Internet Marketing
Project #2 9/30/03
By Dave Reiss
My product research is focused on a specific winter
jacket made by Columbia
Sportswear. It's called a "Bugaboo" Ski Jacket, which
is designed with a fleece
lined, removable inner shell, as well as a water-resistant outer
nylon shell. It's a very versatile and popular item from a solid
sportswear company that retails for just under $200. Typically
it is selling on the street for $150-160. Many on-line retailers
are offering last years models at the $99 price, but the sizes
available are limited to small and medium in the men's style.
I'm looking for the lowest price for an extra large, the most
popular size for men.
When searching for "columbia bugaboo" on www.MySimon.com,
the listing came up in ski apparel, initially for $189, which
is the full retail price. When clicking on the "See All Options,"
the same jacket came up at $159.99 at Sports Authority, a brick
and mortar store. On-line sellers Sportmart had the high price
of $189.99, and Sport Chalet came in at $159.99. All the other
on-line sellers listed came in at the full retail price of $189.99
as well. A sponsored link at the bottom of the list by Any Mountain
Limited (www.anymountain.net) was listed at a very competitive
price of $139.99. I clicked this link and was sent to a very clean
page showing the jacket with the three color options. I added
this item to the basket, and waited for the site to process my
order for a few seconds. I was presented an order page with a
gift box option, and a subtotal of $139.99. I clicked on the checkout
button and was presented with a log-in page, which required my
e-mail and password. I have yet to see what the shipping charges
will be for this item. I entered my data and set up a new account.
Another page was presented that required my home address, phone,
and credit card info. At this point I abandoned the sale, as I
am not comfortable giving this company my credit card info without
the shipping charges. I clicked on the home page and was presented
with a shipping cost chart based on the price of the item, and
was able to calculate that to ship my jacket would be $9.95, making
this item cost $150 shipped. I vowed to search on, but Any Mountain
Ltd. was in the running.
When searching for "columbia bugaboo" on www.PriceGrabber.com,
I clicked on the men's apparel link, selected outerwear, and clicked
on Columbia under the brands section, which came up with 15 matches,
none of which were the Bugaboo model I wanted. I searched apparel
for the keyword "bugaboo," and was presented with 4
matches of shoes and gloves. So much for PriceGrabber.com.
I moved on with my search to shop.hobot.com, and was interested
in the service
as I've never used it before. It came up as a domain name for
sale. I did a Google search on shop hotbot.com (w/ a "t"),
and found the service listed, but their server was down. So much
for that. Moving on to mallagent.com, another service I never
used before, I did a search of the keyword "bugaboo",
and was presented with many baby toys and products. Scrolling
down, a 2001 model jacket was listed at Sports Authority for $94.99,
so I clicked the link and found a color and size that would have
been a great buy at $94.99, but the short description available
listed this model as a single jacket, not a system that has the
fleece lining and shell separated to make two jackets, making
it more versatile, which is why I want this particular item in
the first place. I clicked the see similar items link and found
the 2002 models listed for $129.97, in medium and XXlarge. Scrolling
down mallagent.com's results I found the new model at REI for
$160. I clicked on the REI link and did a search on bugaboo, and
was presented with the same $160 item.
I then turned to bizrate.lycos.com, a site that compares prices,
and searched
bugaboo in the sports and outdoors section. Several categories
were presented,
one of which was ski apparel, which I clicked. Olympia Sports,
City Sports and
MVP.com all listed 2002 models for $130. Selecting Olympia Sports,
and then the color and size, I added the item to my shopping cart
and was presented with a subtotal including a shipping charge
of $7, for a total of 136.95. City Sports shipping was the same
$7 fee, while MVP.com was $9. These were the best prices I had
found so far, and the shipping fees were reasonable.
Having made many purchases on Ebay, I decided to give them a try
as well. I did a search on "bugaboo" in the men's outerwear
section, and was presented with 13 items, all too small or way
too big (4XL). I also tried half.com, and searched the keyword
"bugaboo" under sports. Of the four hits presented,
only one was for a winter sports jacket for $60, but it was a
women's model.
Trying Nextag.com, another price comparison site, a "bugaboo"
search lists many baby goods and a 2002 model men's jacket for
$130. On-line retailer FogDog listed the jacket with free shipping,
but only in men's medium. I clicked on a ski jacket clearance
link and was presented with many other jackets, but not the model
I am looking for.
I also try a Google search of "columbia bugaboo". Of
the many listings, none listed under $140, most linked to essential
apparel.com, which no longer had the item in stock. Sierra Trading
Post listed the jacket, and a search of their site produced many
jackets, but not the model I'm looking for. I checked a listing
under cabelas.com and they have 2002 model jackets for $119.95!
They also showed each jacket color scheme in high quality photos.
This was the lowest price I've found, so I go to choose my color
and size, and 2X-4X large were my only options.
I also try Burlington Coat Factory's site as my final search to
check, and under
men's apparel section, I searched the keyword "bugaboo,"
with no results found.
After reviewing my search, I came to the realization that for
last year's model,
I would have to pay $140, and for this years model, it would cost
$150 at Any Mountain Ltd., an on-line retailer I have never heard
of, or $160 at REI, a well established brick and mortar outdoor
adventure store, as well as Sports Authority for the same price.
I optioned to go to REI and get the newest model and in-store
service.