Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 31

istration weakened, especially in the areas of
clean water and air.
Really good news: At the time of this writing, there are two vaccines being distributed
and two more on the horizon.
The world is dramatically different, but we
all have learned a lot about our resilience, what
matters, and the extraordinary steps consumers will take to continue to embrace and enjoy
the outdoors.
From a product perspective, it is our urgent
responsibility to make sure we do everything
in our power to make those new consumers not only have access to the outdoors, but
also understand how to properly get outside
and use appropriate apparel, footwear, gear,
and accessories to safely enjoy what Mother
Nature has provided us.
From a retail perspective, the industry is being called upon to think long and hard about
how retail best practices have changed. If we
have learned anything during the past few
months, it is this: Brands and retailers need to
be where the consumer is, which means multiple channels.
From a business perspective, we have
learned how to conduct our businesses differently, reacting to and creating new buying
and selling cycles and even looking at the
fashion world's adjustments, while the world
of fashion clearly looked to the outdoor industry for inspiration. We have learned to bring
products to market without physical trade
shows, dearly missing the high-five camaraderie of trade show aisles, but appreciating
the additional budget we found for other activities. It is clear that we are not going back to
the way we were.
Make no mistake, we all miss seeing friends
and colleagues in Denver and in Munich.
Nothing can replace that.
From a participation perspective, we absolutely must find a way to safely nurture this
rise in engagement and harness the resulting energy. The devotion and enthusiasm for
the outdoor world is not going away any time
soon. This is a fervent call to action.
What other industry in the world provides
the benefits of sunshine and exercise and endorphins-healing our souls that experienced

tremendous hardship since the world shutdown? The answer is easy: none, not one.
With cold weather and the world still coping with COVID-19 just as the vaccines are
being administered, consumers will do whatever they can do to continue to embrace the
outdoor experiences they have come to know
and love, and stay outside as long as they can.
We need to make it easy for them.
Heading into Q1, winter resorts are doing
what they can to ensure safe outdoor experiences by implementing social distancing
measures for skiing and riding devotees. In
addition, we have seen countless stories in
mainstream media, including The Wall Street
Journal, about how to engage in backcountry
activities safely.
Easily embracing social distancing,
cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and
winter hiking will be the biking and kayaking of the winter.
No wonder L.L.Bean saw a big shift in early
September to snowshoes, cross-country skis,
snow tubes, and kids' snow gear (seeing the
sales of snowshoes go up 340%). The retailer
also started to see preorders for spring for outdoor activities-an excellent sign for a busy
spring 2021.
With so many more consumers wanting to
spend time outside, fashion is expanding its
already-strong presence in apparel, enabling
consumers to have a wider choice of silhouettes that embrace style and performance.
According to Women's Wear Daily, the international fashion bible, " The great outdoors
is having a moment in fashion. "
Reporter Tracey Meyers says, " Gone are
the days of hiking, cycling, or trekking around
outdoors without a sense of style. The outdoor
industry is undoubtedly having a moment,
and brands across the spectrum are shifting
gears to deliver fashionable performance apparel for the trail and beyond.
The takeaway is that new consumers are
getting outside, and the market is loving it: As
established and emerging fashion brands introduce performance lines and outerwear into
their collections, outdoor brands are taking
design a step further to cater to this sparkling
new style-savvy shopper. "

WE MUST HARNESS THIS NEW CONSUMER
We cannot ignore this new consumer, as they
are a critical part of our onward journey. We
must ensure that they stay engaged for the
long term.
The observations I made in April for their
continued participation ring true today.
* Accessible price points: We will need more
apparel and gear at accessible price points.
* An inclusive point of view: We will need to
engage with more diverse groups with wider ranges of sizes and offerings.
* Style clarity: Styles may need to be simpler
with fewer bells and whistles. (There will
always be those outdoor devotees at the
top of the pyramid looking for premium
products.)
* Broader distribution beyond specialty:
Mainstream retail, e.g. Target and Walmart,
will play a larger role, as will online.
* Simple communication and messaging: We
need to talk about footwear with good grip
and shirts that are breathable instead of
overly technical jargon.
* How to get outdoors: There must be more
guidance on how to " get started " in the
outdoors for those experiencing it for the
first time.
* Product durability will be critical: As consumers recover, spending will be curtailed
and those that do spend will want reasonably priced products that last a long time.
ALTERING COURSE WILL BE
A DAILY NECESSITY
We all learned to adapt, made difficult decisions, and saw a world change dramatically
and permanently. To use sailing terms (my
passion), we need to continue to adjust the
sails because we don't know what the winds
will bring. But we have learned how to be nimble and to navigate the obstacles.
Going back to my point at the beginning of
this column, consumers reaffirmed what we
knew all along-that the outdoors has a contagious restorative power.
This is why we do what we do. O.R.
-Chris Goddard is the president of
CGPR cgpr.com.

January 2021 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 31


http://www.cgpr.com

Outdoor Retailer - January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - January 2021

Outdoor Retailer - January 2021
CONTENTS
THE PULSE
HEADLINES
MARKETING
BIG PICTURE
RETAIL 101
CASE STUDY
IDEAS
THOUGHT LEADER
INSIGHT
PERSPECTIVE
RESEARCH AND RESOURCES
FOLLOW THESE ACTIVISTS
UNDER PRESSURE
THE WINTER SHOW GUIDE
BREAD + BUTTER
GEAR GALLERY
HOT PICKS
THE VIEW
FIELD NOTES
#SHOPLIFE
#REPLIFE
BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - Outdoor Retailer - January 2021
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - Cover2
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 3
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - CONTENTS
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 5
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 6
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 7
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 8
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 9
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 10
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - THE PULSE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - HEADLINES
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 13
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 14
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 15
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 16
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 17
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - MARKETING
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - BIG PICTURE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - RETAIL 101
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 21
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - CASE STUDY
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 23
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 24
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 25
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - IDEAS
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - THOUGHT LEADER
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - INSIGHT
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 29
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - PERSPECTIVE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 31
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - RESEARCH AND RESOURCES
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 33
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - FOLLOW THESE ACTIVISTS
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 35
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 36
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 37
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 38
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 39
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 40
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 41
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - UNDER PRESSURE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 43
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - THE WINTER SHOW GUIDE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 45
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 46
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 47
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 48
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 49
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 50
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 51
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 52
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 53
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 54
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 55
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - BREAD + BUTTER
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - GEAR GALLERY
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 58
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 59
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 60
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 61
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 62
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 63
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - HOT PICKS
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 65
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 66
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 67
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - THE VIEW
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 69
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 70
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 71
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 72
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 73
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - FIELD NOTES
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - #SHOPLIFE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - #REPLIFE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 77
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - Cover3
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - Cover4
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