« ECCO's Alternative Golf Shoe Helps Break New Ground »

Todd Davidson of ECCO Golf Canada On The Success Of The Street Premier

Without doubt, the biggest buzz in the golf shoe market in 2010 has been the emergence of alternative street inspirted design approaches - a marked departure from the traditional saddle-type shoe favored by traditionalists.

Chief amongst the movers and shakers who are daring to push the golf shoe design envelope range from newcomer Kikkor to the internationally established entity ECCO.

Chapeau Noir has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to track Kikkor through its go-to-market process, and now brings insight from Todd Davidson, Sales and Product Manager at ECCO Golf Canada.

Without a doubt, the highest profile golf apparel story of 2010 to this point goes to the ECCO Golf Street Premier. To what can the Golf Street Premier attribute the buzz Ecco has been able to create?

Well, the most important fact to understand is that ECCO is first and foremost a product company, not a marketing company. The Golf Street Premier was developed because we felt golfers were seeking a hybrid sport-casual shoe with the versatility for wear on or off the course. The catalyst was Fred Couples showcasing them at Augusta. It created the perfect storm necessary to connect consumers with the shoes and the ECCO brand.

Matching a brand and a product with the right player can be tricky, but in the case of the Street Premier Fred Couples is a home run. Was Fred a hard sell on the Street Premier?

All Staff Players are free to wear any ECCO style, Fred just prefers the Golf Street. He obviously has a bad back and mentioned they provide comfort similar to the tennis shoes he wears off the course while providing Tour-grade traction and support. Coincidentally, his relaxed style of play and fan appeal align perfectly with the inspiration behind the shoes.

Ecco Golf Street Premier.

When it comes to an alternative shoe like the Street Premier, most people are concerned about performance. Specifically, how well do the soles of the Street Premier grip in comparison to a regular soft spike shoe?

Well, we understand the concern, but it should be alleviated by the fact Fred, Ryan Moore and others are competing in the Golf Street at the game’s highest levels. We tell people to think about it this way; the Golf Street outsole has approximately 100 molded traction bars with more than 800 different traction angles. The typical golf shoe only has six-to-nine cleats. Which sounds better to you?

I did indeed check them out on the shelf at a local retailer, and the cleat system is very impressive in person! Now that the Street Premier has been on store shelves for a few weeks, do you have any early indications on retail sales numbers, or is it still too early to tell?

Since we evaluate sales annually we don’t have any hard numbers at the moment, but within a week the shoes sold out at all accounts, retail, wholesale and at private clubs, so our forecast is positive. Consumers were even calling our accounts offering twice the retail price if the store could locate a pair of Golf Street in their size.

As popular as it is, ECCO's golf shoe range goes far beyond the Street Premier. Now with no less than six different segments from which a golfer may choose, ECCO has a shoe for everyone. From what ethos has ECCO Golf been able to successfully expand its product range?

A distinctive feature of our collections year after year is the wide array of styles appealing to all types of golfers. From our traditional World Class category incorporating fine leatherworking and materials, to Casual Cool for a more sport-inspired style, to the Golf Street, we truly have something for everyone.

As the head of the golf division for ECCO in Canada, are there distinct differences between the Canadian and US market that you have noticed?

There are many similarities between Canada and the US, but the biggest difference would be distribution. In the US there are many big-box golf retailers, while that is not the case in Canada. So, our account mix emphasizes private clubs and our ECCO retail stores, whereas south of the border there are more components.

What does ECCO do for an encore to the Street Premier?!

That’s a great question. Its clear consumers are ready to adopt a hybrid sport-casual shoe, so ECCO will continue with the momentum and golfers can certainly expect to see the Golf Street in 2011. We will most likely be adding to the category with little tweaks and additional colors, we are very excited given the ongoing success of the shoe.

Chapeau Noir's Take On The New Alternative

While golf traditionalists may not warm up to these new alternatives in the golf shoe market, what is vastly more important is the comfort and style they provide as the trend organically grows the golf market.

Forcing ourselves to look beyond the end of our collective noses, these new designs bring new technologies born from lessons learned in markets outside of golf. If at the end of the day, a more comfortable shoe that's also more appealing to a wider range of aesthetic sensibilities, can be nothing but positive.

The more the game is grown through such innovation, the better it is for all of us.