For years, I鈥檝e been searching for the best water bottle for travel鈥搊ne that lets me avoid plastic and single-use materials at every leg of every journey. This elusive bottle of my dreams needs to be leakproof and insulated. It needs a wide-mouth for easy filling and cleaning, but it also needs to be easy to drink from without dousing my face.

It needs to be compatible with cup holders. And it needs to be versatile鈥搒ometimes I want water, sometimes I want coffee, and sometimes I want a cocktail or glass of wine on the plane. One thing I never, ever want: to drink from a single-use container that will end up in the landfill shortly after I empty it.

In order to achieve this聽goal, I鈥檝e historically had to pack two containers: an insulated bottle for water and coffee and a cup for in-flight beverages.

But no longer. ($52, 1 pound, 5 ounces) is the bottle I鈥檝e been searching for.

Things I Love About the CamelBak MultiBev

It holds 22 ounces, making it the perfect size for me. Not too big to lug around, not so puny I need to refill every 20 minutes. The slim profile means I can slip it in the side pocket of my pack and every cup holder I鈥檝e encountered. According to my tests, it keeps tea hot for 12+ hours and water chilled for 48+.

Still, you might say, many bottles do these things.

The clincher for the MultiBev is that the bottom screws off and becomes an elegant 16-ounce cup鈥損erfect for a cocktail or glass of Merlot at 40,000 feet or ideal for a bedtime peppermint tea in my hotel room. Speaking of that peppermint tea, the cap of the MultiBev hides another neat feature: a foldable silicone sipper lid that fits neatly onto the cup for dribble-free drinking.

On a recent campervan trip in new Zealand, I discovered that the cup also doubles as a coozie for a beer can! I like a nice cold beer on occasion, and when I slip a can into the cup, it keeps it cool for a good long time, even in the hot sun.

I also like the little details: the easy-to-carry to handle, the non-slip rubber base, and the fact that the whole shebang is dishwasher safe.

The Impact of Using the CamelBak MultiBev on a 3-Day Trip

On a recent business trip from Boston to Boulder that involved air, bus, and Uber travel, I packed the MultiBev. I estimate that it allowed me to refuse about 34 single-use containers in 72 hours: six coffee cups and lids, probably 20+ plastic water bottles, and eight plastic airline cups.

Aside from travel, the MultiBev has become my daily bottle for around town as I try to avoid putting any single-use plastic to my lips. We all know plastic is everywhere these days. I鈥檝e written about some of the sneaky ways (like through laundry detergent and cutting boards) it gets into our environment and our bodies. Plastic is even .

But one thing鈥檚 for sure. From now on, I won鈥檛 be drinking it.

Doing right by the planet can make you happier, healthier, and鈥攜es鈥攚ealthier. 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Head of Sustainability, Kristin Hostetter, explores small lifestyle tweaks that can make a big impact. Write to her at climateneutral-ish@outsideinc.com.

The post I Finally Found the Perfect Bottle for Plastic-Free Travel appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Vista Outdoor Inc. is betting big on the e-bike boom.

The publicly traded company鈥攚hose outdoor portfolio includes CamelBak, Bell, Giro, Camp Chef, and others鈥攐n Wednesday morning announced it has acquired QuietKat, an Eagle, Colorado-based maker of off-road electric bikes.

Vista announced the news before its virtual Investor Day presentation, where the Anoka, Minnesota-based company also said it had acquired Venor, a hunt-inspired female athleisure brand formed five years ago by Angie Erickson and based in Vista鈥檚 hometown (the company relocated from Farmington, Utah, in 2018).聽

The financial terms of the deals weren鈥檛 disclosed, but Vista has high hopes for its newest assets.

鈥淏oth of these acquisitions, we believe, are going to be winners for us,鈥� said Vista CEO Chris Metz.聽

QuietKat鈥檚 co-founders are twin brothers Jake and Justin Roach. Vista said the company employs approximately 45 people, all of whom are expected to remain with the brand post-acquisition.聽

鈥淨uietKat is led by two extremely creative and passionate founders who will continue to lead the company,鈥� Metz said. 鈥淓-bikes are arguably the fastest-growing space within all of outdoor products and will continue to grow for many years to come. QuietKat is still small, but they are the share leaders in their space and growing exponentially with unbelievable upside that can benefit from Vista strengths. QuietKat has built the No. 1 share position with a terrific product lineup that鈥檚 supported by super creative marketing and customer service. It is also a terrific cultural fit for our company.鈥�

Metz added that QuietKat will serve as a 鈥減latform for Vista to grow in the e-bike space.鈥�

Vista said the Venor brand is about a lifestyle that鈥檚 鈥渁nchored in adventure, community, and empowering women to live their best outdoor lives.鈥� Metz said Wednesday morning that Kelly Reisdorf, chief investor relations and communications officer, will expand her role and lead Venor as its general manager.

Vista鈥檚 Winding Mergers and Acquisition Road

These moves follow a few years of portfolio rightsizing for Vista Outdoor. In the summer of 2018, the company sold its Boll茅, C茅b茅, and Serengeti assets鈥攁ka, the 鈥渆yewear brands鈥濃�攖o a private equity fund.聽

A year later, in July 2019, Vista Outdoor famously, and finally, unloaded its firearms business, Savage Arms. The company had faced the loss of a significant sales channel when REI Co-op and MEC in 2018 announced they would stop selling products from Vista鈥檚 outdoor brands as long as the company owned and operated a gun maker. That announcement was in direct response to the shooting in Parkland, Florida.

When Vista sold Savage Arms for $170 million, the company was back in REI鈥檚 good graces and has since returned to the co-op鈥檚 shelves. (When the divestment happened, Metz denied the move was related to the co-op鈥檚 but rather a needed portfolio adjustment due to a host of issues related to the firearms industry.)

Vista continued to execute its M&A strategy in October 2020 when the company doubled down on its ammunition assets by acquiring certain assets related to Remington Outdoor Co.’s ammunition and accessories businesses for $81.4 million.

After the QuietKat and Venor deals, what鈥檚 next? We鈥檒l ask Metz in a Q&A that will be published this week, and we鈥檒l also have in-depth reports on the company鈥檚 outdoor brands and its new corporate foundation in the coming days.

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When Durrell Smith leaves his house to go hunting, shotgun and dogs in tow, he pens a note to his wife with his GPS coordinates.聽

It鈥檚 responsible hunting. It鈥檚 also one of the many precautions he takes as a Black man hunting alone in southern Georgia, like leaving the field long before dark, and answering a few extra questions from other hunters wondering what he鈥檚 really doing out there.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 the issue of familiarity,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that we don鈥檛 know other minorities go outdoors, it鈥檚 the fact that a lot of mainstream culture is not used to seeing others in their space.鈥�

Until more Black, Indigenous, and other people of color鈥檚 faces become prevalent in hunting companies鈥� marketing, outreach, and internal efforts, diversity experts say those attitudes will continue. And the outdoor industry desperately needs hunting and fishing to embrace those faces.

