Category Archives: #OIBIZ

Hodgson to step away from SNEWS

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

Good luck on your continuing adventure Mike!

It’s been 11 years at the helm of SNEWS®. For nearly a fifth of my life, I’ve had the pleasure of guiding this ship with my wife, Therese, every step of the way. On Dec. 31, 2011, she bid adieu (click here to read). Now, it is my turn. On Jan. 31, I will cede control of the wheelhouse at SNEWS to a new captain. As you might imagine, stepping away is, for me, full of mixed emotions.

I had the idea of adopting SNEWS when it was still a child of the print era, then with just 350 loyal subscribers. Somehow, I convinced Therese to join me as a parent, with the idea we could add fitness coverage to our news and information mix, kill the print, go entirely digital … and be successful. With her by my side, we took over full-time parenting from SNEWS founder, Bob Woodward, as of January 2002.

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Posted in #OIBIZ

ORWM Planning Guide is live, in full digital glory | SNEWS

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

As a part of the SNEWS® partnership with Outdoor Retailer, your semi-annual SNEWS magazine filled with gear and trends information is packaged with the OR Planning Guide — also available to you in digital format. In one place, you’ll get product highlights, trends insights and show details with every link live to make your access to additional digital information easier than ever. There has never been such an easy way to start planning your Winter Market visit.

Think of this as your pre-show O.R.D., leading up to our four-day run of daily newspaper coverage with the same look and feel available at the show and at the doors of select hotels in Salt Lake City, Jan. 19-22, 2012.

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Why I Buy? The Shiny and The Solid.

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

Photo: Paul-Baptiste Baca

I am a confessed gear whore.

gear whore n. someone who has to have the best, most expensive, coolest gear, useful or not.

Yes, I like the shiny and the new. And there are times when I look over my rack and I realise I am just one or two colour-coordinated draws away from being one of those sport climbers.

But really, why do I buy what I buy? Such a simple question does not have a simple answer.

I have worked in marketing and advertising for the past 20 years and have a pretty good grasp on how the artifice and casuistry of product pimping works. But that doesn’t mean I am immune. In fact, I have a high appreciation for a well-crafted advertisement and am more likely to invest at least my time into researching a product that is packaged well and peddled in just the right way to highlight its particular je ne sais quoi. Black and white sketches or flat product photos might be enough to pique some consumers’ interest, but many people really do prefer the glossy, full-colour splash of gear-in-action (me included). It’s a world of embodying the brand.

Companies like Black Diamond Equipment and Petzl know this. They don’t casually spend their advertising dollars. And retailers know what they are doing when they put those pretty products in the hands and on the backs of pretty people.

But as much as the beautiful people and shiny colours get my attention, it is not the reason I buy. Getting the customer into the store or to your website might be half the battle, but half does not make a sale.

Continue reading →

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Posted in #OIBIZ, Guest Blogger, Why I Buy

Early Store Openings Met With Resistance Among Active Americans | SNEWS

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

Active Americans said prior to Thanksgiving weekend that they plan to skip the early store openings on Thursday night and the traditional Black Friday shopping rush in favor of shopping in later November and December according to a survey on holiday shopping plans conducted this week by Leisure Trends Group.

Only 4% of Active Americans plan to be at the stores Thanksgiving night to do their shopping with 8% planning to join the crowds early Friday morning. In contrast, 73% plan to shop in late November to mid-December and 53% plan to shop in mid to late December. The implication for stores, states Jim Kelley, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Leisure Trends Group, is that it’s not all about Black Friday discounts. “While the early store openings and Black Friday get a lot of press, for Active Americans it’s not a huge draw. They see Black Friday as an opportunity to experience a little more solitude on the ski slopes, hiking trails or bike paths. While Black Friday should show its usual spike, retailers shouldn’t default to early discounts. Many active consumers will avoid the crowds on Friday and shop later in the holiday season.”

Given these results, it’s not surprising that Active Americans have a negative to neutral reaction to the idea of stores opening at midnight on Thanksgiving night. While 51% don’t really care, a full 46% are opposed to the idea. Only 3% give it their full support.

