Top 4 things outdoor brands should be thinking about now Covid 19 has arrived
Hugo van Dorssen
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21 Sep 2020
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5mins
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More people than ever are getting outside which is great for the outdoor industry. However, this is causing a number of hidden issues and opportunities that brands should be aware of. Here are our current top 4 things outdoor brands should be thinking about now Covid 19 has arrived.
1. The ‘New User’ market is stronger than ever
More and more new people are getting outside, away from crowded areas, into our National Parks/Landscapes and wild areas. The outdoor market of ‘new users’ is growing, with people picking up new sports. New entry level bike sales are through the roof, navigation usage has never been higher.
Ordnance Survey have said they have seen a 300% increase in their OS Maps app usage.
But what does this mean for you as a brand?
Focus on capturing the ‘New Users’ into the sector you operate in. This will help these ‘New Users’ turn their new sport into a passion and they will look to your brand for inspiration for their new equipment, turning these new users into lifelong clients.
A brand can do this through creating content aimed at these new users, perhaps ‘How to videos’ or ‘user manuals’. Check out the How-to videos we made for Ordnance Survey below for inspiration. These also help with customer service demand, our next point.
More and more new people are getting outside, away from crowded areas, into our National Parks/Landscapes and wild areas. The outdoor market of ‘new users’ is growing, with people picking up new sports. New entry level bike sales are through the roof, navigation usage has never been higher.
Ordnance Survey have said they have seen a 300% increase in their OS Maps app usage.
But what does this mean for you as a brand?
Focus on capturing the ‘New Users’ into the sector you operate in. This will help these ‘New Users’ turn their new sport into a passion and they will look to your brand for inspiration for their new equipment, turning these new users into lifelong clients.
A brand can do this through creating content aimed at these new users, perhaps ‘How to videos’ or ‘user manuals’. Check out the How-to videos we made for Ordnance Survey below for inspiration. These also help with customer service demand, our next point.
2. Customer service demand increasing
Many brands are seeing a huge upturn as more people are getting outside and using their products, but this is leading to a huge increase in customer enquiries which if not managed properly is expensive and can cause poor customer reviews which reflects badly on sales in the long run.
This will really vary by the product or service you offer but common themes seem to be: Clients not knowing how to properly use their equipment. Customers not maintaining their new purchases due to poor knowledge on maintenance. Natural increases in enquiries from increase in product usage.
Here are a few ways to maintain or increase your customer service and customer retention.
Many brands are seeing a huge upturn as more people are getting outside and using their products, but this is leading to a huge increase in customer enquiries which if not managed properly is expensive and can cause poor customer reviews which reflects badly on sales in the long run.
This will really vary by the product or service you offer but common themes seem to be: Clients not knowing how to properly use their equipment. Customers not maintaining their new purchases due to poor knowledge on maintenance. Natural increases in enquiries from increase in product usage.
Here are a few ways to maintain or increase your customer service and customer retention.
- Engage your community, create resources/videos/content to educate your users on how to use your products to their best possible ability. Try using your FAQs to base these resources on.
- Create community forums where your communities can chat with each other, help each other with questions and bring up key issues you should help them with.
- Employ or shift a team member onto customer retention, make it their sole job to make your existing clients happy
3. Outdoor issue involvement is more important than ever - Specifically littering...littering and littering!
As we’ve mentioned, more and more new users are getting outside, but not all of them are using wild spaces responsibility. The AONB’s we have spoken to have said they are seeing an increase by nearly double with the amount of visitors this time last year but they are struggling big time with litter and in our National Parks, AONBs and wild places.
Outdoor brands have a huge audience of outdoor enthusiasts and users, this is a real issue and it needs support from the industry. Use your brand for good and educate your audience into a community that respects nature, the environment and trails. You could do this through engaging content that showcases your values. Or through supporting clean up initiatives like ‘Trash Free Trails’ or ‘Surfers against Sewage’.
Patagonia are a great example of a company that showcases it’s values first and with more and more ‘ethically’ minded purchases, you may even see more people believing in your brand through it’s do good values and joining your community.
As we’ve mentioned, more and more new users are getting outside, but not all of them are using wild spaces responsibility. The AONB’s we have spoken to have said they are seeing an increase by nearly double with the amount of visitors this time last year but they are struggling big time with litter and in our National Parks, AONBs and wild places.
Outdoor brands have a huge audience of outdoor enthusiasts and users, this is a real issue and it needs support from the industry. Use your brand for good and educate your audience into a community that respects nature, the environment and trails. You could do this through engaging content that showcases your values. Or through supporting clean up initiatives like ‘Trash Free Trails’ or ‘Surfers against Sewage’.
Patagonia are a great example of a company that showcases it’s values first and with more and more ‘ethically’ minded purchases, you may even see more people believing in your brand through it’s do good values and joining your community.
4 . Content is more important than ever to engage your community
Due to lockdowns more people than ever are engaging with online communities, online events and online content. Users are looking to brands to create these resources. Some things to think about when creating content.
Get in touch with us at info@wildline.uk for more information about the above topics.
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Due to lockdowns more people than ever are engaging with online communities, online events and online content. Users are looking to brands to create these resources. Some things to think about when creating content.
- Who is the content for? - try building a customer profile.
- What are you aiming to do with the content? - Build some aims and objectives.
- Create an amplification plan. There is a cost to creating content so think carefully about how you can make the most out of it, amplify the content through media outlets, involve partners in the project to attract their audience and reshape the content for future.
- Be unique with your content ideas!
Get in touch with us at info@wildline.uk for more information about the above topics.
Sign up here to get our insights from the outdoors to your inbox every month.
< Back to industry insights