For one thing, the hunting and fishing industries carry weight in Washington. They align often with powerful pro-Second Amendment groups like the National Rifle Association, and conservation organizations like Trout Unlimited or Ducks Unlimited. The industries also get a political leg up on the outdoor industry from their conservation contributions: Every $36 fishing license or $10 conservation stamp goes to support habitat projects or pays a biologist鈥檚 salary. Federal taxes on hunting and fishing equipment pump millions of dollars into state wildlife agency coffers. Experts fear that, without those dollars, critical wildlife research and public land maintenance efforts could fall apart. Another concern: Without hunt and fish, land managers might be forced to institute a backpack tax or hiking licenses to make up the lost revenue. Both those policies inhibit access for first-time outdoorists and could undermine some of the outdoor industry鈥檚 fledgling DEI efforts.聽

For many outdoor companies, the murder of George Floyd was another call to action as executives realize BIPOC outdoor enthusiasts are a growing part of the market, and they can鈥檛 be ignored, persecuted, or avoided anymore. But hunting and fishing companies have felt forced to choose: go all in and reach out to groups that aren鈥檛 part of their traditionally white, male base, or play it safe and try to wait out the racial reckoning. Some brands, like Orvis, chose the former, signing pledges and hiring BIPOC experts for training. Many didn鈥檛.

So hunters like Durrell, founder of the popular Gun Dog Notebook podcast, started a group called the Minority Outdoor Alliance as a way to promote and increase BIPOC participation in the outdoors. Opportunities to support the existing BIPOC hunting community exist, he said, but, like in the outdoor industry, hunting companies have been reluctant to not only talk, but put money on the table.聽

That鈥檚 the issue Eric Morris ran into when he launched his Nontypical Outdoorsman show in 2019, an effort to highlight more of the hunters of color he鈥檇 seen go unrepresented in mainstream hunting shows.

鈥淭V shows are risky,鈥� brands told him when he reached out for sponsors. 鈥淢ost fail in the first year.鈥� They told him he鈥檇 have to prove himself before they would commit a dollar.聽

Morris decided to try. Outdoor companies were talking about diversity, he knew. They鈥檇 sign on, he thought.

His first season, which he launched on The Pursuit Channel using largely his own savings, featured episodes on turkey hunting and accessing public land, and included interviews with two Black veterans. More than 60,000 households tuned in for each episode, far above his initial goal of 40,000鈥攈igh for a new show. When he reached out to find sponsors for season two, though, only one company鈥擳horogood Boots鈥攕tepped up.

“I drank the Kool-Aid and thought people would be serious about increasing diversity,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淚 think there are some [brands] that believe there is not a market among the minority community, but there is. From my experience, sometimes people get too bogged down in the politics and red tape and bureaucracy of diversity and not going out and just doing it.鈥�

The Fishing Industry Tackles Inclusivity

Even before COVID hit and many Americans took to the water, the number of people grabbing fishing rods and reels in this country had been climbing.

But back in 2013, when leadership at the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) sat down and dug into their numbers, they saw a disturbing trend.聽

鈥淲e started to realize that Hispanic participation, which is the fastest growing demographic [in the country], was flat,鈥� said Stephanie Vatalaro, the organization鈥檚 senior vice president of marketing and communications.聽

The group started Vamos A Pescar, a national marketing campaign aimed at offering education and information to the country鈥檚 Hispanic communities. And whether or not that helped the cause, Hispanic anglers are now the fastest growing demographic, according to a 2019 report by the RBFF.

About a decade ago, executives at Orvis, one of the nation鈥檚 oldest and largest fly-fishing and wing-shooting companies, had a similar moment. The company saw its fly-fishing sales were growing, but its customer base was shrinking.聽

鈥淲e saw things that weren鈥檛 looking great in our future,鈥� said Orvis CEO Simon Perkins. The brand understood its primarily white, male core supporters; they were easy to market to. But Orvis executives also realized the brand was becoming less relevant with each passing year. They knew they needed to learn how to talk to other audiences if they wanted to survive. The evolution hasn鈥檛 been easy.聽

鈥淭hese conversations are uncomfortable,鈥� Perkins said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to grow a business or industry, you have to always be working really hard to listen outside that echo chamber, and that takes time and effort and resources.鈥�

Orvis then started a program called 50/50 On the Water meant to increase gender parity in fly fishing.聽

In mid-2019, long before Justice June, Orvis reached out to the nonprofit Brown Folks Fishing to figure out how to improve its diversity efforts.聽

Orvis has since signed the group鈥檚 Angling for All pledge, a commitment to identify and eliminate barriers to racial diversity in fishing, and hired Erica Nelson and Sydney Clark, co-founders of REAL Consulting, to help it evolve and reach new audiences in a meaningful way.

But Orvis鈥檚 process is far from the norm in the nation鈥檚 fishing industry, said Nelson, a Navajo angler and Brown Folks Fishing ambassador.聽

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think companies know how to respond,鈥� Nelson said. 鈥淚f we open the doors to being inclusive to all, white people in general think there鈥檚 not enough for them. Somehow they think they will be pushed out.鈥� But that fear is unfounded, in her view.

Hunting Struggles to Keep Up

As much as fly fishing鈥檚 base has traditionally been white men, hunting has struggled even more to increase representation. In 2016, 90 percent of hunters 16 years and older in the country were male and 97 percent were white, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service鈥檚 most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, a trove of data collected every five years. And they鈥檙e aging.

Yet despite efforts by state agencies and nonprofits to increase participation, BIPOC hunters rarely see themselves reflected in marketing from companies.

That鈥檚 what Jimmy Flatt, co-founder of Hunters of Color, is trying to solve. If 96 percent of hunters are white right now, and the country is becoming more diverse, that whole hunting-funded pool of conservation dollars is in jeopardy. Companies need to begin recognizing, promoting, and fostering BIPOC hunters鈥攁nd fast. But right now, the hunting industry as a whole is 鈥渉andcuffed鈥� by seeing the 96 percent number, Flatt says: Brands look at that data and believe they should cater only to the majority.聽

That鈥檚 one reason calls for racial and gender equality sometimes fall on deaf ears. Take Bass Pro Shops, a leading hunting and fishing retailer. In defiance of calls for gender equity, the company is currently selling a T-shirt with a graphic of a woman yelling at a man with the word 鈥減roblem鈥� underneath. The next graphic is a man sitting alone in a tree stand with a bow with the word 鈥渟olved.鈥澛犅�

Gender diversity has become less of a sticking point among hunting brands in recent years. Vista Outdoor, which owns about 40 brands from CamelBak to Remington firearms, for example, sponsors the Wyoming Women鈥檚 Antelope Hunt, an effort to bring more women into hunting, and is increasing its educational campaign about safe firearm use, said Kelly Reisdorf, Vista鈥檚 chief of investor relations and communications officer.聽

Growth in Hunt and Fish Depends on Audience Diversification

Even though fishing鈥檚 numbers are headed in a better direction than hunting, advocates all agree that the future of the sport depends on the industry doing a better job representing all current and potential hunters and anglers.聽

鈥淎 lot of companies are missing out on progress and profits, actually, by continuing to focus on their same target audience they have done for generations,鈥� said Morris, founder of the Nontypical Outdoorsman show.

