Team Insight

TEAM HEADWEAR 22 • Team Insight ~ January/February 2023 teaminsightmag.com OUTDOOR CAP Ben Roberts, Head of Marketing The biggest challenge: "Whereas inventory was a huge challenge for the team headwear business in 2022, for 2023 that the challenge lies within team dealers getting the information that they need earlier in the buying season to get their orders in sooner. e team dealer network fully understands the importance of submitting their orders further in advance based on the challenges that were encountered in 2022. However, they are in some cases at a standstill with the teams that they are working with as they may not have all of the information they need to submit their orders." Advice for team dealers: "Communicate with the leagues and teams as early and as frequently as possible and continue to stress the need for getting all of the information ." New product focus: Cagemesh and Air are Outdoor Cap's top fabrics this year and are custom priced based on quantity and design choices. n AUGUSTA SPORTSWEAR/PACIFIC HEADWEAR Carter Newman, Business Unit Director, Headwear The biggest challenge in 2023 … "I would note two major challenges for the team headwear business rolling into 2023 — forecasting supply as we return to and exceed pre-COVID levels and speed to market in the custom business. Without question the team headwear business continues to grow past pre-COVID levels. at is great news, but the challenge is around forecasting the growth to the appropriate levels to ensure manufacturers and distributors are stocked and ready to win for spring baseball. In many cases, core team styles from 2019 performed well below expectations in 2020-2022. As a manufacturer, placing the right bets on key styles will be paramount to service team dealers and end consumers. e Amazon effect is also impacting the custom headwear business, placing a premium on faster turn-times and efficiency across all order processes." Advice for team dealers: "If at all possible, order early. We are seeing a slight shi in purchasing to earlier in the season to ensure product availability when teams take the field. In some cases even a week or two could positively impact service to the consumer. Also, pay close attention to top in-stock or new styles and focus sales efforts there. Our industry has a tendency to default to previously sold styles when looking to order for the upcoming season." New product focus: e Pacific Headerwear ES471 is a lightweight perforated PacFlex Coolcore Cap with a full-profile, pro-model, on- field style featuring Coolcore technology and a lightweight stretch woven polyester/cotton blend. e P820 Momentum Team Cap is a mid-profile, pro-model snapback made of 100 percent cotton. n ADVICE FROM ABOVE Outdoor Cap Cagemesh Pacific Headwear P820 Pacific Headwear ES471

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