, maybe not at my shop since the folks at that hotel are not from my town, but if more shops did it across the nation then it would increase sales drastically across the industry.

If I put a small fleet with a local tour guide service then same results are possible.

If I actively seek sales through municipal services such as Park & Rec, Police Officers etc etc then same results. I increase my sales but at the same time I interject the products into the public allowing more people to get familiar and comfortable with eBikes.

Large campus like corporations such as Google are a prime example of what shops should be doing. Granted Google would be a huge account for a shop but there are small more local corporations that any shop can focus on in their town. Get a small fleet on their campus and it increases sales.

In the conventional shop market competition is fierce. But in the eBike industry I feel that the market is too small currently for competition to exist. All shops need to be doing what they can to interject these products into the public to increase the knowledge of the products and sales will be directly related.

Every eBike shop knows that the easiest way to sale an eBike is to just get the customer on one. Where shops should be taking the extra step is to get the bikes into the public so that people can get on eBikes in whatever way is possible and justified rather then just waiting for them to come into a shop and do a test ride.

 

[Deleted member 803]

A large percentage of customers in the market for an eBike have rented one overseas or in places like San Francisco.

I appreciate the opinion but it has no basis in fact.

 

[Deleted member 803]

I agree with the morals of why some forums restrict dealers, which is why I choose to not give the name of my shop. I am here to participate in the community not make sales.

"no one is looking for e-bikes as a solution to a problem" what type of problems are your referring to? There are numerous problems that are being solved with eBikes.

eBike dealers as a whole should be taking note of how customers come into their shop. A large percentage of customers in the market for an eBike have rented one overseas or in places like San Francisco. They have been introduced to eBikes in some form other than walking into a bike shop. Bike shops have the ability to get into the public rather than waiting for the public to come to them and with products that the general public does not know exist waiting for them to come to you is not how to increase sales. eBikes are so fringe right now in the US, slowly coming out of the fringe, that shops across the nation should be doing what they can to educate the public that these products exist and are great.

If I put in 4 bikes at a local hotel for guest services (there are a few business models that work for this depending on the hotel's commitment level) that could lead to many sales across the industry, maybe not at my shop since the folks at that hotel are not from my town, but if more shops did it across the nation then it would increase sales drastically across the industry.

If I put a small fleet with a local tour guide service then same results are possible.

If I actively seek sales through municipal services such as Park & Rec, Police Officers etc etc then same results. I increase my sales but at the same time I interject the products into the public allowing more people to get familiar and comfortable with eBikes.

Large campus like corporations such as Google are a prime example of what shops should be doing. Granted Google would be a huge account for a shop but there are small more local corporations that any shop can focus on in their town. Get a small fleet on their campus and it increases sales.

In the conventional shop market competition is fierce. But in the eBike industry I feel that the market is too small currently for competition to exist. All shops need to be doing what they can to interject these products into the public to increase the knowledge of the products and sales will be directly related.

Every eBike shop knows that the easiest way to sale an eBike is to just get the customer on one. Where shops should be taking the extra step is to get the bikes into the public so that people can get on eBikes in whatever way is possible and justified rather then just waiting for them to come into a shop and do a test ride.

Given all the "ifs" in your response it appears as "if" you haven't actually done any of the things you are recommending. If you have, kindly share results with with.

 

[Ann M.]

d

I agree with the morals of why some forums restrict dealers, which is why I choose to not give the name of my shop. I am here to participate in the community not make sales.

"no one is looking for e-bikes as a solution to a problem" what type of problems are your referring to? There are numerous problems that are being solved with eBikes.

.

Marketing for an EIBD is challenging and everyone involved in that process is holding out their hand asking for bunches of $$. I don't mean a little, a lot. Add it all up from all sources and figure what it costs to buy and maintain a 'donated' fleet of expensive ebikes to some other company that didn't pay for them, doesn't pay to maintain them and when they break, its the ebike shop's fault since the beneficiary of this marketing gift isn't paying to maintain that outside fleet with NO service contract. Your ideas are creative but need realistic financial fleshing out.

 

[spencer.justin]

d

Marketing for an EIBD is challenging and everyone involved in that process is holding out their hand asking for bunches of $$. I don't mean a little, a lot. Add it all up from all sources and figure what it costs to buy and maintain a 'donated' fleet of expensive ebikes to some other company that didn't pay for them, doesn't pay to maintain them and when they break, its the ebike shop's fault since the beneficiary of this marketing gift isn't paying to maintain that outside fleet with NO service contract. Your ideas are creative but need realistic financial fleshing out.

I NEVER used the word "donated" "didn't pay" "doesn't pay" "no service contract"

You think Spec just gave those rigs to Google for free?

 

[Deleted member 803]

You're right. I was lying. There hasn't been a single customer come into my shop and purchase an eBike because they used one on a vacation....... today!

Hell, you are from the San Fran area so you must know how many bikes they rent out... I sold 4 bikes last month just to people that had used bikes at Blazing Saddles while on vacation.

You say large percentage which has no basis in fact. I am not doubting you but your experience is, according to the worldwide research data I've read, in no way reflective of the market at large.