And it鈥檚 not just equity for equity鈥檚 sake鈥攊nclusion means more ideas and minds solving today鈥檚 complex problems, from climate change and invasive species to lack of access, said Wayne Hubbard, founder of Urban American Outdoors, one of the country鈥檚 first TV shows to represent diverse hunters and anglers. It also means a stronger voice in voting booths.

While the fishing industry has made some gains in that respect, they might not stick if people don鈥檛 see themselves represented.聽

鈥淲ill [fishing participation] grow even more, or [will there be] a drastic decline because the industry itself is not being inclusive?鈥� said Nelson, of REAL Consulting.

Like outdoor industry companies, hunting brands could re-evaluate their marketing budgets to think of new ways to partner with diversity professionals, Nelson recommends. They should stop being afraid of alienating one group and instead welcome all groups鈥攊t鈥檚 not a zero-sum game. The hunting and fishing industries as a whole should include more BIPOC voices on their nonprofit boards, she added. They should also be more aware in general: neither survey, the one from the Boating and Fishing Association or the Fish and Wildlife Service list Native American as a demographic, instead using the catchall term 鈥渙ther.鈥�

Not only is that a lack of representation, Nelson said, it鈥檚 erasure of the nation鈥檚 first hunters and anglers.聽聽

The fishing and hunting industry can and should learn from the steps and missteps in the rest of the outdoor industry, Nelson added. Instead of comparing how the industries are doing, furthering a competitive mindset, our industries should be working together, with each other and with diversity experts.聽

Orvis鈥� Perkins agreed.聽

鈥�Issues of diversity and access are inextricably linked to the long term survival of hunting and fishing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are also seeing an increasingly blurred line between core outdoor and fish and hunt. As these industries continue to overlap the outdoor industry鈥檚 leadership around diversity will help create the groundswell, and the rest will follow.鈥�

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“Excuse me. Can you tell me where the CamelBaks are?” I asked a hovering, green-vested employee in a big metro REI store last fall. “We don’t carry CamelBak anymore,” she said. Obviously well-versed, she continued, “Their parent company also owns a semi-automatic rifle manufacturer, and we stopped selling all their brands back in March 2018. But I can show you some other great hydration systems this way.” Of course I knew that REI didn’t carry CamelBak or any other Vista Outdoor brands, and I realized my slip up moment I said it. I broke the news in a viral story when both REI and its Canadian counterpart MEC dropped the hydration company along with Blackburn, Camp Chef, Giro, and Bell, after the school shooting in聽Parkland, Florida.

However, a little more than a year later, most of that has changed.聽Vista sold off its gun making-companies (but still owns ammo brands), so REI welcomed the outdoor brands back to its shelves with open arms. Meanwhile, MEC hasn’t changed its mind yet. And Vista鈥攚ith numerous hook and bullet brands鈥攃ontinues to be an adamant supporter of the NRA because 鈥渋t鈥檚 the crux of who we are,鈥� CEO Chris Metz said in an interview with American Rifleman (the publication displayed a Savage banner ad at the top of its website Friday).

Business as usual? It is nowadays. The boycott and REI’s immediate reversal illustrates the pressure and responsibility businesses face to take stances on hot-button issues: Patagonia leading the fight for public lands and climate; Unilever and Dove pushing for healthy body image; Dick鈥檚 Sporting Goods stopping gun sales.

In fact, consumers are expecting it more and more.

“Years ago, you didn鈥檛 really know the company behind a brand,” said Leslie Gaines-Ross, New York-based chief reputation strategist at Weber Shandwick. She researches CEO and consumer activism. “There used to be a very strong belief that the product brand was more important than the parent brand. What we鈥檝e seen today is that the parent brand is just as important, if not more important than the product brand.”

A Recap of the Boycott

In February 2018, Aaron Naparstek, a journalist and cycling advocate, first tweeted about Vista’s ownership of some of his favorite bike brands alongside “America’s largest manufacturer of ammunition.” His tweet came six days after 17 people were killed and 17 others were injured in a shooting at聽Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.聽The thread garnered hundreds of likes, retweets, and responses, and it prompted some independent bike retailers to drop Vista brands. Erik Tonkin, owner of Portland, Oregon’s Sellwood Cycle Repair was one of the first.

“When I made the decision, I made a very specific public statement: I will start selling Giro when they are sold off from Vista,” he said. (Since Giro and the other brands are still owned by Vista, Tonkin is continuing to keep them out of his store.)

Mega retailers MEC and REI quickly joined the boycott, amplifying the message. REI specifically halted orders because Vista didn’t “engage in the national conversation about common-sense gun safety鈥� and the co-op didn’t want to help them “profit directly from the sale of guns.”

In May 2018, Vista’s Metz said a transformation plan that included divesting Savage Arms and eyewear brands had been in the works long before the boycott. But it鈥檚 unclear if the move was accelerated by the Parkland shooting and the boycott, or both or neither. OBJ reached out to REI, Vista, and CamelBak multiple times over the last year to try to understand how the boycott has impacted business. Our calls were not returned and/or our questions were deflected.

This week, after the $170-million sale of Savage Arms, Vista again declined to answer OBJ鈥檚 direct questions, but did say: 鈥淲e have had productive discussions with REI. Our brands offer some of the most innovative, respected and sought-after products in their respective categories, and we look forward to continuing our dialogue with REI to bring our products back to their shelves.鈥�

Customers Vote With Dollars

In both instances鈥擱EI’s boycott and decision to bring Vista back鈥攃ustomers’ reactions were mixed. There were those who were offended, those who applauded the move, and those who didn’t really care. Overall, the aftermath highlighted two things: how splintered hikers and hunters can be despite their crossover and shared appreciation of the outdoors; and how much a company鈥檚 response matters.

Drew Youngedyke, who manages communications for a national conservation organization, and also hunts, fishes, bikes, runs, and kayaks, said he appreciates when companies stand up for their values鈥攊t’s not something he’s going to punish them for. He said he intentionally rewards Patagonia with his purchases for their public lands stance.

Youngedyke commented on a Facebook post: 鈥淪till buy Federal copper [a Vista-owned ammo brand] for my deer rifle, still wear a Giro for my bike commute, still shop at REI for my trail running & backpacking gear. We don鈥檛 have to be either/or as hunters & outdoor recreationists, it doesn鈥檛 have to be liberal vs conservative. Companies did what they felt was best, now they鈥檙e all back together. Why is everyone so upset with that?鈥�

Tonkin, of Sellwood, feels he’s doing what’s best for his shop by sticking to his word and keeping Vista brands out, even though he thinks nobody would notice鈥攁nd even though he loves their products. He had just ordered $20,000-worth of Vista merchandise before the boycott.

“I鈥檓 doing this because I want to spend my corporate dollars intentionally and I don鈥檛 want my dollars to go to the NRA,” Tonkin said.

Some might say the boycott didn鈥檛 really accomplish anything because Savage Arms is still out there. Tonkin has a different take.

