Ultimate Survival Technologies has debuted a mobile commerce platform to drive sales of its camping, hiking, hunting and adventure products.

The brand tapped Shopatron, to sell equipment online and via mobile when outdoors enthusiasts need it most this year. Ultimate Survival Technologies, Cooper Hunting and six other hunting brands are now able to sell products directly from their own PC and mobile Web sites.

“The Shopatron platform provides direct purchase access for Ultimate Survival Technologies’ end-users, while still benefiting our dealer network through a traditional product distribution model,” said Keri Kliemann, director of marketing at Ultimate Survival Technologies, Monroe, WA.

“The mobile platform makes our unique line of high-quality survival tools even more accessible,” she said.

“The consumer who sees a friend demonstrate one of our products in the outdoors or reads a product review in a magazine while travelling will be able to instantly make a purchase, turning thought into action and, ultimately, a sale.”

Shopatron clients include top brands such as Callaway Golf, Suzuki, Polaroid, Mizuno, Ducati, JL Audio, American Tire Distributors and Sport Chalet.

Mobile shopping
Using Shopatron’s patent-pending order management system, brands such as Ultimate Survival Technologies capture sales directly and distribute the orders to their valued dealers and outfitters, who deliver the products to local customers.

Shopatron claims that its retail-oriented ecommerce and mcommerce systems helped client sporting goods brands increase sales by 39 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2010.

Following significant growth in 2009, mobile retail is now the fastest-growing sales channel in the hunting industry, per Shopatron.

In addition to Ultimate Survival Technologies’ mobile site, other hunting-related sites launched by Shopatron this year include Alpen Optics, Buckaroo-Stoo, CarboMask, Peep Eliminator, Quick Camo (by Game Face Gear) and Trophy Blend Deer Scents.

The timing coincided with the start of hunting season, which for many states continues over the next couple of months.

With the launches, there are now 30 hunting brands deployed on Shopatron, letting manufacturers capture sales on their mobile Web site and pass them to authorized retailers for delivery or in-store pickup.

Shopatron also powers online and mobile sales for well-known hunting brands such as Hunter Specialties, Precision Shooting Equipment and Alpine Archery, all of which saw mobile sales grow considerably in the third quarter.

In all, Shopatron has 250 brands in the sporting goods industry, working with more than 5,000 sporting goods dealers to improve brand exposure, raise online and in-store sales, and strengthen customer relationships.

“As hunting is a social activity, many product discoveries happen in the wild, watching a fellow hunter use some new equipment,” said Mark Grondin, senior vice president of marketing at Shopatron, San Luis Obispo, CA.

“Having the ability to view product information, pricing and specifications about that equipment instantly on one’s phone is a great advantage for brands that leads to more sales,” she said. “And best of all, Shopatron allows hunting brands to directly interact with hunters while including the local hunting shop in the sale.

“Hunters get the information they need, brands promote their products and local shops get the sale, leaving everyone happy with the process.”