Skis4Life

The idea came on a trip to the Alps. After moving a pair of skis for the tenth time just to reach the lodge, the thought was simple: why not leave them here and pick them up next season? That question became a profitable franchising concept called Skis4Life.

The challenge

Apart from the major up-front investment, a skier also pays for maintenance and insurance, storage, a ski box and additional fuel and travel costs. Those costs are spread over a relatively short period of time. Many skiers replace their equipment every five to six years. As they become more experienced, they naturally upgrade to more sophisticated materials, and at that point the residual value of their old skis is close to zero.

At the same time, the marketing and advertising costs of ski resorts have risen sharply over the past decade. While those efforts may attract some skiers to a specific resort, they are no guarantee that the same guests will come back the next year.

True client retention

Ski resorts benefit from the fact that Skis4Life members have a strong incentive to come back to the same resort for at least the period of their membership. After all, their skis are already there. That means Skis4Life offers a genuine client-retention element.

With that in mind, and because retaining an existing client is always cheaper than attracting a new one, Skis4Life offers resorts a more efficient alternative to traditional advertising and promotion, with significant potential savings. Part of those savings is channelled back to members through special membership awards: discounts on ski-lift passes, restaurants, hotels and more, reducing their holiday costs even further.

By combining and leveraging existing assets, Skis4Life is a concept that benefits all parties involved.