Golf Datatech, LLC, the golf industry’s leading independent market research firm for retail golf equipment sales and consumer trends, developed the online platform based on a need the company saw in the market coming out of the pandemic where in the first several weeks, retail stores (including green grass pro shops) in most of the U.S. were closed. During this time, retail sales became a primary outlet for buying golf equipment before traditional channels reopened.
“Changes in the online market for golf equipment necessitated the need for a tracking mechanism that allows us to measure sales growth across all product categories,” said John Krzynowek, partner at Golf Datatech.
Golf Datatech utilized its Serious Golfer database to track recent online shopping and purchasing habits for balls, clubs, bags, shoes, gloves and distance devices to create the OT-C Report. The report will be done in March and September, and will show the online purchase trends by Serious Golfers over the prior six months.
First quarter findings found that 74% of consumers purchased some golf equipment online over the past six months and 66% of online golf purchases were golf balls.
Each month, Golf Datatech will release to subscribers the OT-R by product category, along with a monthly trend line starting with January 2020. It will be strictly a product category index, with no individual companies listed. As a result, it will provide golf companies with a timeline perspective on the overall online golf retail value by product category.
“The percentage of total online U.S. retail sales in 2021 is at a level most experts believed the country would not reach for many years, but it was spurred on by the pandemic, lockdowns and temporary closures, so the landscape quickly changed,” Krzynowek said. “For this reason, the golf industry needs a benchmarking system for online sales across all product categories, and this Golf Online Tracking Platform fits that need very well.”