鈥淚 think the so-called 鈥榓ccomplishment鈥� was getting those large outdoor industry companies to think critically鈥攁nd to think out-loud, I’d say鈥攁bout what they do, how they spend, and with whom they partner,鈥� he said.

Although no one was willing to prove actual numbers to measure the impact, Gaines-Ross says research shows it does affect companies’ bottom lines and reputations. The NPD Group in 2017 reported that CamelBak was one of biggest brands in the hydration market based on dollar sales. Their most recent data from 2018 to 2019 still ranks CamelBak as one of the top five brands. At REI, the hole left by CamelBak and the others was naturally filled by competitors. Around that time, Osprey was relaunching in the hydration category (consisting of lumbar packs and mountain biking packs) and currently holds 39 percent of the market share in hydration, said marketing director Vince Mazzuca.

But, he said, the timing was a coincidence.”We鈥檙e not one to capitalize on somebody鈥檚 issues like that. We believe that any sort of momentum shift had more to do with the investments we were making and how aggressively we were going after that channel already.”

Regardless, consumers will intentionally stop and start buying based on disagreeing or agreeing with a company. A study by Weber Shandwick found that 83 percent of consumer activists support companies that “do the right thing” by buying from them.

Because of that, companies are trying to balance their values and financial performance, making sure they get it right. It’s tricky and there’s no safe middle ground for companies today. But one thing is for sure.

鈥淩emaining silent can sometimes be the more dangerous spot,鈥� Gaines-Ross said.

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How good of an investment is the outdoor and recreation industry on Wall Street?

An 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal analysis shows the sector has outpaced broader market indices such as the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average with healthy gains during the past five years, albeit still lagging behind the soaring tech industry.

OBJ compiled an index of 18 global outdoor recreation companies that trade on global exchanges (see chart), then averaged their performance over the past five years (from June 19, 2013 through June 19, 2018) to come up with our Outdoor Index. The results show a 82 percent gain for the sector, beating the S&P 500’s 65 percent gain and the DJIA’s 61 percent gain, during the same period.

In money terms, if you invested $1,000 in each of our 18 Outdoor Index stocks for a total of $18,000 five years ago, you could cash out those investments for $32,698 today鈥攁 gain of $14,698. This doesn’t include any dividends paid out by the stocks, which would increase those gains by varying degrees.

By the Numbers

Camping World Holdings (Camping World, Uncle Dan’s)

Camping World Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWH) went public in October 2016 and acquired Uncle Dan’s, Erehwon Mountain, and Rock Creek to boost its outdoor specialty retail business. Still, retail has been a challenge and the stock is up only 2.9 percent since its inception.

Clarus Corp. (Black Diamond)

Clarus Corp. (NASDAQ: CLAR), parent to Black Diamond, has had a rough go of it in the past five years, falling 18.9 percent amid its acquisitions then disposal of Gregory Mountain and Poc Sports, and departure of its CEO and BD founder Peter Metcalf.

VF Corp. (TNF, Timberland, etc.)

VF Corp. (NYSE:VFC) grew its business to largely depend on outdoor sales with brands like The North Face, Timberland, Jansport, and Smartwool in its portfolio. Its stock is up 75.1 percent in the past five years.

Columbia Sportswear Co. (Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, prAna)

Columbia Sportswear Co. (NASDAQ: COLM) saw its stock soar 199.7 percent thanks to its prAna acquisition, boosting its lifestyle business, while simultaneously benefiting from Columbia’s advances in apparel innovation during the past five years. A few bumpy years at its Mountain Hardwear brand was the only thing holding it back from even larger gains.

Newell Brands Inc. (Marmot, Coleman, etc.)

Newell Brands Inc. (NYSE:NWL) merged with Jarden Corp., parent to Marmot and Coleman, to become a $13 billion diversified conglomerate, but so far, that hasn’t helped its stock price, which has lagged behind the rest of the market, falling 2.7 percent in the past five years.

Amer Sports (Salomon, Arc’Teryx, Atomic, Suunto, etc.)

Amer Sports (HEL:AMEAS) has seen steady gains after a few rough winters. Key to its success鈥攖he stock is up 94.8 percent in five years鈥攈as been lifestyle push at Arc’teryx and Salomon, balancing the core side of the business.

Canada Goose Holdings Inc.

Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GOOS) has been riding high on the fashion front. Its iconic look is in style with consumers and the stock is up 274.4 percent since going public in March 2017.

Under Armour Inc.

Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UAA) has come off its recent highs after previous lofty outlooks on growth didn’t come through, including within the outdoor industry. That’s kept its stock price in check, lagging behind its biggest competitors Nike and Adidas.

Deckers Outdoor Corp. (Teva, Hoka One One, etc.)

Deckers Outdoor Corp. (NYSE: DECK), parent to Teva and Hoka One One, has benefited from the athleisure trend in footwear. Meanwhile, trade deals and technology advances have cut the cost of footwear manufacturing, boosting its bottom lines.

GoPro Inc.

GoPro Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRO) was a high-flying stock when it debuted in June 2014, but since then, more consumers are opting to capture video on their phones versus a separate camera. That’s hurt sales and the stock has plummeted 78.1 percent to date.

Vista Outdoor Inc. (CamelBak, Camp Chef, etc.)

Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO) went public in February 2015 and then went on an outdoor acquisition spree to try diversify from its firearms business. It now owns CamelBak and Camp Chef, among others, but the diversification hasn’t made up for the drop in firearm sales post years of political gun-control debates. Its stock is down 55.3 percent over the past five years.

Garmin Ltd.

Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) turned in perhaps the biggest surprise performance over the past five years. Despite the continuing declines of its auto GPS sales, the company saw a big boost from its fitness-and-outdoor tracking technologies, leading to a gain on Wall Street of 70.1 percent.

Fenix Outdoor International AG (Fjallraven, Brunton, Hanwag, etc.)

Fenix Outdoor International AG (STO: FOI-B) made the right choice expanding its brands, including Fjallraven, Brunton, and Hanwag, to the North American retail scene. They were a big hit and the stock is up 198.9 percent, despite more challenging markets in Europe.

Johnson Outdoors Inc. (Eureka, JetBoil, etc.)

Johnson Outdoors Inc. (NASDAQ: JOUT) has had a solid business plan for its JetBoil acquisition, while maintaining Eureka as a top brand in the mass channels. Plus, the rise of SUPs and other paddlecraft has helped its watersports channels, all propelling the stock up 221.5 percent in the past five years.

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (Chaco, Merrell, etc.)

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE:WWW), parent to Chaco, Merrell, and its namesake brand, hasn’t done much to excite Wall Street in the past five years, and while its stock is up 39.6 percent during the period, that gain has lagged the broader averages.

Thule Group AB

Thule Group AB (STO:THULE), has seen continued success from its vehicle rack business, while expanding into vehicle-top shelters and packs鈥攁 good fit for always-on-the-move millennials. Its stock price is up 174 percent since debuting on the public exchanges in November 2014.

Dicks Sporting Goods Inc.