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Posted in #OIBIZ

Specialty retailers just say ‘no’ to Thanksgiving hours & Black Friday hours | SNEWS

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

“While some big box retailers have plans to open on midnight Thanksgiving night, specialty fitness and outdoor retailers will keep their regular hours on Black Friday only. Plus, retailers tell SNEWS their outlook on the holiday spending season.”

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Posted in #OIBIZ

Specialty retailers just say ‘no’ to Thanksgiving hours | SNEWS

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

While some big box retailers have plans to open on midnight Thanksgiving night, specialty fitness and outdoor retailers will keep their regular hours on Black Friday only. Plus, retailers tell SNEWS their outlook on the holiday spending season.

Read More: Specialty retailers just say ‘no’ to Thanksgiving hours, early ‘door-bustin’’ Black Friday hours

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Posted in #OIBIZ

Submit a Nomination for the OIWC Leadership Awards

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

During Outdoor Retailer Winter Market and SIA (January 2012), OIWC will honor and recognize four women in the outdoor industries who epitomize leadership and inspiration. Now is your opportunity to help determine who receives this honor – submit a nomination for an OIWC Leadership Award! Nominations being accepted for ORWM and SIA. Deadline is December 15

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October Outdoor Product Sales Up 7.0 Percent, Outperforming Broader Retail Market | OIA

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

Wintery blasts brought snow and cold to many parts of the country in October, helping boost outdoor product sales 7.0 percent to $735.3 million. Early season sales of outdoor apparel and hardgoods were particularly strong near month’s-end, according to the OIA VantagePointTM Monthly Trend Report for October. Year‐to‐date outdoor product sales were up 6.3 percent to $7.7 billion for the nine‐month fiscal retail period running February through October.

Sales of outdoor products – and the specialty retail channels that are primarily focused on sales of outdoor products – fared better in October than the overall retail market. According to a survey of 25 chain stores by the International Council of Shopping Centers, comparable store sales for the four‐week fiscal month were up just 3.7 percent, the slowest pace since March 2011 when comps grew just 2.0 percent.

“While broader retailers may attribute sales declines to inclement weather, outdoor product retailers often smile at the onset of winter,” said LaRae Marsik, Vice President Business Intelligence at OIA. “For example, sales of Outdoor Apparel spiked during the last week of October as consumers bought winter outerwear then wore it out the door.”

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Posted in #OIBIZ, News

Independent Retailers Laud OIA Decision to Back Internet Sales Tax Bill | OIA

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

Independent outdoor specialty retailers hailed OIA’s announcement last week that its board of directors had endorsed the Marketplace Fairness Act, noting that it will simultaneously help state government balance their budgets while restoring equity between brick-and-mortar and remote online retailers.

“I’m a full supporter,” said Mike Massey, an owner of Massey’s Outfitters, which now derives about half its revenues from online sales and half from four brick-and-mortar stores in the New Orleans market.

Massey said that, as written, the bill would give him an edge online since it requires states to exempt retailers with less than $500,000 in remote sales in their state. That provision played a key role in securing the support of OIA’s board of directors, which believes that online sales should be promoted and cultivated, but not at the expense of other sales channels.

“As far as I’m concerned, it would probably be revenue neutral for us,” Massey said. “It would probably drive as many people into the store as we would lose online. In the end, no matter what, it’s basically better. Everyone should pay the same sales tax. It’s irrelevant whether you buy it on line or not. It’s just fair.”

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Posted in #OIBIZ, News

Despite Recession, Americans Vote Yes on Recreation and Open Space | OIA

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Pemba Serves | Comments Off

Despite a recent drop in the number of state and local ballot initiatives to fund parks, trails, and open space, Americans continue to support recreation infrastructure with their votes and their wallets.

In 2010, 49 recreation/conservation measures appeared on ballots across the country, 41 of which passed—an 84 percent approval rate and a $2 billion commitment from American voters. In 2011, roughly half that amount are on ballots. With results still coming in, voters in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas have approved nearly $300 million in local recreation and conservation funding.

“It’s a pretty dramatic drop-off in the number of measures,” said Will Abberger, Director of Conservation Finance for the Trust for Public Land, “but at the same time we’ve seen the drop-off in the number of measures the passage rate is staying high, or even higher than we’ve seen in the past.”

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Posted in #OIBIZ, News