Outdoor Insight

I ndustry "disruptor" Cairn, known for its outdoor subscription boxes, where mem- bers pay to have boxes of merchandise selected by Cairn mailed to them on a recurring basis, has unveiled Kitted by Cairn, which aims to offer an even more personalized, curated selection to its customers. Launching initially as a beta program, Kitted uses a data driven model in order to make more personalized product picks for its customers. Kitted pairs members with their own "Gear Guru" to curate and advise on individual prod- uct selections. Members have the opportunity to select and test the products in their Kit before they commit to the purchase. Then they keep what they want and send back what they don't. With each Kit a member receives, the more personalized the product curation becomes. "Consumer habits have evolved, driven by younger generations who not only want curation, but who also desire a custom shop- ping experience," says Jared Peterson, Cairn co-founder and co-CEO. "Kitted by Cairn brings a custom experience to the outdoor industry already seen in so many other indus- tries such as fashion, food, and beauty." Kitted members complete a profile about sizing, budget, activities, preferences and skill level. Cairn then presents a custom Kit Shop featuring a selection of apparel and gear suited for the individual member to unlock online. Members have five days to review and select up to five products they want in their Kit, and a customized collection is then shipped to the member for a 14-day testing period. Members pay a curation fee of $25, which is then applied to any purchase from the Kit that exceeds $100. Any unwanted products can be returned with a prepaid shipping label at no additional cost to the member. Brands involved in the launch include Black Diamond, Marmot, Osprey, Big Agnes and MSR. l For more info, visit www.getcairn.com C limbing will be an Olympic sport for the first time in the 2020 Summer Games. And in their recent financial earn- ings report, senior executives from Black Diamond's parent Clarus Corp., highlighted the inclusion of climbing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as an occurrence expected to generate "significant momentum" within the climb industry. Black Diamond, coming out of Q1 where sales in its "mountain" and "climb" categories each grew 12 percent and "ski" increased 49 percent, thanks in part to winter weather conditions, is continuing to ramp up its footwear business. The company is expanding its footwear collection to Approach, starting with a fall test at REI before a global launch in Spring 2020. Beyond footwear, Black Diamond is releasing new and refreshed products across climb, mountain and apparel, and supporting the launches with a marketing campaign focused on accelerating in-store and consumer engagement with the brand's athletes, events and expanded digital pres- ence. BD is aiming to add additional retail locations in certain key markets this year, part of a strategy to elevate awareness and demand for the brand in "a more consumer- centric manner."—Bob McGee Cairn's Subscription Box Gets More Personal Black Diamond Anticipates Olympic Lift in 2020 6 • Outdoor Insight • May 2019 N E W S / A N A L Y S I S OUTDOOR EYE Grassroots Outdoor Alliance has welcomed Tecnica and Fjällräven to its national vendor partner network. Fjällräven announced the promotion of Nathan Dopp to global vice president of parent company Fenix Outdoor International AG. Fjällräven also welcomes consumer-products veteran Jean-Marie Shields as vice president of brand experience. Johnson Outdoors reported increased sales and earnings during the company's 2019 second fiscal quarter, driven in part by a 10.1 percent increase in its fishing revenue. Johnson reported double-digit overall growth in net income during the first fiscal six-month period. Also of note: Watercraft Recreation sales declined for Johnson Outdoors due to continued kayak market weakness, and lower sales across tent categories primarily accounted for an unfavorable year-over-year comparison in Camping. Yeti Holdings Inc. reported significant improvement in earnings on an adjusted basis in the first quarter of 2019. Net sales increased 15 percent to $155.4 million compared with $135.3 million during the same period last year. Of note at Yeti: Direct-to-consumer net sales in Q1 increased 28 percent to $61.7 million, led by strong performance in the Drinkware category. Wholesale channel net sales increased 8 percent to $93.6 million, primarily driven by Coolers & Equipment. Yeti's Q1 Drinkware net sales increased 20 percent to $91.0 million and Coolers & Equipment net sales increased 11 percent to $59.7 million, primarily driven by color updates across several hard and soft cooler lines, as well as the introduction of the Camino Carryall bag. Croakies unveiled a new website and interactive shopping experience at croakies. com. The brand's new website was developed to showcase the breadth of Croakies' product collection, highlighting the brand's print, color, fit, and function options. The site has an interactive Build your own Belt program, giving consumers a personalized shopping experience, mixing and matching buckle and webbing combinations to create custom belt design options. # T H E B U Z Z outdoorinsightmag.com 6 • Outdoor Insight • May 2019

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