Women Bike Survey: Closing the Retail Gap

As we look for solutions to close the gender gap on bicycling, Women Bike has partnered with Specialized to take a deep dive into the world of bike retail. We are seeking to uncover the best practices shops are employing to both attract and retain women customers.

When the League first started examining bike advocacy through a gender lens, we heard a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggested the bike retail experience could be improved for women. Could a poor bike retail experience be a barrier to getting more women on two wheels? With women controlling 80% of household spending, and women poised as a growth market in bike retail, it’s time we explore how to empower retailers to make bicycling better for everyone.

We believe bike shops to be a critical component of bicycling advocacy. But we also know bike sales are flatlined. Shop owners are leaders in local advocacy efforts, and we want to ensure they remain engaged in the conversation for years to come.

With shops ranging widely in annual sales, geography, and business models we want to hear ideas from shop owners across the country to pull from the best of the best. How are you leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone? Are you offering a unique sales experience like this saddle library found at Gladys Bikes in Portland, Oregon? Did you reimagine the look and feel of a bike retail space like Pedal Chic in Greenville, South Carolina?  

If you’re a shop owner or manager, please complete our survey. If you’re a customer and want your local shop to weigh in on this discussion, please forward them the link.

We’re looking for ideas that range from events to sales training that improves the retail environment for women and increases sales. We want to show that you don’t have to always conflate women with beginners to get them in the door. We want to show that practices that improve sales to women most likely improve sales to everyone. But we can’t do that without good examples straight from the bike shops themselves.

Will you help us to tell the story of women and bike retail? The more representative our sample, the more likely we will discover solutions that would allow all shops to thrive!

Take or share the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LeagueIBD

(Photo courtesy of Pamela Palma Photography)