Category Archives: Cabela’s

BrandingBlog Radio: The Art Of The Offer with Craig Arthur

The terms of a sales offer and how you position it in the minds of customers is paramount to determining success. Craig Arthur, our Australian marketing expert, joins me this week for a look at a few examples where tweaking the offer has made a big difference in sales…sometimes in the very existence of the company.

We talk about the solar industry, auto sales, cell phones and give the example of how changing the offer in the early days made a difference in how Cabela’s grew from a kitchen table home-based biz to a multi-billion dollar retailer.

I didn’t get all the details of that very first Cabela’s offer exactly right because I was going from local folklore. I found an article that will give you even more depth if you’d like to read about it. It’s a great story.

I hope you enjoy this podcast. If you have any questions or would like to recommend guests, please do so in the comments.

This is Where a Dude Goes to Shop!

Cabelascourant
Yesterday, I talked about Home Depot going after more female shoppers. Today, Cabela’s opened a new store in East Hartford, CT.  Here are a couple of comments from the Courant:

"First time at Cabela’s and first time I ever stood in line to get into a store," said 66-year-old Joe Michaud of Newington. He arrived at the store around 7:30 a.m., as did many others.

Arnold Smith chuckled as he talked about his love for the store.

Smith, of Windsor, said he arrived around 6:45 a.m. to see about 150 people on line before him. He was waiting for the store to open ever since the company announced its plans to come to East Hartford.

"It’s more or less, like a woman goes to shop. This is where a dude goes to shop," the 60-year-old said. "Everything that you say you’re not going to get, you get. It’s good. It offers a lot."

What Michaud and Smith don’t mention, is that Cabela’s also has A LOT of good finds for their female shoppers, from footwear to casual clothing. They do a terrible job of marketing to women. They seem to assume that it’s just important to have some merchandise "for the ladies" who are accompanying their husbands.

Meanwhile, their husbands are squealing like schoolgirls and waiting in line for these stores to open!

Customer Satisfaction Month at Fast Company, Part 1

Cover It’s Customer Satisfaction Month at Fast Company and they’ve put up a wealth of news and awards for companies who have been singled out for excellent Customer Service and satisfaction.

Of note around here is that Cabela’s has fallen off the list (they were on it last year). It’s particularly troubling to me because I live in their headquarters town.

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