The $49 down route is becoming more and more commonplace in skiing. Lock in a discounted rate with a non-refundable deposit.

If they pay the rest, they win and you win. If they don’t pay the rest. They lose and you sorta win. The only problem with this scenario isn’t it’s logical, pay-later side, it’s that it’s pretty unsexy. The only motivation is to save a few bucks.

So, is there a way to inject this offer with a little bit of cool?

Signal 6
Signal Snowboards has a lot going for them. Perhaps first on that list would be innovation. Their Every Third Thursday series, where they build a new board out of random materials (like glass) or a crazy purpose (with a paintball gun attached) is proof of that. So I guess I’m not surprised at their outside-the-box thinking with their pricing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhJBHF53brI

Signing up is a commitment to pay $74 six times to the Signal crew. In return you get a monthly swag bag delivered to your door all summer long. Then, in October, the sixth delivery is a shiny new Signal 6 board.

Good and More Good
I think this idea is super clever. There are a few things I especially like:

• It spreads out payments which may help decrease the perceived price.
• It’s branded to it’s easily recalled and easier to remember.
• It’s limited so there is a “club” or “exclusive” feel to it.
• It loads the customer up with swag that keeps summer stoke high and gives them ways to spread the Signal love.
• It lets a snowboard company who likely relies on fall sales to bring in revenues now.

In other words, I think the concept is a perfect match for skiing. By making it limited, exclusive, and easy to sign up without dropping a lot of cash all at once, it makes $49-down more effective and gives bonus reasons to buy in Spring rather than Fall.

Clever concept back by some smart marketing principles. Love it.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.