In the never-ending battle with Amazon and other retailers, Dick’s Sporting Goods has created a price matching program designed to attract more cost-conscious shoppers.
The company said it will match any qualifying retailer’s in-store or online price on the identical item (brand, model, color, size).
To qualify for Dick’s program, the product must be immediately available at the competing retailer, and can’t be a markdown item or offered as part of sales event like Cyber Monday.
On its web page announcing the program, Dick’s even calls out 20+ competitors it will price match against, including Amazon as well as sports apparel brands Under Armor, Nike, Bass Pro Shops, Foot Locker and Adidas, as well as Kohl’s, Target, Macy’s and Nordstrom.
Customers can also choose where they want to price match – online or in store. In the store, they can present a qualifying retailer’s ad or website to an associate.
Online, customers can search Dicks.com for the product they want to price match, make sure it qualifies and call Dick’s with information referencing the competitive offer.
MCM Musings: Price matching – and the resulting discounts – can be a risky proposition that impacts margins, but Dick’s is betting that whatever incremental sales gains it achieves will more than offset its losses. The company has also been performing better than most in the current difficult climate, so can better afford to take a radical approach. While numerous competitors are called out in Dick’s announcement, Amazon is clearly the main target, with its relentless discounting, among many other tactics, killing traditional retailers.