Head Snow Helmets 2024/25 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Snow Helmets FW24/25 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Head
Interviewee: Katharina Acham, Operative Marketing Manager

What are the main customers’ demands when buying a snowboarding helmet?
Comfort is key – also regarding safety! Our patented Sphere Fit system wraps around the customer’s head like a beanie, creating a snug and comfortable fit for maximum safety when going big in the park, pipe, backcountry, or on the slopes. Decisive, of course, is also the look. Riders are craving a slim and integrated helmet look and perfectly matching helmet and goggle combos. HEAD helmets and goggles are developed in close cooperation to create optimal integration and optical unity. We call it Intermix Design.

Do you target specific customers/rider types?
Our helmet line is divided into different segments, like race or all-mountain helmets. A racer has different needs and requests for his/her gear than for instance a freeride athlete may have which will, of course, be considered during product design and development. But the following have all our helmet models in common: Great look, perfect fit, and – most importantly – maximum safety, no matter what target group it is designed and built for!

What were your biggest sellers in 2023/24 and why?
R-series: Our award-winning RADAR and RACHEL helmets with fully integrated visors and the models REV and RITA coming without visors are lightweight in-mold helmets with outstanding fit and ventilation
C-series: Our COMPACT PRO and COMPACT EVO helmets, feature a great look, perfect fit, optimal inner helmet climate, and – most importantly – supreme protection for very attractive mid-price points.
Youth series: The MOJO and MAJA helmets, available both, as visor models or without provide everything needed by the next generation: supreme protection, perfect ventilation, and an easy adjustable fit system – and most importantly for kids – colorful designs with high visibility. Through our exclusive and popular Paw Patrol collab helmets, we were again able to significantly increase our sales fig-ures in this segment in the 23/24 season.

In which type of helmet do you expect the biggest growth?
We expect the biggest growth in the all-mountain segment, as well as rental and visor helmets.

328113_MOJO_VISOR_PAW_JPG_Web

What are the design and material highlights of your 2024/25 collection?
We use sustainable and recycled raw materials in helmet production, resulting in products with a lower carbon footprint. (cf. 8. below)
The CINEMA helmet with its outstanding free-floating visor construction offers an unrestricted field of vision for the wearer. Its ventilated visor can easily be ex-changed with one click, and it features our patented Sphere Fit system, guaran-teeing a snug, secure, and comfortable ft.

What colours and designs are you featuring in your 2024/25 collection? Any standout collaborations?
We keep on following our Intermix design strategy: Across the protection range, any helmet can be combined with any goggles. In addition to seasonal trend colors, such as earthy, warm tones, or even eye-catching, loud colors, a variety of
timeless classics are available, resulting in over 600 possible combinations. So everyone can find their perfect helmet and goggle combo! We will also continue our collaboration with Nickelodeon and keep offering our unique Paw Patrol helmets for juniors. These adorable helmets are made for boys and girls with great attention to detail to go on the slopes together with their role models.

Are you implementing sustainability in your products and production processes?
We at HEAD call it Rethink: we rethink our workflows from the beginning to the end – from developing to packaging. By reducing waste and using natural, recycled, and certified raw materials and processes, we are on a good way, but we are only at the beginning.
For season 24/25 we introduce our first sustainable helmet models RADAR RETHINK and REV RETHINK. The visor of the RADAR is made from 100%, both shells are made from 40%, and all their smaller plastic parts are made from 60% recycled polycarbonate. The soft parts are made from 100% recycled fleece and the EPS-core is made with 20% cork. Of course, in terms of packaging we only use certified cardboard boxes, avoid any plastic bags or see-through windows and for printing, we only use water-based ink for better recycling. This is the status that we can achieve today with our partners without the product performance decreasing or the product becoming unattractive in terms of price. And we are working on developing even more and even better Rethink helmets in the future.

Do you offer accessories to your helmets?
Some of our top-of-the-line helmets come with a helmet pouch in the box, for comfortable and safe transportation and to avoid damages and scratches on the product.
All our RADAR and RACHEL helmets are coming including a reusable fabric visor cover to protect the lens during transportation or lunch at the hut or for cleaning the visor.

326114_CINEMA_PRO_anthracite_JPG_Web

What are your marketing stories for 2024/25?
Sustainable Helmets: REV RETHINK and RADAR RETHINK (cf. 7. above)
New innovative visor helmet – CINEMA with its free-floating visor construction and Easy Click Lens exchange system. (cf. 12. below)
Intermix Design (cf. 6. above)
Paw Patrol Collab (cf. 6 above)

How are you supporting retailers to sell this category?
Some of the world’s best athletes use HEAD goggles – so our products are always and everywhere highly represented. In addition, we provide our retailers with high-quality content, including info and videos about products, features, technologies, fit, and use helping them to present and sell HEAD helmets to their customers.
Furthermore, we offer high-quality, durable, and sustainable POS items for the stores such as metal branded helmet slat wall holders with mannequin heads to highlight our helmets and also combos of helmets and goggles. For our popular Paw Patrol helmets we offer practical and suitably designed highlight displays for 20-30 helmet boxes to increase customers’ attention in the stores. Regarding the line structure, we have increased the number of carry-over and multi-seasonal colors, based on our Intermix Design strategy. By doing so, we of-fer our partners the option to sell our helmet line in multiple seasons without the pressure to close out. But nothing beats putting the helmet in the hands of the customer and letting them try it themselves to feel the outstanding fit of our helmets on their head. Because fit is the strongest sales argument when it comes to helmets, also in regards to safety.

What is your situation regarding stock and deliveries?
Thanks to introducing early order cycles, the goods reached our warehouses on time and we are now working hard to deliver them to our dealers and partners right before the start of the season and are well positioned for the sell-in 24/25.

Please name and describe in about 60 words your 3 key/hero models for 2024/25.
Introducing the REV RETHINK helmet that is designed with the patented Sphere Fit system, ensuring a perfect fit for every head size and shape. The magnetic Fidlock buckle also provides quick and easy securing of the helmet. Our commitment to sustainability continues with the REV RETHINK helmet, which features recycled and sustainable materials like cork and cotton.
The PAW collection includes sets of helmets and matching goggles (MOJO/MAJA SET PAW) and visor versions (MOJO/MAJA VISOR PAW), both featuring the popular characters from PAW PATROL The helmet’s size and fit feature 2D adjustability, which provides supreme comfort and added wearability for growing kids. A soft lining, removable ear pads, and Thermal Ventilation give kids a comfortable, more confident experience so that staying safe on the hill becomes instinctive. The CINEMA PRO visor helmet is the pinnacle of winter sports protection and style. With its innovative free-floating visor construction, this helmet offers a supreme field of vision, maximum protection, and an unparalleled look on the slopes. HEAD’s patented Sphere Fit system ensures a perfect fit, while the mirror-coated, ventilated lens and its Easyclick Lens Exchange system provide convenient adjustability to every weather circumstance.

322614_REV_RETHINK_JPG_Web