Gregory Silberfeld: “Oxdog “Working on a unique racket that will attract a lot of attention”

Grégory Silberfeld, manager Oxdog in France and Belgium, tells us about his personal journey and obviously the strategy ofOxdog, which places “emphasis on innovation and technologies at the service of athlete performance”.

He also discusses the challenges encountered in the French market, upcoming new features and the importance of close collaboration with players to refine the offering.

From floorball to padel

“I entered the world of padel throughOxdog when we introduced this sport. Originally, I am a former international floorball player, and I discovered Oxdog in 2012 while using their equipment. My partner and I quickly noticed a significant difference in their products compared to other brands, which led us to work closely with them.

In 2016, we launched our own sports equipment distribution company, mainly focused on floorball, and we were the first to offer the products Oxdog in Belgium, France and other European countries. We have worked closely with Oxdog on the design of floorball sticks, and this partnership naturally extended to padel.

In 2019 or 2020, Oxdog reached out to us to explore new horizons. After reaching the number one spot in floorball in 2017, the brand’s chief engineer, an expert in carbon, sought to take on new challenges. We considered several sports where carbon plays an important role. With the rise of padel, particularly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we finally decided that padel presented a more interesting opportunity for us. This is how I got involved in padel, through the development of this sport withinOxdog. "

The strategy ofOxdog

"Oxdog is a Swedish brand founded by a small team of four people located in the north of Sweden, near Lapland. Their approach is unique, as they take the time to develop quality products with great attention to detail. For example, before launching our first racket, we spent two and a half years designing and testing it with top players before even considering commercialization. This rigor in product development has been the key to our success.

We have also innovated with a patented technology, the Power Ribs, which are small ribs on the sides of the racket designed to eliminate vibrations, control the sweet spot (the hitting area) and increase power. This innovation allows us to manufacture rackets that combine both power and control. Oxdog invests a significant part of its annual budget in researching new technologies. For us, quality and innovation remain a priority with a long-term vision. Our strategy is not to change rackets every year, but only when a new technology is introduced. What works well does not need to be changed. It is not mandatory to change rackets every year. We do so only when new technologies, functions or features represent a significant improvement over previous models.

We offer rackets suitable for a wide variety of players with our 12 different models, ranging from beginner to high-level player. In addition, the rackets used by our best players are identical to those available to the general public.

Regarding the price of our products, we have chosen to maintain the same price worldwide and not offer discounts, as we believe that the customer's investment is justified by the quality of our products. The price range of the rackets is between €130 and €330, which is an average price on the market. Our products are designed to last and, although they may seem more expensive at the time of purchase, they prove to be more profitable in the long run.

At Oxdog, we attach great importance to players, because we know that they are the first to provide us with valuable information for the development and improvement of new products. They are not only players, they are our partners. As we often say, we must take care of them and listen to them, because they are the ones who show thatOxdog improves their performance.”

Its challenges on the French market

“One of the biggest difficulties, especially in France, was getting the brand accepted Oxdog in a market where habits are well established. In Belgium, the introduction ofOxdog has been relatively easy because stores are more open to welcoming new brands. But in France, it’s a different story. Walking into a store with an unfamiliar product is a big challenge. French retailers are hesitant to embrace products they don’t know or have never heard of.

This is why I chose to collaborate with Padel Magazine. Your media coverage and testing of our products were essential to reassure French consumers. Thanks to this exposure, I started receiving calls from interested stores, which would have been much more difficult without this support. Another challenge in France was to make customers understand that we do not offer discounts. French consumers, more than Belgian consumers, often expect discounts. It took me time to instill the idea that our product is sold at a fair price, without discounts, but that it offers superior quality.”

New products coming soon

“When we launch new rackets and collections, our decisions are mainly based on feedback from our players and customers. By listening to them, we can easily identify areas for improvement and understand their expectations, which allows us to develop better quality collections every year, adapted to market demands and able to meet the needs of a greater number of players. This proximity to the players who choose Oxdog is the key to constant evolution. It's simple, we are in the market to make the best product, and to do that, it is essential to understand the market.

As for the upcoming season's novelties, we prefer to keep the main innovations secret until their launch. However, we can tell you in advance that we are working on a unique racket that we are sure will attract a lot of attention.”

Dorian Massy

New padel fan, I am fascinated by this dynamic sport that combines strategy and agility. I find in padel a new passion to explore and share with you on Padel Magazine.