More Than A Season

As rugby season in the USA gets under way, there is more to seize than ever. With USA Sevens getting more respect and youth leagues starting up for the first time ever, the outlook of rugby in the states is looking bright. No longer are the usual powerhouses in rugby going to breeze through playoffs. There are no more free tickets to the sweet sixteen. With new youth leagues opens up a new realm of players. Furthermore, the increase in overall number of players makes the need for rugby gear even higher in demand. Rugby is similar to other sports in that each player wants the best gear. With the choices in gear comes a choice of where to get the gear. From Canterbury Rugby to Gilbert Rugby, the choices are numerous. A variety of items for the fan and player in mind can be found in one location. That location is on the web at RUGBY916.
At Rugby916.com, you can find every piece of gear to excel on and off the field. The service and friendship built come free with a transaction. To some the idea of customer service may be trivial, but at Rugby916, the customer service steps it up a notch. Once you have your gear, it is time to go out and play the most rugged game out there. It's rugby season ladies and gents! Saturday's a rugby day, and from all of us at Rugby916.com, WE'LL SEE YOU ON THE PITCH.

Marketing Challenges

I have always been trying to figure out the best use of my advertising money. In the beginning of my ecommerce store I was only using Google Adwords. The program does serve a purpose, but without maximum optimization, your customer base will not ad up. You need options. Options in advertisement can add some complexity to your job, if going at it alone, but will pay high dividends in the end.
To begin, Rugby916.com is an up and coming rugby dealer. They sell rugby jerseys, rugby shorts, rugby balls, and any other gear a rugby player and rugby fanatic need. As a startup, I was faced with a shortage of cash, cashflow, and knowledge. Jumping into the fire was the only way progress was to be made. After blogging it up, digging some stuff, paying for seo, and countless other means of wasting money fast, I turned to ebay. Ebay is the home to many. At ebay, you can pretty much search AND find anything you are looking for. For 15.95/month, I had my own ebay storefront. Immediately I had found a new revenue source that had yet to be tapped by really anyone on a full time scale. When you look for rugby gear on ebay, there is a high chance that it is from ebay's Rugby916 storefront.
Choosing to pony up the 15.95 for my first month to see if it was worth it paid for itself within 12 hours, nailing a $200 order from France. Instant revenue was created by going where the customer base is and not messing around trying to gain recognition on sites where customers are a rarity. The marketing strategy currently is to tap into sources where rugby gear and rugby equipment is needed. Facebook and Myspace are soon to follow. Profiles have been made, groups joined. The massive attack to become rugby king is underway.

New Age Rugby Protection

I thought I had seen it all. Rugby players wearing shoulder protection? No way! Yes way! Rugby is synonymous for "elegant violence". Parents do not want their kids to get hurt. More and more we hear a parent call out "Johnny come try on these shoulder pads." Is it football season? No no no, it is rugby season. Time to get the newest and best gear. Where do we find the best gear? The best selection on the internet has to be at this rugby store in California. So, you ask, what is the best gear and who makes it? My personal preference is to go with either Gilbert Rugby or Canterbury of New Zealand Rugby. These companies specialize in everything rugby and they carry the best overall selection of products to help with your decision making process. At Rugby916.com, they carry both companies to help with your selection and allow you to make a decision without searching multiple sites. So, rugby protection is something you need right? What kind do I get?

If you seem to get injured every game, like I used to do, go with something that has padding all around. For this I would suggest the Gilbert Synergie 12. This piece of equipment is a little more spendy, but it comes with the most overall protection. It comes with 12 ergonomically designed pads to give you the best protection. The areas of protection emphasized with this gear are the ribs, kidneys, biceps, back, and sternum. This gear runs around the $100 mark.

For mainly shoulder protection for increased hit power and less bulkiness, I would prefer to try something such as the Gilbert Quest XP or the Canterbury of NZ Club Vest. These mainly shoulder protectors will run you about $45-60.

All of this gear is IRB approved and ready to wear on the playing field. All you have to do is make a decision on what type of gear you wish to wear.

In between these different pads, there are many more choices. I have just given insight on a couple differences between the types of padding. Both work well and have the same purpose. So, when looking at choosing shoulder gear, remember the old boys who refuse to wear this stuff and ruin their shoulders. One coach used to constantly tell us to play smarter than the other team. Now I understand he meant to get equiped with the best gear possible!

Rugby916.com Success

Well, today I shipped a ball. All week it seems, I have been shipping items. Two weeks ago, I got my first sale. Not from our marketing trip to San Diego, not from Sacramento, not even from California. Can you say New York? The online e-commerce solution can be seen by looking at this example. Had I not advertised in Google, I would have never had this customer. The success of the company right now relies on money management and clever advertising. Last night I did some guerilla marketing by passing out business cards at our rugby pitch. We had a professional kicker from New Zealand come show us how to kick. Well, high school ruggers from all over cam out to see just what they needed to do to become a great kicker. Taking advantage of an audience that basically came to me would have been suicidal to pass up. Till next time,

Cheers and have a good weekend

Eric Arrieta
President
www.Rugby916.com

Does anyone out there play rugby? If so, I do too. I play for the Sacramento Capitals in California. I have played since high school, and the love of the game pushes me to keep playing. With the passion I have for the sport, I have created RUGBY916 as a way to get others interested and started in this tough sport. At that site, I sell anything a player needs to outfit them for an awesome season. We supply top of the line gear and nothing less than spectacular. Also, on the site are high school scores and rankings for Northern California. Anyways, check it out and gear up for the season. If you use the coupon code, sacramentorugby, you will get 20% off our already awesome prices. The coupon is good for everything including world cup jerseys, match jerseys, rugby shorts, rugby protective equipment, rugby boots, and various other items. My main suppliers are Canterbury of New Zealand CCC and Gilbert Rugby!

Cheers and good luck this season,

Eric Arrieta
President & CEO
www.rugby916.com