WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN) — The League of American Bicyclists has launched a survey of retail stores to find out how shops are attracting and retaining female customers. The initiative is part of the League's Women Bike program, launched in 2012, to encourage more women to ride and engage in leadership opportunities in the bike industry.
Specialized is sponsoring the report and contributed to discussions about the report's format.
"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," wrote Liz Jones, Women Bike manager, in a blog announcing the research. "Could a poor bike retail experience be a barrier to getting more women on two wheels? With women controlling 80 percent 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."
The League wants to get a sampling of ideas on how shops are making their environments more female friendly.
"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," Jones wrote.
Retailers can take the survey at SurveyMonkey.
The League plans to share the results as part of a comprehensive Women Bike report next spring. Its first report, Women On a Roll, can be downloaded from the League website.
