The outdoor market has seen some interesting changes in recent years, and those changes look set to make it an interesting market to consider launching a business or finding where you can access the market.
So, what are the trends that have impacted and are still impacting the outdoor market?
Outdoors has a new face
Outdoor apparel like jogging bottoms, fleece hoodies, and sturdy walking boots made their way to the mainstream. Enter Athleisure – a modern twist on outdoor and sportswear. With the new definition of outdoor wear in play, it opened the doors for more brands to run athletic lines.
And during this, more traditional outdoor brands looked for ways to stand out and make themselves relevant to this new breed of buyer. The blurred lines of what outdoors means have worked well for many brands.
There was also a significant increase in people heading outdoors for Hot Girl Walks, mental health walks, and generally finding more out in the outdoors.
Tech, Story, and Performance
Items that come with new clothing technology are great, but breathability only took brands so far. Instead, brands started to tell stories that resonated with their audience. Stories that could be about the owners or the creators, or they could be about fair pay.
Brands looked to what they could offer communities and the world in general. Less plastic, sponsoring companies, working with charities – a great story.
But all of that doesn’t work unless the items perform too. And for that, investment in high-quality materials from long-standing names like Rockywoods.
The triple threat is what has driven outdoor businesses forward.
Social
Social Media has been turned on its head with the introduction of TikTok, and with access to millions of people who love the great outdoors and are already sharing awe-inspiring content of hiking, biking, snorkeling, and camping – it has been the ideal time to capitalize.
Outdoor brands have run a few initiatives with hashtags that increase brand awareness and require almost no input – aside from curating and sharing the ones that are going viral.
Social media teams can really take their work outside with them and create fun content that looks beautiful and runs conversions too. Video drives views, and views drive sales.
The Big Tech Re-Think
Perhaps one of the trends with the biggest impact is the one where people are putting down the tech and going outside. Re-thinking about how connected they are and how much a simple mobile device can take up their time.
Looking instead to a simpler way of spending time. Marketing to this audience means ditching celebrities and having ‘real people’ as their marketing – inclusive and diverse. Buyers are now looking for experiences and lifestyle improvements, and less towards material goods – and the outdoors is the perfect position to capitalize on that.
The outdoor industry has changed and becomes more valuable; what matters is how you forge forward.
Any industry needs to have the right marketing to make an impact, and here are some tips to do just that: How a Marketing Strategy can Skyrocket your Business.
