INDIANA SUP S/S 2025 PREVIEW

Retail Buyers Guide: SUP S/S 2025 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Indiana
Interviewee: Nikolaus Dietrich, Head of Sales

2024 was a balancing act: getting rid of the 2022/23 inventory and introducing fresh SKUs. Did it turn out as you wish it would?
It’s true, the balancing act was more challenging than in the years before, as the stock was higher. We decided to carry-over more models so were able to reduce the inventory problem. This helped also our retailers, which had too much stock.

How do you foresee the future of the category? Turning into a legit sport for the masses or still mainly use as a leisure activity by occasional participants?
There are too many low-end boards on the market, and too many people, that are using the SUPs as toy, as a better air mattress. As consequence, SUP lost the sporty image more and more and without a sporty image it is harder to sell high-end products with technology and quality. We are sure, that this will change within the next 1-2 years, after a market consolidation of the low-quality SUPs and brands. Similar market up- and down movements already happened to Inline Skates and Snowboards. Both categories boomed at the beginning, felt down after a market overflooding with cheap products and came back on a more stable and higher price level.

How do your brand differentiate itself in the overcrowded “allround” segment? Pricing, technology, durability, wow factor?
Our INDIANA SUP Allround boards have technologies and features, that only we offer. We call this our “SUP 2.0 Features”. Also, we have reduced our prices (retail and wholesale) to be more competitive.

The second bestselling category would be “adventure SUPs”, which spreads from the touring boards to the fishing/multi-user/river models. Which are the trending segments within your brand?
There are still many people, that are looking for a sporty Touring Board in the high-end range, so for us our 11’6, 12’6 and 14’0 Classic Edition Touring SUP category is still a very important segment. Lightweight-Adventure SUPs (our “Feather SUP” categorie) and River SUPs are still performing better than the overall market trend. Our multi-user SUP the “10´6 Wind & Wing Allround SUP” is profiting from the Wing Foil trend. It is the ideal SUP to learn how to handle the Wing and having fun.

Inflatables: Which are your flagship models for SS25?
Our flagship model is still the “12’6 Touring Classic Edition Inflatable”. The most sold board is the “11’6 Family Pack” with 3-Piece 30%-Carbon Paddle.

Hardboards: who is your target customer for composite boards and what do you have to offer for SS25?
Our target customer is the sporty leisure rider, who want’s do be fast but who does not necessarily look at his time. Our Composite Touring and Allround Boards are technically at the highest level and visually a highlight, very classy!

What kind of support do you offer for retailers? (pre-orders sales terms, in-season restocking, dropshipping, in-store demos…)
We offer pre-order discounts, demo-discounts, dropshipment, marketing support and especially a good service in case something is not optimal.

Key Products:

12’6 Touring S Carbon/Wood 27.5:
”This 12’6 Touring Wood meets all the requirements of a touring board. The narrower 27.5” shape makes it even faster, but still stable. The all-round carbon fabric makes the board robust and light. Thanks to the Paulownia wood veneer on the deck, it is a visual highlight”.

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11’6 Family Pack misty blue:
“The 11’6 Family Touring has a pointed, flat and therefore fast shape and offers plenty of volume and loading space for longer trips. Thanks to the pre-laminated double layer, the board is stiff and robust. The pack includes the high-quality 3-part 30% carbon fiberglass composite paddle. Super cool! Divided fin box, 8.5” Hyperflow polyamide fin, ¼ inch camera connection including wheelie bag + paddle connection system, HP2 double action pump, repair kit.

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12’6 Touring Classic Edition Inflatable:
“The 12’6 Touring is the perfect choice for micro-adventures and smaller tours. Stable and secure thanks to its 31 inch width and with the pointed and flat straight shape, it allows you to move forward quickly. The Woven Dropstitch and the Pre-Laminated Double Layer PVC make it robust and stiff. The Fiberglass Foot Bases in the stand area provide a hardboard feeling. Supercool! Split Finbox, 8.5 Hyperflow Polyamid Fin, Fiberglass Foot Bases, ¼ inch Camera Connector, Speed Tail and Shoulder Strap”.

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