why Cathe video are only available online?

darine

darine

Cathlete
I wonder why she does not resell to stores. Well, she sells to online stores, but not physical, right?

I never saw them available in stores... not here is Canada

I guess for Canada, people simply don't know her and seeing her DVDs in store means nothing to most people. Am I wrong? Online, we can preview and know what it's about.

But Jari Love does sell in stores. I just wonder why Cathe doesn't. Or does she?
 
In my opinion, it is because Cathe's workouts are geared for advanced exercisers, and retail stores may be scared off by this, and figure the average shopper is looking for an easy to do home workout.

Jerry
 
I think I remember Chris answering this a while back, but you might want to ask SNM or Cathe herself. I think they're better equipped to answer than we are.
 
RE: A very long answer

This is a very good question that comes up every now and then and unless you’re in the business the answer is not obvious. There are really many reasons why you don’t see our DVDs in stores, but the main reason is we don’t want to lose control of our product. We’re a very unique company in our field in that we developed our own distribution system and bypassed the traditional method of selling fitness videos and DVDs. Once you sign a distribution agreement with one of the major retail wholesalers they become the controlling authority of the product dictating what is filmed, how long the workout is and what target audience (usually beginner to intermediate) the product is designed for.

When we first started out distribution companies wouldn’t have anything to do with us. Back then you needed to be a TV or movie star to make a fitness video or retailers wouldn’t even give you a second of their time. I used to spend the majority of my time sending out media kits and doing sales presentations to video distribution companies. I quickly learned that the deck was stacked against us and none of the people I was presenting to knew the first thing about group fitness nor did they ever bother to watch the video. They only cared about having a sexy female on the cover who had great name recognition from TV. The workout didn’t matter! This was a very discouraging time for us because we felt our products were some of the best workouts available at the time. We just needed a way to get them into the hands of the consumer. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t convince any of the major distribution retailers to carry us.

Though we were not having any luck with getting our products into stores something happened one day about ten years ago that forever changed our lives as well as perhaps the entire fitness industry. We received a phone call from a customer who had heard about us on a brand new invention called the “Internet”. She told us that Cathe had a pretty large following of fans that kept in touch on the internet. At the time only a few people in the world had internet access and the speed was very slow since everyone only had dial up connections. But based on what she told us we invested $19.95 in a website and developed our very first website (remember the dancing M & M on the step). On the very first day we made $645 in online sales with no advertising and we thought that was just the greatest thing ever to happen to us. We decided from that day on that the Internet would become our #1 and complete focus because it leveled the playing field. No longer could distribution companies control and dominate fitness video sales. Now, for the first time sales were determined by the quality of the product, not fancy box art and marketing.

Times have changed a lot since then in our industry, but the Internet has and always will be our primary focus. Unlike in our past we now get offers all the time from distribution companies wanting to do infomercials and/or to distribute Cathe DVDs in stores. We just currently haven’t seen a deal that we felt comfortable with or that we also didn’t feel would hurt our Internet business. We also insist on maintaining absolute control of our product and this is difficult to do once you start down the retail path. You very well may see Cathe in an infomercial or in stores someday, but currently we don’t have any definite plans to do so.
:)
 
Thank You!!!

Cathe and Chris:

Thank you for maintaining your integrity, preserving the high quality of these workouts we adore, and not selling out for the sake of profit and distribution. It is my joy and delight to support you directly, and I am looking forward to doing so for years to come. :)

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
RE: Thank You!!!

Oh, Heather, I SOOOO agree with you! I would rather pay a higher price directly to Cathe and her WONDERFUL staff than pay a lower price, say, to Dick's or WalMart.

Gayle
 
RE: A very long answer

Chris,

Thank you for the story. I could not agree more! and would definitely pay more right here than go to a retail and not get the quality we all have come to love so much.

Thanks ;)

Therese
 
I have actually seen her videos in this Fitness Video magazine that I receive every couple months. But other then that I haven't seen her videos anywhere else.
 
RE: Thank You!!!

I'm with you, Gayle...the quality is so good and I would rather pay a higher price to Cathe than to get lesser quality videos from a retail store.
 
RE: A very long answer

Hello,

I think it is excellent for the business that you have retained full control for creative freedom. It also makes the product unique and that little bit more special, it's like top end designer clothing or high end beauty products that you can only buy in specialist shops.

I do think that Cathe's DVDs would probably have difficulty selling in the shops because they require quite a bit of investment by the customer. I knew when I came across the DVDs that this is what I want and I was prepared to spend £100s even £1000s buying the equipment. I did pay way over the odds for my first set of DVDs (over £100) and then I spent a few hundreds more buying the step, the dumbbells and the barbells. Then I had to find enough room in the house to be able to do them (properties in cities tend to be space efficent) and have it be sound proof. I can't tell you how difficult this can be. The DVDs can sometimes cost more than a gym membership, so far this year I bought about 20 new DVDs from various instructors and the only piece of equipment I would allow myself was a medicine ball. I haven't added the total cost but I suspect it is over £100.

The type of customers this would appeal to are those who are serious about fitness, have the money to spend on it, are self motivated and enjoy working out alone (it's a lonely pursuit this hobby of mine). On top of all that, you have to deal with the negative reputation of weight training for women. I know many women are afraid of looking too muscular: when I showed pictures of Cathe to friends that is the first thing the comment on. It is very difficult to convince them that they can modify and not lift so heavy and there are so many different ways to lift weights that does not give you muscles, but still they are not convinced.

Yen
 
RE: A very long answer

Thanks for the great explanation. I will always be a very loyal supporter and will always be making my purchases through SNM. the excellent quality aside - the customer service cant be beat. Win - Win for all of us!!!
 
RE: Thank You!!!

> I would rather pay a higher price to Cathe than to get lesser quality >videos from a retail store.

I do not think Cathe's videos are pricy at all and the savings from the preorders.

Each premixes are one complete workout and imagine if we need to buy them all separately as Firm sells their product. Her video could worth close to $100.
 
Chris, thanks for taking the time to explain that. It makes perfect sense and I know I for one appreciate that you are not willing to sacrifice quality and control for big name distribution.
 
Great story, Chris! Your standards are top notch and I am more then happy to support you. Your choices have made you so successful and no doubt, it will continue for years to come. I'm so glad to have Internet and enjoy coming here. Thanks for sharing!



http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid8692709


Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH (AKA "Den Mother Debbie") http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/aktion/action-smiley-066.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance, I Hope You DANCE!
 
I can see why SNM would not want to distribute to retailers such as Fascist Death Mart and I am thankful they don't. In a world of Clear Channel Communications and big box retail I am more than happy to do business with an independent seller that actually offers something of substance.
 
>I can see why SNM would not want to distribute to retailers
>such as Fascist Death Mart and I am thankful they don't. In a
>world of Clear Channel Communications and big box retail I am
>more than happy to do business with an independent seller that
>actually offers something of substance.

AMEN.

Allison
 
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