Dicks Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS), like many other big-box retailers, has struggled in the face of increased online sales at Amazon on one end and specialty-retail competition on the other. However, despite its 30.2 percent decline in stock value over the past five years, it remains a survivor after competitors such as Sports Authority and Sport Chalet went out of business.

Adidas AG

Adidas AG (ETR:ADS) regained its mojo after a few rough years and the brand is back in style, firmly behind sportswear leader Nike. Its outdoor business continues to thrive as well and its stock price is up 128.3 percent in the past five years.

Biggest Movers

Like any investment portfolio, there were winners and losers on the Outdoor Index.

Leading the pack on the U.S. markets with triple-digit percentage gains were:

• Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GOOS +274%)

• Johnson Outdoors Inc. (NASDAQ: JOUT +222%)

• Columbia Sportswear Co. (NASDAQ: COLM +200%)

• Deckers Outdoor Corp. (NYSE: DECK +127%)

Meanwhile, the following European companies聽fared best on overseas exchanges:

• Adidas AG (ETR:ADS +128%)

• Fenix Outdoor International AG (STO: FOI-B +199%)

• Thule Group AB (STO: THULE +174%)

The top performers largely shared a common denominator by growing via acquisitions and market expansions. Johnson Outdoors (parent to Eureka Tents and a collection of paddlesports brands) acquired JetBoil; Columbia (parent to its namesake and Mountain Hardwear) bought prAna; and Deckers (parent to Teva and Ugg) added Sanuk and Hoka One One. In Europe, the key for Fenix (parent to Fjallraven, Hanwag, and Brunton) and Thule (which ventured into camping beyond its mainstay car racks) were expanded marketing and sales in United States.

Brands like Canada Goose, Columbia, adidas, Deckers, and Fenix also benefited in a big way from the popular athleisure fashion trends in the broader market during the past half decade, according to Nathan Pund, managing director at investment banking firm Houlihan Lokey.

“The outdoor customer has moved away from a hardcore brand to much more of an aspirational brand that they can wear in the city, too,” said Pund, who has focused on outdoor, active-lifestyle and tactical investments at various firms, including RBC Capital, Silver Steep Partners, D.A. Davidson and Lazard, since 2001. “Brands that provide apparel and footwear have fared better than those just focusing on equipment.”

But acquiring brands and pushing lifestyle gear hasn’t been a surefire bet for the industry.

Clarus Corp. (NASDAQ: CLAR -19%), parent to Black Diamond, had a rough go of it during the past five years, first acquiring a slew of outdoor brands, including Gregory and POC Sports, only to turn around and sell them and then see its iconic CEO Peter Metcalf leave the company.

Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO -55%)聽also struggled, and its acquisitions of outdoor brands CamelBak and Camp Chef could not offset declines in its mainstay firearms businesses, which saw a boom and bust of business following the political and societal debates over gun control.

Fashion is also a tougher nut to crack for many outdoor brands, Pund noted. All of a sudden, that means competing within a much larger market with faster-moving trends. “If you’re on-trend, it can lead to great results,” he said, “but if you’re off trend, it’s a big challenge.” And outdoor brands can’t rely completely on fashion, he added鈥攖hey have to maintain their roots. “The North Face [owned by (NYSE:VFC +75%)] is a good example,” he said. “They still put a lot effort into core outdoor product to maintain their authenticity.”

Evolving Retail

To no surprise, for any retailer not named Amazon, the past five years were challenging鈥擠icks Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS -30%) and Camping World Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWH +2.9%) both lagged.

“I think the breakdown of retail has been the biggest challenge,” Pund said, referring to recent bankruptcies and store closures across the retail spectrum from big-box to specialty retail, including Sports Authority, Sport Chalet, and Hudson Trail Outfitters, to name a few in the outdoor recreation space. “The historical way we shop has changed dramatically, and some brands have been better at adapting than others.”

He elaborated that the rise of Amazon and other online outlets such as Backcountry.com allowed consumers to bypass traditional brick-and-mortar retail to find the gear they wanted at more competitive prices. In addition, competition has come from direct-to-consumer channels, both online and through branded stores, where brands have benefited from higher margins and, perhaps more importantly, a deeper relationship with their customers via omni-channel strategies from targeted digital marketing to in-person, local events.

On the big-box front, retailers are looking for the same鈥攁 way to strengthen authentic relationships with shoppers, and that is likely the main driver behind Camping World’s acquisitions of specialty outdoor retailers Erehwon Mountain, Uncle Dan’s, and Rock Creek.

Tech Dominates

While our Outdoor Index kept pace with the broader S&P 500 and DJIA, its competition for investors on Wall Street is a familiar foe on the consumer front鈥攖he tech industry.

During the past five years, the tech-heavy NASDAQ Index聽rose 122 percent, outpacing the gains of the Outdoor Index. Going back to our example of an $18,000 investment, had you invested the same funds to follow the Nasdaq instead, you would have seen the investment rise to $52,560鈥攁 gain of $34,560.

Of course, this is just five years. The markets ebb and flow. Had one invested in the two indexes during, for example, the early 2000s, when the tech market crashed, then it’s likely the Outdoor Index outperformed. Plus, sometimes you want to put your money where your heart is and investing in the outdoors has been a decent deal.

Still, these past five years on the market paint a picture of what’s happening in the real world. People are spending more money on outdoor recreation…just not as much as they are spending on tech.

“I think tech will continue to outperform,” Pund said. “The question for the industry is what parts of tech can be integrated with the outdoors.”

Brands such as Garmin, for example, have benefited from the fitness-tracking angle聽(NASDAQ:aGRMN +70%), while GoPro (NASDAQ:GPRO -78%) has struggled to fully capture the video-capture market.

“Enjoying the outdoors has become much more about the experience and sharing that experience via tech and social media,” Pund said, “versus the idea of going outdoors to seek solitude.”

The Next Five Years

Looking ahead, Pund declined to pick any specific winners and losers on Wall Street鈥攂ut says the industry as a whole will continue to do well.

“Millennials are very excited for the outdoors, just in a different way than their parents were,” he said. “In the past, it was about mastering the one or two sports…today it’s about experiencing a wider scope of recreation.” The companies that will do best, from Pund’s perspective, are those that will remain engaged with the customer through social media and e-commerce, and through live experiential events.

He also sees continued merger and acquisition activity among the larger outdoor brands on Wall Street. “The market has become so competitive that it’s faster to acquire than build on your own.”

The Breakdown

*These companies went public less than five years ago, so their performance was calculated from their opening day on the market.

Outdoor Index – +81.6%

S&P 500 – +69.6%

DJIA – +61.3%

NASDAQ – +121.8%

The post An Investor鈥檚 Guide to the Outdoors appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

When Backcountry Hunters & Anglers president Land Tawney reflects on the history of land and wildlife preservation in the U.S., he notes how great things have been accomplished during times of darkness.

In the early 1900s market killers were wiping out big game to put food on tables in New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago, hunters stepped up and help pass legislation making the sale of wildlife illegal as well as putting into place the first game laws.

