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How have arms sales done? abandonment Over the past four years, the firearms industry has experimented with behavioral digital tools to attract and engage customers, according to an industry presentation obtained by The Trace and rolling stone.
In May 2024, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the gun industry trade group, hosted a webinar presenting the presentation to the thousands of gun dealers who belong to the NSSF. As the industry’s leading representative, NSSF navigates political and cultural headwinds to help ensure profitability for its members. Their research suggests that customers are increasingly purchasing firearms on the Internet.
The presentation, delivered by Will Altherr, director of digital marketing at Guns.com, a popular online platform that sells guns and accessories, emphasizes the role of email in directing consumer behavior through the “sales funnel.”
In Altherr’s analogy, buyers move through a funnel and move down as they get closer to a purchase. “If you sell products on your website and you get to a point, or a customer gets to a point, where they put something in their cart, they’re essentially one step away from paying,” Alther said. “That’s extremely low-funnel activity.”
Altherr asked, “So how do we get them to cross that cart-to-shopping barrier?”
His presentation, consisting of 13 slides, recommended tools for tracking, personalization, and behavioral prompts. Altherr discussed the strategies at length in his comments, the recording of which was reviewed by The Trace and rolling stone. The tactics he described are familiar in the world of online commerce, from ordering food to clothing. But the presentation did not reveal any consideration of the consequences that may arise if the tactics are applied broadly to the sale of firearms and ammunition.
Like The Trail and rolling stone have reported In the “Arms Industry Secret Files” series, first-time gun buyers do not account for the majority of the industry’s profits. Instead, gun dealers rely heavily on customers who continually purchase firearms, ammunition and accessories, leading people to build mini arsenals. Large numbers of gun retailers investing in personalized digital marketing, combined with the ease of online commerce, could exacerbate this trend.
NSSF Retailer Surveys, obtained by The Trace and rolling stoneshow that between 2018 and 2022, Internet sales increased from 26 percent to 33.5 percent.
The surveys are a snapshot of the market, but they still provide valuable information to the arms industry. In this case, they seem to suggest a lot of room for digital growth and that customers, who are increasingly migrating online to buy guns, are ready for Altherr’s recommendations.
Altherr did not respond to a request for comment and the NSSF declined the opportunity.
During the webinar, when Altherr discussed what to do when a customer places items in their cart and then leaves the site, he recommended setting up an automated “cart abandonment email.” A tried and true e-commerce method that would automatically be sent to the customer within a few hours, reminding them of their pending matters. Depending on whether they made a purchase, they might receive another email shortly after.
“The same goes for the abandonment of boating,” Altherr said in the presentation. “If someone searches for a product page one step before adding it to cart, they’ll want to go there.”
Altherr explained that automated emails are a central component of an email marketing strategy and involve, the presentation says, “programs that automatically send emails based on customers.” [sic] experiences on your website.” In addition to encouraging the buyer to make a purchase, emails can be effectively used as a “win-back” and attract an inactive customer.
The presentation includes three examples of automated emails, all highlighting the notion of scarcity, which capitalizes on a phenomenon driven by the gun industry. referred Industry officials consider it “panic buying.”
One example, designed to address car abandonment, shows a man in a baseball cap looking through the scope of a military-style rifle. “Are you still thinking about it?” says. “We will hold the contents of your cart for as long as possible! Order now before it’s gone!”
Another example shows a man in an orange winter hat pointing a gun at a target outside the frame. “PRICE DROP ALERT,” it says. “We just wanted to let you know that the TAURUS G3C you are interested in is now on sale.” He adds: “Act now before it disappears…”
A third email refers to a gun that is “BACK IN STOCK” and includes images of guns and men holding rifles in the desert. “Once sold out, this customer favorite is back,” the email says. “It’s time to get what you’ve been waiting for!”
Altherr told his audience that mass marketing emails were another tool that could be implemented effectively, but should be used sparingly as they are sent to each customer and cannot be personalized. The presentation says: “The metrics related to these emails, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, are generally not the strongest unless it is a big holiday promotion,” such as a Black Friday deal. In that case, a compelling email might say, “GET BIG, SAVE BIG! ALL GUNS SHIP FREE!”
For a personalized email marketing experience, Altherr recommended “segmented emails,” which divide customers into groups based on data collected by the marketer.
On this topic, Altherr brightened when he talked about 1911 pistols: powerful steel-framed firearms that are easy to conceal.
“I know for sure that if I go with us weapons.com “I know that people at the top of the site type in the word, the search query, ‘1911’ on a regular basis, because it’s a highly in-demand search product that our customers love to buy,” Altherr said. Taking this approach, Altherr explained, will cause “your open rates” to “shoot through the roof” because “you’re now giving customers exactly what they want.”
Altherr said another “great segmented email” to Guns.com concerned “military classics.” The presentation shows an example, with the image of a pistol resting in a brown leather holster. “From collectibles to vintage-style pistols, our MILITARY CLASSICS collection offers something for every gun enthusiast,” he says. “With clear and precise descriptions, you know exactly what to expect when you pick up your gun. all at a competitive price!”
The presentation also addresses “digital display media” and third-party marketing. He points to a highly specialized advertising company called Armanet, which the invoices themselves as the company that “built the transparent, effective and trustworthy advertising platform the firearms industry deserves.” The presentation says Armanet should be used to “drive immediate and measurable consumer demand.” These are “Retargeting Ads” which focus on previous website visitors and “Geotargeting” which markets based on location.
Depending on the political tenor of the moment and whether a mass shooting has captured the nation’s attention, social media compliance can be a problem for the gun business. Content that promotes firearms is almost inherently provocative and raises questions for many about the glorification of violence, sometimes leading to account suspensions or bans. If any of the situations occur, the presentation recommends contacting the company. Open source defensewhich focuses on defending digital gun rights and invest in “civil defense”. Altherr said the best person to reach out to is Chuck Rossi, who did not respond to a request for comment. According to the Open Source Defense website, he was director of engineering at Facebook from 2008 to 2018. Toward the end of that period, he also “worked to make the company’s firearms policy more transparent to users, advertisers, and content creators.”
The Open Source website says, “if you’re not working for gun rights online, you’re not working for gun rights,” adding that “the problem comes down to building culture, and culture starts and spreads online. So that’s the most influential place to work.”
