Less than half a mile from Ala Moana Bowls, Quality Surfboards Hawaii is one of the core surf shops located on Oahu’s South Side. The shop has been focused on everything you need to get in the water since 2006. We spoke with owner Jason Gantz to get his thoughts on the current state of surf retail and the surf industry.
What do you think is the biggest challenge the surf industry is currently facing?
Quality Surfboards Hawaii owner Jason Gantz: The biggest challenges I think the surf industry is facing, from the perspective of a shop owner, revolve around the cost of shipping and online sales.
Coming from the islands, shipping has always been a burden. It’s a significant price-adjusting factor – we either absorb it or add it to the final sales price. In the past, that was just the cost of doing business. Shipping prices are now a major factor in deciding whether to place an order, especially on a tight budget, and particularly when it comes to surfboards.
However, the challenge in today’s online world is that the same vendors we buy from now have their own websites and are selling the same products that surf shops do. Sometimes, they even list those products with free shipping. When customers compare prices, it makes surf shops seem like we’re unfairly inflating costs.
Usually, customers eventually realize that they must pay the same shipping fees as we do, and things even out. But if the brands decide to run sales on their sites, surf shops lose out in a big way. This is where brands need to either show restraint in their online pricing or communicate better with their retail accounts.
Shops feel this pressure, and we hear it directly from customers. If bigger brands go the Amazon route and offer free shipping, small, core surf shops can’t compete, which may lead surf shops to stop carrying those brands altogether. And if those brands eventually open their own signature stores, like Quiksilver or Volcom have done, they leave the core surf shop ecosystem completely. There’s no way or reason for us to compete with them, which is a shame for what used to be great partnerships within the surf industry.
I don’t want to just complain, though. What are the solutions? If I were a brand, I can’t say I wouldn’t sell online either. I get it—everyone is just trying to grow their business and pay their employees. The best example I’ve seen is from Reef Sandals. They had a product line strictly for core surf shops. While they sold slippers everywhere, if you wanted that killer signature sandal, you had to go to your local surf shop.
In the last year and a half, I’ve seen something interesting happen with all the shipping delays. A brand will run out of a product or ingredient, and it will show as sold out on their website. Suddenly, our in-store and online sales for that product will skyrocket! We’ll call our local rep, who often has extra stock, and grab as much as we can. They’ll tell us the main warehouse is out of stock and sold out online. Thanks to our reps, we can stock up and sell the item like never before – until the brand’s warehouse gets restocked, at which point our sales will taper off. It’s happened with multiple brands, and it’s great when it does! We sell more, order more, see more customers, and pay more bills. Everyone’s stoked!
Don’t get me wrong – the brands aren’t the enemy; they’re our friends. We want to carry the best brands, and they do try to help us. But another dilemma is that many brands now offer retail accounts free shipping if you order over a certain amount. That’s great and helps immensely with margins, but the challenge now is that brands require you to order a certain number of surfboards or a specific number of leashes, fins, and other accessories to qualify for that free shipping. This also happens with other categories like sunscreen, where you need to order more than just the face paste – you must buy the whole product line.
This is acceptable for an initial order, but if you don’t sell through those extra items quickly, you end up forced to order more of them when you just need that one key product. In this situation, we often hold off on ordering because we can’t afford all the added items. Sometimes we even start looking for other brands. I feel that if the rules were a little less rigid, brands would likely receive more orders. I know we space out our ordering longer than we should to hit those free shipping thresholds, and it affects our business.
How are you adapting to the evolving retail landscape?
Jason Gantz: We’re always focused on service – making sure every customer we help leaves stoked, whether they made a purchase or just came in for some information. Whether in person or online, we treat people how we want to be treated, with Aloha!!! Our goal has always been to be known as the best surf shop on the planet.
We’re building our own brand of clothing for surfers – quality gear that they’ll feel proud to wear, and people will recognize where they got it from. We want to create a brand that makes customers and surfers want to come in and support us – support what we do, who we sponsor, who works for us, and what we stand for.
We understand that online sales, global shipping, social media, and new innovations need to be embraced and adapted into our business to keep us relevant and ahead of the curve. We’re committed to staying on top of what’s new and relevant – not just what’s trending – while staying true to what we, as surfers, want. We remain rooted in the core of surfing.
Are you using any marketing strategies such as events, email campaigns, social media strategies, etc. that are working for your shop? If so, what are they and how do you implement them?
Jason Gantz: My workers are young and manage our social media with some clear guidelines: no politics, no opinionated posts, keep it positive, and avoid swearing! Keep it strictly surf. They do a great job. We also advertise new products and services while having some fun on there, too.
We’ve hosted a lot of board demos at the beaches near us over the past few years, which have always been a positive experience. It’s fun to hang out with shapers, workers, and friends, try out the latest board models for free, and even sneak in a session.
This year has been especially exciting because I realized that my shop (and maybe yours, too) can be the venue! I spend a day clearing the floor, moving everything into storage and the back office to make space for the event. We’ve been hosting “Board Talks” where we invite shapers whose boards we carry to come and share their shaping journey, talk about different boards, and discuss their philosophy. We do a Q&A afterward, hang out with free pizza and drinks, and surfers from all over the island show up – it creates a great surf community vibe.
So far, we’ve done Board Talks with shapers like Pyzel, Craig Kawamura, and Eric Arakawa, as well as an FCS fin talk. We’re about to host a photography talk, too. We promote it all on social media, spread the word through word of mouth, stream it live, and even have free raffle giveaways! It’s a great time, and while it takes a lot of money and effort, it’s worth it to see the surf community come out, have fun, learn, meet shapers, make new friends, and reconnect with old ones.
What new brands or products do you believe retailers should be paying attention to?
Jason Gantz: We all joked about the latest FCS Shark Band thing: Does it really work? But secretly, we all wanted one, bought one, or just felt better knowing someone in the lineup was wearing one! It’s been an interesting trend lately.
We always pay attention to the best shapers and their top riders; they know what’s happening. We follow what’s going on with the tour. Also, when you’re hanging out at your local beach—or even a different one—look around and take note: What’s everyone wearing? How are they looking? What’s everyone riding? In the water, who’s ripping? Who’s just having fun, and what are they riding or wearing? You’ll start to notice patterns.
Another big one for me is this: What are people asking for in the shop that we don’t carry? As part of great service, we’ll always send them to a shop that has it, but if enough people keep asking for the same thing, we stock it!
Editor’s note: This interview was produced by Building the Revolution, which is dedicated to preserving surf shop culture.