In the dirty 1930s when the lid was coming off the prairie, the dust bowl, the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act was enacted to tax ammunition and firearms and put that money back into conservation and the North American Wildlife Conference was born along with Ducks Unlimited and the National Wildlife Federation.

In the 1960s when wilderness areas were spoiled by the development boom, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and Clean Air Act were established.

Right now, Tawney says, could be another one of those times.

Following another mass shooting in February, a debate over whether outdoor companies should have any associations with gun companies failed to acknowledge that while hunters buy guns, they also buy hiking boots and hydration packs, Tawney said. A boycott by two major outdoor retailers unintentionally pit hikers against hunters, throwing their alliance in the fight for public lands and their funding of land conservation in jeopardy.

鈥淚 think we should be focusing on our conservation legacy and I think if we do that, there鈥檚 plenty of synergy there,鈥� Tawney said. 鈥淚f we divide our ranks, we all lose.鈥�

The crux of the issue is a lot deeper than guns, and it鈥檚 going to take time to fully understand the impact and repercussions regarding outdoor companies. But how did we get to where we are and where do we go from here?

Who Is Vista Outdoor?

Take a look at the floorplan for the 2018 Shot Show that happened in January, and you鈥檒l see that two of the biggest footprints are Utah-based Vista Outdoor and the National Rifle Association, side by side.

Before it became Vista Outdoor, the company was called Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, in the 1990s. In the following two decades, ATK acquired various ammunition, hunting, and firearms companies, including Blount International, Weaver Optics, Eagle Industries, Blackhawk, Caliber Company, Bushnell Group Holdings, and Savage Arms, a manufacturer of assault-style rifles.

In 2015, in an effort to diversify and 鈥渂ring the world outside,鈥� ATK was renamed Vista Outdoor, and brought in outdoor brands alongside its gun brands. Its first acquisitions were Jimmy Styks SUPs for $40 million and the hydration company CamelBak for $412.5 million.

The next year, Vista Outdoor took several bicycle brands under its wing, including Bell, Giro, Boll茅, Blackburn, and Camp Chef, the outdoor cooking equipment company.

What Went Down?

At the end of February, Vista Outdoor fell under intense scrutiny after the high school shooting on Valentine鈥檚 Day in Parkland, Florida. A 19-year-old former student used a legally-bought Smith & Wesson M&P 15 .223 semi-automatic rifle to kill 17 students and teachers, according to multiple news reports.

Even though the gun was not one of Vista Outdoor鈥檚, the corporation owns the company Savage Arms, which manufacturers its own brand of semi-automatic assault rifles.

And because Vista Outdoor also owns CamelBak, Camp Chef, and other camping and outdoor recreation brands, thousands of members of REI and MEC pressured the retailers鈥攖hrough social media and petitions鈥攖o stop selling the water reservoirs, camp stoves, and other outdoor products, thus taking a stance on gun violence and severing support to the gun industry.

On February 28, MEC suspended future orders with Boll茅, Bushnell, CamelBak, Camp Chef, and Jimmy Styks. REI followed suit the next day, saying it made the decision because Vista Outdoor was not planning 鈥渢o make a public statement that outlines a clear plan of action.鈥�

REI declined to comment about any discussions since the decision. MEC has also remained mum. And in addition to not making a public statement, Vista Outdoor has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

The Running Room, a nationwide running store chain, also suspended future orders from CamelBak.

Some independent stores followed suit, including Boulder Cycle Sports, Sellwood Cycle Repair, Gladys Bikes, and others in Portland, Oregon, and BicycleSPACE in Washington D.C.

OBJ polled readers on where they stand: 4,104 readers said they would not boycott Vista brands, 2,035 said they would, and 366 said they were thinking about it.

What Was the Response?

The public reaction to boycotts has been loud, but not cohesive. When we posted the breaking OBJ story on Facebook, some readers threatened to tear up their REI membership cards over what they considered a 鈥渒nee jerk reaction.鈥� Others said they were proud of the retailer for taking a stance on the gun control debate.

鈥淚t was an ethical decision,鈥� said Nick Allen, who has more than 50 years of experience as both a combat Marine officer and an outdoor industry executive with W.L. Gore and CamelBak. 鈥淭hose retailers made a statement about who they are and who they want to be. Will it make a big difference? Who knows yet.鈥�

Another group of commenters argued that the boycott would only hurt the Vista employees making the products for CamelBak and the others.

鈥淭his wasn鈥檛 an indictment on the products or the employees,鈥� said Justin Hoese, co-owner of Boulder Cycle Sports, a bike shop in Colorado. 鈥淚t was really unfortunate. I had to replace a lot of gear.鈥�

CamelBak, Giro, Bell Racing, and the other brands have tried to distance themselves from Vista鈥檚 gun-slinging operation. CamelBak, founded in 1989, released a statement saying there鈥檚 an incorrect assumption that the purchase of its products supports the shooting sports, and that it 鈥渙perates separately from Vista Outdoor鈥檚 Shooting Sports segment.鈥�

Boulder Cycle鈥檚 Hoese says he hopes Vista Outdoor feels mounting pressure to put the outdoor brands up for sale to release them from the shadow of gun violence. He said, 鈥淲e know they鈥檙e not going to get out of the gun business because it鈥檚 a billion-dollar business and cycling is a fraction of that.鈥�

Dan Hughes, owner of Sunflower Outdoor and Bike in Lawrence, Kansas, says his store carries only a small assortment of CamelBak products, and a Giro helmet or two. He says he didn鈥檛 feel like dropping them would create a big enough dent, especially in a state where gun support is plentiful. Hughes was waiting for the bigger stores to weigh in.

鈥淣ow that they have, it’s vexing to me that even REI’s massive purchasing power has done little to nothing to sway Vista,鈥� Hughes said. 鈥淚t kind of underscores my feeling that boycotting those brands is only going to hurt the reps that work for Camelbak and the outdoor brands themselves. I don’t think Vista gives a hoot.鈥�

So, What鈥檚 Next?

Vista Outdoor isn鈥檛 the only corporation with gun-related companies alongside outdoor brands in its portfolio.

So far, there has been no boycott of Black Diamond and avalanche safety equipment brand Pieps, whose parent company,聽Clarus Corporation, also owns Sierra Bullets, maker of handgun (and rifle) ammunition.

Even though Black Diamond has not faced the same pressures as brands under Vista Outdoor, the company is monitoring discussions, said spokesman John DiCuollo, with Backbone Media.

“Clarus Corp operates all its brands in completely separate and discrete manners,” DiCuollo said. “Each brand鈥檚 teams are compiled of experts in their respective fields that are aligned to serve specific markets. For BD, that鈥檚 climbing and backcountry skiing.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation data shows that thousands more people are killed every year with handguns than rifles, shotguns, and other firearms most commonly used by hunters.

鈥淥n the broader scale that is true,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淏ut one of the the clear distinctions is that a pistol is a defensive weapon. A rifle is an offensive weapon.鈥�

While that distinction may be splitting hairs, one thing is certain: this isn鈥檛鈥攁nd never was鈥攁bout hunting.

But the boycott has raised important ethical and moral questions within the outdoor industry.

