Tennis Warehouse versus The Tennis Company
A Sample Comparison of Two Web Stores

On March 2, 2002 I searched for the  Head Intelligence i.S12 tennis racquet and immediately found the same racquet offered at the Tennis Warehouse and the Tennis Company. It took me only seconds to determine that the Tennis Warehouse provided a much more detailed description of this product and a dramatically lower price ($119.99 versus $299.95). 

As you can see from the two web sites which are presented below, the Tennis Warehouse web site tells me what this racquet is made out of (Graphite Composite), the recommended string tension (57 to 66 pounds), the stiffness rating (70), string pattern (14 mains, 17 crosses), and a brief review of the racquet. The Tennis Warehouse web site displays a stringed racquet with a click to a larger size image. The Tennis Company web site offers none of these things I've mentioned. Yes, the Tennis Company does have a separate link to reviews, but there was no review of this particular racquet on their web site. (Please note that both companies include free stringing with an opportunity to upgrade string quality at comparable prices.)

Now ask yourself the following questions:

• Which company would you buy from?
• Which company is more likely to be around 2, 3, or 5 years from now?
• Which company is likely to conclude that there is little or no market for web stores?
• If you have previously purchased a racquet from the Tennis Company, do you have a sick feeling in your stomach right now?

Take a look for yourself:

Tennis Company Web Page

Source: http://www.tenniscompany.com/racquets_head_S12.html

Tennis Warehouse Web Page

Source: http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=IS12