Why you should stop using pink to sell to women

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup don't even wear pink.
Ok, maybe just a hint.

Not that we hate the color per se, it’s just … for girls. Girls, as in being not grown up enough to make their own choices and are ok with one option. 

When you limit choice, you limit the chances that someone will pick your product. Don’t know about you, but when I am offered one choice which I don’t like, I go find something better, someplace else. It may cost a bit more, but hey, I’m worth it.

Are some women ok with pink bows, arrows, cases, and armguards? Sure, but quite a few don’t want to look like My Pretty Pony. Would you sell more merchandise if you had something else to offer besides pink or pink camo? Highly likely.  Archery gear is a personal statement.  Go to any decent sized tournament and see what women are shooting and what color. We like our gear to represent who we are and I haven’t been ten years old with unicorn stickers on my notebook for a while now.  Pink does not state with confidence, “I am about to kick your ass at this.” 

Look at the numbers. The ATA turns out a wealth of survey information and makes it available to you for free.  In the last survey, they learned,“18.9 million participants in archery and one-third of all archery participants in 2012 were women, and that 4 million women were involved exclusively in archery.”  That's a lot of archers that want an adult color.  Also of note, that target archery appeals to women more broadly than bowhunting. Not a stretch really.

Bowhunting shows are meant for guys to watch and buy sponsored products. The busty blonde sidekicks shoot pink bows, because that is what they are handed to use. The huntress, Eva Shockey, is in her 20’s and young and adorable enough to wear as much pink as she wants. She’s also a class-act and darn good shot.

Where we live there is a healthy target archery community and I see women getting started in the sport together with their kids. None of them would be caught dead with pink equipment.  Ms. K is a glamour editor and writing a book on 1940’s Hollywood fashion. She shoots barebow. Not a pink flake for miles. Ms P shoots recurve with her daughter who is 11. Both are serious about their sport and neither have a stitch of pink on their gear.  Red?  Black? You betcha.  While my sister can glam it up and mix with the high rollas, she has a matte black bow to go with her camo pants. Because black is slimming and never goes out of style.

Is there a place for it? Sure.  What women want  - it’s simple, really.  Equipment that FITS, performs to standard and allows us to shoot at our best, whether in the field or on the range. In a color that represents who we are.