Retail College is the place to be if you want to be valedictorian of outdoor specialty retail.
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The more you learn about outdoor gear, the more you can sell. In Retail College, we'll teach you everything we know about succeeding in outdoor specialty retail, from how to sell more socks to how to make sure boots and backpacks fit customers perfectly.
Our Outdoor Retailer Playbook series and Outdoor Brand Playbook series are aimed at helping brands and retailers navigate the omni-channel word of retail with best practices for success.
Nobody wants to be bothered by mosquitoes, flies, no-see-ums, or any other bug while trying to enjoy nature. But more and more people are steering clear of chemical bug repellents like DEET. That’s why bug-repellent clothing can be a great alternative for consumers looking to ...read more
Mummy, rectangular, ultralight, synthetic, down, water-repellent down, full zip, no zip, and the list of sleeping bag options continues. It’s no wonder why customers’ heads spin when starting a sleeping bag search, which poses a substantial opportunity to connect with your shop. ...read more
From wide- and narrow-mouth, and plastic or stainless steel, to insulated or not, there are so many options when it comes to water bottles. And, often, there’s a paralysis of choice when it comes to customers trying to find a new one. With SNEWS’ Retail College: How to Sell Water ...read more
The last thing you (or your customers) want is to get a water-borne illness during or after a great adventure, so understanding the various types of backcountry water treatment devices critical. With SNEWS’ Retail College: How to Sell Water Treatment online course, sales ...read more
Selling sports bras can be thought of as a women-only sell, but it doesn’t have to be a mythological category in an outdoor shop that some floor warriors shy away from. With SNEWS’ Retail College: How to Sell Sports Bras online course, sales associates will dive into the ...read more
Regardless of where your store is located, there’s huge potential to make selling insulating layers a thriving category. Whether it’s a lightweight jacket for getting groceries or walking the dog when the temps dip to an expedition-weight down suit and everything in between, ...read more
Almost every adventure starts with a backpack, making it one of the key categories in any retail shop. And selling packs successfully (and responsibly) requires deep technical knowledge of features, fitting, and use. Our free online course will help any sales associate—seasoned ...read more
Buying is an art and a science. Your buy defines your shop’s essence: the brands and products your choose reflect the culture of your store. The underlying principle is to keep your store fresh and fun for all of your different types of customers. Shops structure their buying ...read more
Virtually every customer who walks in your shop is a potential buyer of travel underwear. Technical undies are an easy upsell item for any camper, hiker, runner, skier, cyclist, or traveler. Our free course will help any sales associate—seasoned veterans or fresh new hires—lock ...read more
Following the launch of our "Boost Your Sales: Footwear" course last year, we're rolling out 12 more Retail College classes over the next several months to help outdoor specialty retailers boost their sales in numerous categories. We know that you have other training tools at ...read more
As the outdoor movement gains momentum by the day, brands and retailers are pondering, "Who is my next customer?" ISPO, the German trade fair, and the market research institute Rheingold partnered to provide new insights into current and prospective outdoorists, and the way they ...read more
Fact: 55 percent of all online product searches start with Amazon. Fact: There are more than 550 million products for sale on Amazon. Fact: 3,500 new anonymous 3 party (3P) sellers join the Amazon marketplace everyday. This last stat is a real doozie: By virtue of their ...read more
Rich Hill, president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is fired up. Anonymous 3P sellers on marketplaces – especially Amazon – are the single-biggest threat to the health of the specialty outdoor industry ecosystem in 2019, he told his members at the Grassroots Connect Show in ...read more
When Christine Iksic's lifelong friend expressed an interest in wanting to accompany her on an overnight backpacking trip, it dawned on Iksic. She had assumed her friend wasn't interested in doing "outdoorsy" things, but really, she just didn't have the equipment or knowledge to ...read more
Truth: Canoes, kayaks, and standup paddleboards are perfectly suited to family fun. A day paddling on a mirror flat lake, fishing from a kayak, or splashing in the waves on a SUP for the first time can build vivid lifelong memories for kids and parents. And great specialty ...read more
Welcome to SNEWS’ Boost Your Sales: Footwear course, which is part of our new Retail College series aimed at educating retail employees on the latest gear tech and most proven sales techniques. Whether you’re a seasoned vet looking to bone up on the newest materials and features ...read more
While lounging at a picnic table outside of Pack Rat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, I’m distracted by a woman tossing out a garbage bag. When I ask the store’s Sustainability Director, Faebyan Whittle, if it’s the day’s trash, she replies, “No, that’s the recycling; ...read more
Before Amy Kleissler was hired in June of 2014, she had been a loyal customer for years. She noticed a call for interested applicants at the bottom of a TB&C newsletter. With her four boys coming home from school for the summer she said,”I had to get out of the house and thought ...read more
Successfully producing outdoor gear used to be such a simple endeavor: Make great product, then sell it through retail partners, or directly through a catalog or your own store. These days, the formula has become a lot more complicated. With the option to distribute through a ...read more
Successfully producing outdoor gear used to be such a simple endeavor: Make great product, then sell it through retail partners, or directly through a catalog or your own store. These days, the formula has become a lot more complicated. With the option to distribute through a ...read more
Successfully producing outdoor gear used to be such a simple endeavor: Make great product, then sell it through retail partners, or directly through a catalog or your own store. These days, the formula has become a lot more complicated. With the option to distribute through a ...read more
Successfully producing outdoor gear used to be such a simple endeavor: Make great product, then sell it through retail partners, or directly through a catalog or your own store. These days, the formula has become a lot more complicated. With the option to distribute through a ...read more
Successfully producing outdoor gear used to be such a simple endeavor: Make great product, then sell it through retail partners, or directly through a catalog or your own store. These days, the formula has become a lot more complicated. With the option to distribute through a ...read more
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 ...read more
