Recreational Equipment, Inc. appointed Brad Brown vice president of E-Commerce and Web Strategies. Brown will lead the development of the next generation of REI.com as the site approaches its 10-year anniversary.
Brown has been REI’s vice president of Information Services since 1998. Previous to joining REI, Brown acquired more than 20 years of retailing experience with the Bon Marché, Pay n Save, Egghead Software and QFC. He has a master’s degree in business administration from Seattle University.
“How can we create a richer online experience?” Brown asked. “We will discover better ways for customers to access information about gear and how they can do more cycling, hiking, climbing, camping and kayaking. I want REI.com to be the place that people think of first when they think of the outdoors.”
REI.com was launched in September 1996. Today, the site offers 45,000 products and thousands of pages of information about gear and outdoor activities.
Recently REI.com has improved search technology, introduced an RSS (Real Simple Syndication) service for REI-OUTLET.com and 360-degree views for selected tents. Within the last three years, the cooperative has focused on multi-channel services, introducing such services as REI Store Pickup and the REI Gift Registry. The response to REI Store Pickup has been significant; currently more than 50 percent of all online orders are delivered to stores for customer pickup.
