Watergun/Nerf Business Article

[marauder]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 48954.html

This article is from last summer, but considering Nerf is putting out very similar blasters as next year, I don't expect things to be very different. Very interesting to see this from a more business perspective. Wish we could get some stats on sales.

[HBWW]

I wish this was an April Fools' joke.

I think it must've been CoD that got this all to happen; that got everyone to obsess over "fully automatic blasting!" and "swappable drum clips!" and not notice how terribly the blasters perform. -__-

[marauder]

About 10 years ago XN wrote this huge rant about how blasters look so spacey and guns like the 2700 and 2100 look so goofy and not classy like the old school XP 150s and XP 95s. Kinda funny how our perspectives have changed...

But I am hopeful. The article makes it sound like waterguns are selling more than 3-5 years ago. We've discussed performance increasing with the WW guns, but they are starting to look better too. The Colossus and Python are styled pretty nicely. Still not sure I dig the nearly pastel colors, but it's an improvement.

[HBWW]

Looks only matter minutely for us; personally I like the 2100, 2500/2000, 1000, 4100, Monster series, Flash Flood, and other such styles. Some XP's were interesting too.

But the rest of the looks issue is a marketing problem. The Water Warriors brand does not seem to have enough market presence partially due to looks and coloring, though they've improved a bit this year. Still, the designs they have just don't grab the attention of the masses of CoD kids like Nerf SS's designs do, and it seems that their best bet is how they list their stats right on the box in hopes that someone will see it and take notice of the difference between 40ft and 20ft.

[marauder]

I agree with you, but we have reason to remain optimistic. Buzz Bee Toys does not look like its going the way of Jacks Pacific or Product Evolutions... anyone catch those references? haha If there are more watergun fights this year than last year, and more last year than the year before I am happy, even if the majority of people are still using dorky low quality nerf soakers.

It all begins with participation. Then, when people get hooked, when they get serious about it, then they will start showing up here and they will start realizing that there is better quality elsewhere. In Vermin War 1 our team's arsenal consisted of CPS 1000, SS 100, SC 500, SC 400, Speed Loader 1500, 3 Squirt Pistols, waterballoons/flour bombs, and a hose. The other team had a CPS 2000, several 1000s... I could go on but the point is it was the first serious battle we got into and we got slaughtered, it opened up our eyes and we started looking at the sites online and by next year our lineup was more like 1700, 1500, 2700, 1200, 150...

I sound like an old Sergeant Major rambling on but our first concern should be interest in water warfare. If the interest is there, then we can move from there to an increase in performance.

Lastly, we have to remember that trends change fairly quickly. We don't know what fad will be popular next.

[scottthewaterwarrior]

n 2007, its Hydro blitz expanded its water capacity to 100 ounces. This year's Super Soaker, the Thunderstorm water blaster, features a Rambo-style clip system with 10-ounce prefilled water clips.

"Kids said they didn't want to slow down and reload," Mr. Frascotti says.

I laughed when I read that, they make it sound like every year the guns get better. Oh yes, I would much rather carry a small Super Soaker and 10 extra clips with me then a single Super Soaker that held the same amount as all those combined. Yeash, not a single mention of Water Warriors ether!
And unless you want to drop the empty clip so it will get lost and/or stepped on, I find it harder to hook the empty one on my waist while running then it did to jam a water bottle on the fast fill cap of my Flash Flood.

I am really waiting for a site that praises Water Warriors for there superiority over NSS guns.

Found it!