鈥淚 understand the frustration that people feel about nothing being done, so doing something, like boycotting a brand under the same parent company umbrella is better than doing nothing at all,鈥� Hughes said. 鈥淏ut as a retailer, I also have a strong pragmatic streak鈥攐ne that tells me that more effective measures can be taken against gun violence at the ballot box. That’s where I’ll be seeking to affect change, even in a state as red as Kansas.鈥�

Rather than be divided by a stance on the availability of guns, Tawney said there鈥檚 an opportunity for the outdoor and hunting industries to unite around multiple initiatives:

• The Land and Water Conservation Fund that sunsets this September

• The 鈥淏ackpack tax鈥� that would essentially tax some outdoor goods for the sake of public lands, which the Outdoor Industry Association opposes

• The Restoring American鈥檚 Wildlife Act that would annually redirect $1.3 billion of existing revenue to state-led wildlife conservation efforts.

鈥淗unters and hikers are in this together,鈥� Tawney said.

The post Guns and the Outdoor Industry: Where Do We Go from Here? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

REI has placed a hold on future orders with Vista Outdoor brands, such as CamelBak and Giro, as a global gun control debate mounts.

The U.S. cooperative’s decision comes the same day as its counterpart in Canada, Mountain Equipment Co-op, severed ties with several outdoor brands owned by the parent company of a semi-automatic gun and ammunition manufacturer.

Thousands of members have been pressuring聽both major outdoor retailers to do so in the wake of a Parkland, Florida, school shooting last month, in which the shooter used an AR-15 to kill 17 people.

Vista Outdoor, a company with many gun and ammo brands in its portfolio, also owns outdoor brands CamelBak, Bell, Boll茅, Camp Chef, Jimmy Styks SUPs, and Blackburn.

Vista, based in Utah, has not responded to our request for comment.

REI in a statement on the company’s website Thursday evening said it has been in active discussions with Vista. The statement, in part, read:

“REI does not sell guns. We believe that it is the job of companies that manufacture and sell guns and ammunition to work towards common sense solutions that prevent the type of violence that happened in Florida last month. In the last few days, we鈥檝e seen such action from companies like Dick鈥檚 Sporting Goods and Walmart and we applaud their leadership…This morning we learned that Vista does not plan to make a public statement that outlines a clear plan of action. As a result, we have decided to place a hold on future orders of products that Vista sells through REI while we assess how Vista proceeds. Companies are showing they can contribute if they are willing to lead. We encourage Vista to do just that.”

David Labistour, MEC鈥檚 CEO, in a statement on the company鈥檚 website said that demonstrating leadership and leveraging the power of community are core values of the outdoor retail giant.

鈥淲ith this in mind, we have taken time to listen to our members鈥� views, consult internally and reach out to others in our industry,鈥� Labistour said. 鈥淔rom what we鈥檝e heard, we know that no decision we make will satisfy everyone. We are in the midst of a complex and highly charged debate with as many opinions as there are people expressing them.鈥�

Effective immediately, MEC is suspending further orders with Boll茅, Bushnell, CamelBak, Camp Chef, and Jimmy Styks. Existing inventory will be sold.

Members have reached out on all sides of the gun control debate, and Labistour in his statement mentioned the outdoor industry鈥檚 and his own ties with guns.

鈥淚 have proudly served in the military and grew up in a rural area where hunting was commonplace,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can readily identify with our members who are on all sides of this debate. At the same time, my personal experience has taught me about the power of engagement. I believe that engagement is the path to change, as tough as it might be.鈥�

CamelBak on Thursday finally addressed the debate in its own statement. The company, bought by Vista for $412.5 million in July 2015, said the boycott centers on an incorrect assumption that the purchase of products supports the shooting sports.

鈥淭hat is not the case,鈥� the company wrote. 鈥淥ur brand falls within the Outdoor Products segment of our company, which operates separately from Vista Outdoor鈥檚 Shooting Sports segment. Since 1989, CamelBak has been committed to forever changing the way people hydrate and perform. Our passion and love for the outdoors is unchanged. We are deeply committed to the individuals and communities we serve and we proudly partner with organizations to promote the enjoyment of the outdoors.鈥�

The company asked that consumers stand by its 30-year reputation.

The post REI Drops CamelBak, Giro, Bell, Camp Chef and Other Vista Brands (At Least Temporarily) appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Everyone in this industry knows the problem by now: the rise of online shopping has turned the traditional outdoor marketplace on its head. Consumers now turn to the internet first when they need new gear; brands seize the chance to sell it directly through their own websites or on Amazon; brick-and-mortar retailers are left scrambling. Less obvious? The solutions. OBJ has partnered with Mike Massey, founder of the online marketing platform Locally (which makes it easier for brands to refer buyers to nearby retailers for the sale), to examine how brands and specialty retailers can work together to everyone鈥檚 benefit. In this series, The Outdoor Retailer Playbook, we鈥檒l examine several key principles for making the brand-retailer relationship even stronger in this brave new world.

Most shoppers don鈥檛 visit a brand鈥檚 website ready to buy directly. In fact, according to Massey, Locally鈥檚 data show that up to 30 percent of online browsers end up clicking on the site鈥檚 dealer locator tool instead, while only about 1 percent buy straight from the source. The larger number 鈥渞epresents the people who want to try something on, or need it this weekend, or want multiple purchase options, or maybe they want to ask a question,鈥� said Massey. In short, they want to be pointed to their neighborhood shop so they can check out the goods in person.

This represents a critical opportunity for vendors to help curious shoppers open their wallets and to boost the profiles of specialty retail partners.

So what happens when brands fumble it with inaccurate information, from misstating a store鈥檚 inventory to missing new locations to directing buyers to bungled addresses or closed shops? Not only do they risk sending a would-be buyer to a retailer that only stocks their competition, but the wrong info is sure to lead to an aggravated shopper.

And that鈥檚 bad news for everybody, said Jason McGibbon, vice president of sales at Yakima: 鈥淚f consumers find themselves at a location where the product is not available, or they鈥檙e not carrying the Yakima brand, it reflects poorly on the entire ecosystem.鈥� Goodbye, sale鈥攁nd a retailer caught up in the mistaken referral won鈥檛 come out smelling great, either.

On the flip side, detailed, up-to-date shopping information can turn interested buyers into brand loyalists. 鈥淚 think vendors are coming around to realize that handing off to a brick-and-mortar retailer can only enhance [a shopper鈥檚] perception of that brand and brand equity in the local marketplace,鈥� said Chuck Millsaps, president of Great Outdoors Provision Company, a North Carolina-based retailer with nine locations.

鈥淚t takes multiple purchases before a shopper develops an affinity for a brand,鈥� said Massey. 鈥淭he more misinformation you give when a shopper is trying to find your products, the less likely you are to develop a relationship with that customer.鈥� Nailing that first contact, though, can turn an unfamiliar label into a shopper鈥檚 new go-to brand. Say a shopper is curious about a particular sunglasses or hiking boot brand. After checking out the vendor鈥檚 website, an accurate dealer locator tool points her to a neighborhood retailer that not only carries the brand, but has her specific styles of choice in stock. She drops in, tries on a few pairs, asks a few questions, and makes a purchase.

