Perhaps one of the most underutilized and high potential means to increase a pickleball club’s revenue is their pro shop. A pro shop offers clubs an excellent avenue to attract new customers, retain current members, and communicate the club’s individual brand and identity. In this article, we get to hear from three particular clubs on how they maximize their pro shop’s opportunity for sales through strategic measures such as product placement and merchandising choices.
At Pickleballerz, an indoor club located in Chantilly, Virginia, they have a prominent pro shop situated at the front of their facility adjacent to the front desk. They have found this location within their club to be a strategic way to increase sales and “[allow] for front desk staff to keep their eye on the shop and easily offer assistance,” says Beverly Raelson, Pickleballerz COO. Within their pro shop, they feature 10 different brands, many of which are staples of the pickleball world. In 2023, their top selling brands in each of the following categories were as follows: Paddles- Engage; Balls- Franklin; Bags- Joola; and Apparel- Pickleball Players Brand.
Frequent shoppers at Pickleballerz’s pro shop will notice that items are frequently rotated within the space to keep the store fresh and allow different items to stand out to customers. This rotation occurs approximately every two weeks to ensure new items are on display and customers’ eyes are drawn to different products upon each visit. The pro shop’s general manager, who is responsible for product placement and displays, keeps paddles displayed along the walls with grips and balls next to the paddles for product association. Further, backpacks and other types of pickleball bags are kept “on the top shelf for visibility.”
Over time, Raelson has learned that it’s important not to clutter a pro shop with too much product in order for customers to be able to easily find what they need. Moreover, she recommends using “displays to vary [the] height of items on the shelves.” This technique offers customers a visually interesting setup while clearly displaying the items.
Further south, Naples Pickleball Center (NPC), situated on the southern coastline of Naples, Florida, similarly prides themselves on having a dedicated pro shop within their club that provides players with the full spectrum of apparel and equipment. The NPC pro shop, as well as their welcome center, are strategically located in the center of their 66 court facility and is “open to all pickleball players, regardless [of] where they play,” says Robert Strommen, NPC’s managing partner. The location of their pro shop within the club allows customers convenient access to all of their pickleball-related resources to schedule lessons, register for court times, and check out the latest pickleball gear in the pro shop. The NPC pro shop offers five brands primarily dedicated to paddles, three for pickleball court shoes, and six different apparel brands.
Currently, NPC is in the process of designing the layout of the pro shop space to be the best representation of their inventory. Through this project, one of their primary goals is to ensure each of the various categories of products are easy to see from the customer’s perspective. Over time, the NPC pro shop team has learned the importance of maintaining a visually fresh stock of merchandise in order to keep customers coming back to their shop again and again. The NPC pro shop staff place specific emphasis on regularly rotating apparel items, especially when a new line is added to their inventory.
Another strategy NPC is working to implement to keep their pro shop fresh for returning customers is establishing a forthcoming “communication and marketing [system] of new limited available items that will drive the players to come back and look.” Their intent is that this marketing campaign will drive returning customers’ incentive to make repeat stops by the pro shop during their time at the facility. Additionally, they seek to maximize their window space within the club “to display new and unique item[s]” and position high demand products so that they “require passing by all of the other lines of products and service” to help increase pro shop sales.
In regard to merchandise displays, NPC has intentionally chosen to create their own unique displays for items in order to “represent who NPC is and [their] brand as a unique and high quality facility.” Strommen has chosen to have a dedicated staff member, Liz, to be responsible for product placement and executing NPC’s vision for a first-rate pro shop. Part of this vision includes providing high quality products to adequately represent your pro shop’s brand and identity. Strommen firmly believes that “high quality will sell, [while] low quality can be purchased anywhere.” NPC is currently undertaking a project to craft their own signature line of pickleball apparel “that is unique and will appeal to the higher end buyer.”
Finally, the pro shop at Springs Pickleball, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is strategically located near the club’s lobby to attract guests coming in and out of the facility. This location ensures that all players have to pass by the pro shop when entering and leaving. The shop’s inventory consists mainly of apparel and paddles as they have found those two items to be the most desired from their customers. Paddles are displayed behind the front desk, which “work[s] great…because [the] staff is right there to talk to the customers about the paddles and they are easy to grab and show the customer right there,” says Julie Malfitano, Springs Pickleball’s Marketing and Programming Manager.
Springs Pickleball’s pro shop thrives on selling primarily Selkirk merchandise in addition to their custom line of Springs Pickleball shirts. Selkirk paddles are “bar none…[their] most popular item [as they] sell several of them each month.” In particular, Springs Pickleball’s pro shop has found great success with the new LUXX paddle. Recently, the shop has “also begun carrying the Six-Zero paddle line.”
As the former General Manager for the club, Malfitano works closely in her current role with Jon MacNichols, the current General Manager, to produce captivating advertisements for their merchandise through direct marketing to customers. Malfitano strongly believes this marketing strategy “does a lot to promote new merchandise and let customers know about specials.” As the club’s General Manager, MacNichols is also responsible for the pro shop and ensures that displays are well-organized and easy for customers to view all of the items. Springs Pickleball also utilizes a staff associate to maintain the visual presentation and aesthetic of the pro shop.
Pickleballerz, NPC, and Springs Pickleball have demonstrated the value of having an intentional strategy in even the smallest of details within their pro shop. As each club continues to execute their vision for their pro shop, they will surely be able to build upon these principles to help increase their profit through their pro shops.
