FEATURE
executives from the outdoor industry. I particularly enjoyed the presentation by
Locally, who describe themselves as the leading online-to-offline shopping solution. They made some very interesting points about the latest trends in retail and e-commerce. They were especially provocative in stating that most D2C companies tend to ignore what consumers actually want by forcing them down a particular path that only includes the products they sell. They also commented that the push to e-commerce - whilst fuelled by the pandemic - has now levelled off at 20%, which means the vast majority of people (in certain categories) still want to shop in physical stores. Marketplaces (like Amazon), not single- brand retailers, continue to hoover up most of those ecomm sales. They presented a case study on their work
accessorised with carefully curated complementary brands.
This year’s theme - which was accompanied by an overhaul of their whole design identity - was ‘Love Every Contact,’ drawing parallels between contact in outdoor sport and contact in business. In my opinion, this was a stretch, but visually, it looked stunning. Just like Eurobike, there’s been a growing emphasis on diversifying the experience at the show. In this sense, there was real innovation in terms of what was on offer. Yes, there were several core halls with big brands like Patagonia, Berghaus, and Rab, but there were also lots of sports experiences: a padel court, pickleball demos, and a basketball hoop, as well as more sophisticated gallery- style exhibitions featuring high-end brands presented by Highsnobiety. This was next to the Zeitgeist area, complete with pop-up shops for the likes of Bellroy, We Norwegians, and Snow Peak. Like Eurobike’s increasing adoption of themed keynote presentations and formal networking opportunities - which has accelerated since its move to Frankfurt. In addition to the exhibition space, there was a five-stage conference track running at different locations during the show. There was a huge main stage set in the round, which featured the likes of Julian Nagelsmann (current German National Team Coach), Malaika Mihambo (Olympic and World Champion Long Jumper), and Andre Agassi (multiple tennis Grand Slam winner). These were, of course, mixed with leading commentators and
38 | February 2025
with Trek to ‘Redefine the Future of Bicycle Retail,’ using their platform to create a seamless omnichannel experience - with no dead ends for consumers - across its entire network (in both branded stores and IBDs). It’s a complex proposition that I can’t do justice to here, but it’s
definitely worth looking into if you’re a brand looking to solve similar challenges. I mention this, of course, because this was one of only a handful of times that bikes featured at the show. No surprises, of course - the bike industry has its own show - but this was in marked contrast to the summer Outdoor by ISPO show I attended in 2023 and the last ISPO show in 2022, where there was more crossover with bikes.
Given the recent pandemic-inspired bike boom of 2020-2021, outdoor businesses were very keen to get in on the action by 2022, with a number of brands launching products targeting this hot market. It’s fair to say that, by 2024, most brands have seen the heat go out of that market and reassessed their plans. I spoke to one senior executive from Equip (owner of Rab and Lowe Alpine) who said they are still selling their range aimed at cyclists, but it’s been put on the back burner so they can focus on their core customers, where they’ve been enjoying growth in a flat market. For full transparency, it should be said that we were there because SHIFT wanted to expand the number of brands it works with in the space. But, much like those at Rab/Lowe Alpine, our priority and focus remains firmly on the bike industry and the growing segments within cycling. So, all in all: I would say that there wasn’t a huge amount for cycling companies to take away from the show. The opportunities to find new customers or markets were limited.
www.bikebiz.com
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