While the trade show floor doesn’t open until today, Outdoor Retailer Summer Market kicked off Tuesday with plenty of events on the so-called “Day 0.”
By David Clucas
Day 0 wasn’t short of active for the biggest outdoor show of the year. The Open Air Demo, RISE specialty retailer education session and the Outsiders Ball dotted the day with plenty of product showcases and shoulder rubbing.
The Open Air Demo at Pineview Reservoir north of the city mostly centered on the latest concoctions in paddle and watersports, which was good timing considering the 100-degree-plus temperatures in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
Retail Inspired Specialty Excellence (RISE)
Back in the city and on the heels of the Demo, about 75 specialty outdoor retailers gathered at Gallivan Center for several education sessions put on by Grassroots Outdoor Alliance (GOA), Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and Outdoor Retailer that encouraged idea swapping among retail peers — no vendors allowed.
Outgoing GOA President Wes Allen (we get to find out who his successor is on Thursday) gave retailers an upbeat outlook, saying that while the headlines promote doom and gloom with the recent wave of active-lifestyle retail bankruptcies, there has never been a better time to grow.
“If you look at outdoor retail as a big long bridge and on one end is Walmart and on the other is your store (specialty retailer), the middle has fallen out … and you can take some of that business,” he said. “Now is the time to strike.”
He said vendors were doubling down on specialty retail as they look to find home for extra inventory and, in some instances, realize that direct-to-consumer retail is a lot harder than they thought.
Guest speaker and small-business expert Rhonda Abrams (pictured above in red) of Planningshop.com greeted retailers as “survivors,” saying they were the best of the retail crop that survived the past few years of attrition and were best positioned to succeed.
“Disruption is what someone does to you,” she said. “Innovation is when you do it yourself.”
She compared outdoor retail to the independent bookstore market, which unbeknownst to many, she said, has been growing over the past five years despite the rise of Amazon. Yes, she admitted, a lot of stores closed before that, but those remaining proved they were the best and are now reaping the benefits.
“The good news is that people want to be outdoors, people want the stuff you sell… even when they’re not outdoors they want to be dressed like they are… and they are enthusiastic about it,” she said. “And when they’re enthusiastic, they seek expertise and and experiences.”
She encouraged retailers to focus on providing a niche to their customers — even perhaps more of a niche than outdoor. “Don’t be an outdoor generalist,” she said, “find your corner of outdoor — maybe it’s watersports or fishing — provide depth instead of breadth. You can’t be the middle to everyone.”
Every so often, retailers would break out into interactive sessions to discuss ideas that have been working, including what Abrams called “un-Amazonable” products and services — in other words, what online retailers and big box retailers can’t provide their customers.
Same-day rental services, gear repair (one retailer had an onsite sewer on staff), hosting Meet-up groups, vendor and pint nights and onsite gear demos were a few of the ideas that sprung up — all giving the customer a reason to visit the store beyond just when they wanted to buy something.
The event’s second session on MAP (minimum advertised price) policies was a bit hampered by logistical and technical issues — speaker Ryne Misso was unable to make it to the event and had to phone in via a sometimes choppy video conference — but the discussion was still lively, with many specialty retailers complaining vendor MAP policies were unevenly enforced. Examples included the vendors themselves violating their own MAP policies.
“MAP doesn’t work,” one retailer said. “The only way to talk to the vendor is about maintaining margin. So, if a margin doesn’t hold, my next conversation with them is ‘how do we get back to it, what are you going to do about it?’”
Outsiders Ball
The day ended on the patio of the Gallivan Center at the third annual Outsiders Ball, put on by the Outdoor Foundation (OIA’s philanthropic arm) to raise awareness about getting more youth outdoors.
Stations around the party encouraged big and small donations, including Parks4Kids, created to provide micro grants for teachers, schools and nonprofits to connect the next generation with the nation’s parks.
Overall, the evening outdoors with live music, games, drinks and food trucks exemplified the industry’s social push.
Stay tuned to SGB all week for daily updates from the show.
Photos by David Clucas
Lead photo courtesy Outdoor Retailer. Here’s a new way to float your boat. The Hammocraft was a popular attraction… as if SUP wasn’t relaxing enough!
