Last November, we launched a major contest on social media. In exchange for answering a few questions, all participants were entered into a grand prize draw to win a Newave jumpsuit.
Our goal? To gather feedback from surfers of all backgrounds to better understand their needs. To ensure the most diverse profiles possible, we posted our survey on numerous Facebook groups and asked several of our partners to repost it. In total, 430 surfers responded, and the graphs below summarize the main results.
WHAT IS THE TYPICAL PROFILE OF A SURFER?
The sample of surfers who responded to the survey is very diverse. Their practice times and places of residence demonstrate this:
However, the majority of surfers still use their cars to get to the surf. It's difficult to transport such a bulky item by train, bus, or bicycle. We sincerely hope that Newave surfboards will help change this statistic within a few years. We encourage all surfers to choose our solution to reduce their carbon footprint by taking public transportation with their board whenever possible.
WHAT TYPE OF SURFBOARD DOES THE SURFER OWN?
The majority of surfers who responded to our study have already bought a surfboard.
That said, we asked everyone who answered negatively to give us their reasons. While for the majority of negative responses it was a lack of practice or the high price that prevented them from investing, for the remaining 20%, it was the board's bulk that was the limiting factor.
“not easy to transport from home to holidays”
because it's too big for my car
"Nowhere to store it"
Similarly, 54% own a board longer than 7 feet. Looking again at those who answered negatively, we see that for many it's simply because they prefer short, maneuverable shortboards. However, for 30% of those who have never invested in a longboard, it's because they are too cumbersome.
"Too long to travel"
“Because it’s big and I didn’t have enough space to store it.”
“Because I have a small car”
It's also worth noting that only 35% of surfers who responded to the questionnaire own a foam surfboard. Foam boards have been so successful in recent years that we expected the statistics in their favor to be higher.
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE NEWAVE PROJECT?
We asked you to judge our project on two aspects:
On the one hand, we asked you to judge our concept: What do you think of our concept of a collapsible surfboard stored in a backpack?
The results are quite good! It's clearly a good idea.
Furthermore, we then asked you about any reservations you might have regarding our fastening system. Those who lacked confidence were welcome to share their reasons.
While the results are encouraging, some surfers still need convincing. For most, this new product inspires mistrust because they haven't tried it, seen it in person, or heard from experienced surfers. We're working to change mindsets starting this year by seeking the opinions of top surfers, meeting with you all across France, and making our boards available in stores from the beginning of next year. Lots of exciting things are in the works; stay tuned starting in early April.