No Fear of E-Commerce

Its trademark slogan can be seen across the country. In rural and urban America “NO FEAR” decorates windshields, surfboards, and t-shirts. The NO FEAR craze does not seem to be a passing fad, however. Last week, the manufacturer of performance, athletic and casual products launched itself into the brave new world of online commerce. NO FEAR and 1st Net Technologies, Inc. signed an Internet Marketing and Revenue Agreement that will develop an e-commerce Web site aimed at marketing the companies line of 500 products.

The new agreement centers around the creation of an innovative Web site, www.nofear.com which will serve the ever-growing “extreme” sports community. The company will feature its range of performance, athletic and casual products geared towards the sports of Surfing, Wakeboarding, Motorsports, Mountain Biking and BMX.

Extreme Sports and Extreme Profits

The new e-commerce site will likely enhance the company’s annual sales of $100 million and boost it’s ranking as one of the Top 100 Business Phenomena of the decade (according to AD AGE Magazine). The company hopes the Web site will help make NO FEAR the most recognized name in sports.

In recent years, the “NO FEAR” slogan has come to symbolize a “cutting-edge” lifestyle rather than a clothing and products company. NO FEAR has effectively been co-opted as the motto for daring youth, and extreme sports lovers. The company hopes to ride the wave of this marketing success by creating a slick Web site that showcases the spirit of extreme sports.

“We believe the sports lifestyle craze that has been sweeping the globe during this decade is only going to get stronger,” said Greg Writer, chief executive officer of 1st Net Technologies Inc.

The E-Commerce Challenge

Whether an online retail opportunity will appeal to extreme sports consumers remains to be seen, however. Traditionally, NO FEAR has marketed its products through selected retail accounts, company owned retail stores and at targeted sporting events. The challenge for the e-commerce initiative will be to sustain the company’s “cool” image using an online venue.

1st Net Technologies will receive a revenue share in all sales generated through the upcoming Web site in exchange for design, development, maintenance and marketing services of the e-commerce site.