Success Stories

For roof rack brand Yakima, zeroing in on the trustworthiness of its website鈥檚 dealer locator tool took its online-to-offline referrals to the next level, going beyond just pointing shoppers to nearby stores.

鈥淵ou can see that in your location, dealer X has the inventory in stock, and that it鈥檚 available for pickup and can be reserved for 24 hours,鈥� noted McGibbon. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e able to identify the dealers that offer installation services. That microcosm of the shopping experience becomes quite robust. If the consumer is just finding out that there鈥檚 a dealer near them, they have to take the extra step to call to see if the product is available.鈥�

That level of specificity (provided by the Locally platform, which Yakima fully adopted in early 2016) has translated into a noticeable increase (exact stats were unavailable at press time) increase in website visitors who jump off at the product page and shop locally, rather than clicking through to the site鈥檚 shopping cart.

On the retail side, Great Outdoors Provision Company has long recognized the importance of accurate listings on vendor websites鈥攏ot that pulling it off was easy.

鈥淔or a while there, we literally had someone contacting the 265 vendors we had and saying, 鈥業s there some reason we鈥檙e not on your dealer locator?鈥� said Millsaps. 鈥淲e carry a unique, really curated mix of products. There are certain brands that we鈥檙e going to make sure we鈥檙e a part of [their search results].鈥� Outsourcing that fact-checking process to Locally has made things much simpler for the small chain.

Do Better

Whether you鈥檙e a vendor or a retailer, you can probably be doing more to boost the accuracy鈥攁nd therefore, effectiveness鈥攐f your online tools. Here鈥檚 how to up your O2O (online to offline) game.

>>Fight channel conflict. Why do so many vendors fall short on their O2O referrals? Often, Massey said, there鈥檚 simply no one at the company in charge of double-checking and updating dealer listings. And when there is, sometimes that task falls to the digital marketing and ecommerce department鈥攁nd 鈥渆commerce guys see brick-and-mortar as a competitor,鈥� he noted.

Better: Designate someone (or an outside platform like Locally) to review and update retailer listings and inventory information. (Massey estimates it would take a vendor about 40 employee hours per season per 1,000 dealers to do this right on your own.) And help all employees see the value in effective retailer sales handoffs.

>>Go deeper with your store locator. A tool that correctly identifies all the stores carrying your brand? Great. But a tool that does that, plus reflects current inventory levels and lets shoppers book appointments with employees or put a hold on products? Next-level service.聽The Locally platform offers several options for fine-tuning your locator tool.

And don鈥檛 forget checking that your address and hours are correct on sources like Google My Business or Yelp. 鈥淩ealize there are a variety of sources for maps, driving directions, hours, and things like that available to shoppers,鈥� Massey said. 鈥淭hat fact should be a trigger for retailers to say, 鈥業 need to spend time making sure my overall online profile is up to date.鈥欌�� Retailers that don’t have the time or inclination to check independently can turn to tools like Locally, Yext, or Sweet IQ.

>> Own your digital presence. Much of the responsibility for accuracy falls to vendors/brands, but retailers have a role to play, too.

鈥淟ook at these O2O referrals as a primary source of foot traffic,鈥� Massey said. Check that your store locations are indeed appearing, and appearing correctly, on vendors鈥� dealer locators: 鈥淲hen retailers are picking up on inaccuracies, that鈥檚 tremendously helpful for the brand,鈥� noted Jeremy Hancock, national sales manager for CamelBak. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dialogue.鈥� (Massey estimates a medium-size store can pull this off by dedicating two staff days a month to fact-checking.)

And don鈥檛 forget checking that your address and hours are correct on sources like Google My Business or Yelp. 鈥淩ealize there are a variety of sources for maps, driving directions, hours, and things like that available to shoppers,鈥� Massey said. 鈥淭hat fact should be a trigger for retailers to say, 鈥業 need to spend time making sure my overall online profile is up to date.鈥欌��

Brands and retailers alike can have the best intentions of working together to benefit from online shopping鈥攂ut those crucial sales handoffs fall flat without reliable information. Invest the time in verifying the facts, though, and you鈥檒l set yourself up for happy (and maybe, lifelong) customers.

Next up in this series: Impressing customers by leveraging local delivery and pickup options.聽

The post The Outdoor Retailer Playbook: Part 1, Be accurate appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Last month, the Department of the Interior abruptly ended a six-year-old ban on the sale of bottled water at some of our largest National Parks. The intention of the original ban was simple: allow parks to opt-in to a process to eliminate the sale of single-use plastic bottles within their park, easing plastic pollution and the huge amount of waste created by plastic bottles. Prior to this reversal, 23 parks had already put this process into place.

Take Utah鈥檚 Zion National Park as an example. When park administration implemented a ban on plastic bottles, 5,000 pounds of plastic water bottle waste was reduced and the park experienced a 78 percent increase in the sale of reusable bottles. And more, the reusable water bottles purchased at Zion鈥檚 were likely used beyond the trip, continuing to offset the use of disposal bottles well beyond park boundaries.

For over a decade, CamelBak has led a mission to 鈥淒itch Disposable,” reducing the use of plastic that ends up in landfills and pollutes our oceans. In this time, our industry has rallied behind this mission. By simply swapping a disposable bottle for a reusable one, individuals are able to take a stand, advocate for our environment, and stay hydrated all at once. In addition to the environmental benefits, carrying a reusable bottle or hydration pack can even keep you better hydrated, serving as a constant reminder to hydrate and refill when empty.

For every six water bottles purchased by Americans, only one is recycled. The other five end up in landfills, where they sit for more than a thousand years waiting to decompose. This can be offset by the use of a reusable bottle, which after using for just one month, can keep an average of 18 disposable water bottles out of landfills.

This is especially important as use of our national parks peaked for a third straight year in 2016 with more than 331 million visitors. With this influx and enthusiasm towards some of our country鈥檚 most treasured destinations, it is more important than ever to responsibly recreate within these travel hub, both as consumers and as business and community leaders.

We have sent a letter formally requesting that the Department of the Interior revoke this misguided decision. Given the widely available research about the impact of plastic bottles on our environment, we should be finding new and creative ways to keep visitors healthy and hydrated, not taking away the process that empowered parks to provide the much needed hydration education and water refill stations in our parks.

The National Park System has enjoyed record growth during recent years and a continued focus on sustainability, visitor experience, and budgets are needed and healthy. That said, reversing the Water Bottle Memo was unnecessary and reinforces an outdated, uninformed expectation that we need disposal plastic bottles to stay hydrated. We know better than this and are calling on the American people to reject this step backwards.

We encourage you to take a moment to submit feedback to the Department of the Interior voicing your concern about the unmistakable damage plastic bottles have on our environment鈥攄amage that will be felt not just today but for generations to come. And take a stand in your daily lives. The next time you鈥檙e at a National Park, bring your reusable water bottle or hydration pack and stay hydrated while you explore, adventure, and embrace some of America鈥檚 greatest wonders.

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