Can you talk about the company’s history and its place in the industry today?

ZEISS has a long and storied 178-year history in the optics industry, making it the oldest consumer optics manufacturer still in operation. With this history comes a sense of pride that we work for a global leader in all things optics. However, history and pedigree only takes us so far in today’s market. Dealers and especially consumers want to purchase products from companies that possess a high level of optical and mechanical capabilities but also show the ability to keep pace with rapidly changing technology and fluid consumer expectations. ZEISS has maintained that balance well in recent years by expanding our excellent portfolio of classic optics while also introducing a steady stream of digital and technology-driven optics. It is clear that we need a portfolio full of both in order to excel and grow in this market.

What sets ZEISS apart?

Optical integrity, no doubt. Every product we produce begins with a dedication to make that product the top optical product in its category. No corners cut and no excuses. Dealers and consumers can always know that whichever ZEISS product they buy, from the V4 riflescope to the SFL binocular to the Harpia spotter, will always be an industry leader in optical performance. This has always been ZEISS’s reputation in the market, but in recent years we have also enhanced our feature sets in new products, as well. So now the ZEISS customer knows their product is a top-performer optically and it also contains leading features for the North American hunter, shooter and birder.

What specific optics category have you seen the most growth in recently? 

It is not necessarily a category, per se, but we have seen strong growth in our uber-lightweight products like the SFL 40 and SFL 30 binoculars. Hunters are constantly looking to shave weight and bulk while in the field, so our SFL binocular, being 20-30% lighter and more compact than competing products, has really scratched an itch in the market. We plan on expanding these categories and becoming a leader in lightweight, feature-rich scopes, binos, spotters, etc.

Is there a specific product that’s just on fire for you right now?

Our hottest product right now is the LRP S3 first focal plane riflescope, no doubt. We launched the S3, as we call it, back in fall of 2022, and shooters have absolutely swarmed to this product. I constantly hear phrases like “this thing punches WAY above its weight class,” and “That’s my next purchase for my new PRS or competition rifle.” Both the 425-50 and 636-56 LRP S3 models provide the user with so much value that they are really difficult to deny, even when compared to some of the industry’s heavy hitters in competitive shooting scopes. The proof has come while attending PRS events over the past two years, where the number of shooters with a ZEISS LRP S3 atop their rifle has grown exponentially at nearly every match we attend.

Do you have any predictions on what we can expect out of the shooting industry in general in the next year? The next five years?

The shooting industry seems to be caught in a cyclical, up-and-down pattern, and I think that will likely last through the remainder of calendar year 2024. The election cycle certainly sways opinions and affects consumer behavior, but our industry is extremely resilient, so I think sometime in 2025 we will see more collective growth and expansion than we have in the past few post-Covid years. This is what ZEISS is planning for.

Where does ZEISS see potential for growth? How about non-growth? Is there part of the industry that’s shrinking?

As mentioned before, we will continue to focus on uber-lightweight products like the SFL binocular, and we think there is a lot of market share to be taken with that product and that lightweight approach. And we still have so much room to grow with our LRP series of scopes, the LRP S5 and LRP S3. Competitive shooting remains a high growth area for all things optics, firearms, ammunition and accessories, so we will continue to feed that market.

The potential for non-growth will come from aging product families, so we have to continually manage the life cycle of every product family to add new and relevant features to keep it fresh and atop consumers’ minds. We’re working hard in this area to ensure our entire portfolio is innovative and competitive.

As far as where the industry is at risk of shrinking, my concern continues to be younger hunters and the type of gear they use, or that their parents/mentors/family purchases for them. Many times, a young hunter will start off hunting with something like a standard .243 rifle for deer hunting or other mid-sized game. If we don’t engage more young hunters, those types of rifles and ammo we all grew up with will likely continue to drop in popularity. To combat this, our industry as a whole needs to advocate harder to ensure that more young people get into the field and hunt, shoot, fish, and learn.

What can we expect out of ZEISS in the second half of 2024? What products have you most excited for the future?

ZEISS will continue to push our innovative products for the remainder of 2024, and we have a handful of new items up our sleeve. New additions to the Conquest V4 and an exciting set of new features for the V8 family will broaden the appeal of the lines as well as create new customers for us. Both are exciting prospects. I’m most excited about our continually evolving riflescope portfolio and what we can do with it. We have a few projects in the pipeline that should catapult ZEISS into a new level of the industry, and this motivates me and my sales team every day.

What sort of product testing do you do?

ZEISS has an extensive product testing process, most of which we execute in our German facilities. While optical integrity is very important, as I’ve mentioned, the mechanical integrity of your product is just as important, and we test our products to maintain the highest level possible. For example, we recoil-test our rifle scopes to 1500 G’s of force in multiple directions. That is just one example of the levels we go to at ZEISS to ensure your scope, binocular, rangefinder or spotter will perform when it matters most in the field.

How does ZEISS support its dealers? 

We always strive to be a true partner with our dealers. I tell my sales team all of the time, “We are not here just to move boxes, we are here to find, create, and nourish partnerships with our stocking dealers.” A partnership is a full-circle support program. We provide competitive pricing and term sets, but we try to deliver much more than that. 

Our ZEISS Points program has expanded and remains a great way for behind-the-counter sales staff to earn points and free ZEISS product for selling our products. We also look for ways to help ZEISS product on the shelf stand out so that the dealer increases turn and increases their margins. One example is a DTI thermal display which includes a small tripod and a tablet for presenting our DTI thermal cameras at retail. It’s a relatively low-cost package for dealers, but it has increased our retail turns of DTI by a large amount. We are also working on expanding our digital capabilities to allow dealers and their sales staff to connect with ZEISS digitally and reduce the amount of time-consuming manual tasks. All of these things are helping us remain in closer touch with our dealers and making all of us more efficient and effective.

Do you have any advice for retailers about selling quality optics and ZEISS products specifically? 

My advice would be to invest in inventory and ensure you have a solid assortment of products. Carry more than just the top-selling two or three SKUs. ZEISS dealers that expand assortments almost always increase turns and watch their ZEISS business flourish. We will work closely with you to ensure your assortment fits your customer needs, and we’ll provide a detailed sales plan to assist with sell-through.

What’s your personal favorite ZEISS product, and why? 

I love my V6 3-18x50 riflescope with ZMOA-2 reticle. I’ve had that scope on my mule deer and elk rifle for seven years now, and it has never let me down. The FL glass and overall optics are fantastic, the ZMOA-2 reticle is simple but gives me enough information to take care of business, and the 3-18x magnification is perfect for Western big-game hunting. This scope is my absolute go-to. 

Another favorite is the SFL 10x40 bino. It’s crazy lightweight, and the optics provide that “wow” factor right when I bring the bino to my eyes. I will take the SFL 10x40 on many more hunts in the future.

Is there anything you’d like retailers to know about ZEISS and its products? 

I would ask retailers to review what optics they are currently selling and take a deep dive look into ZEISS, as we likely have many more products in more categories than the average retailer knows about. Retailers might think ZEISS is the company we were five to 10 years ago, but man, have we changed a lot during that time! We have turned over 80% or so of our portfolio in the past five years and will continue to innovate and bring best-in-class optical and mechanical products to market. We also have a really great team of people that are a pleasure to work with and focus on building long-term relationships with retailers, which is paramount.