The Weekly - June 16, 2020 - 15

CO U R T E SY O U T D O O R R E TA I L E R

engage. On the other hand, at Prismatic we had a number of clients in
the small to medium category who
are deeply connected to the value
they are built from and the needs
of their customers. After a drop at
the end of March, they sustained
success at Black-Friday levels for
weeks. Consumer BS radars are very
sensitive-you need the components
of a stellar product, a keen understanding of your customer, and the
ability to activate and meet your
customer on the digital platforms
they want to use.
What challenges do brands
and retailers that want to
compete in e-commerce face
during the COVID-19 crisis?
BH: COVID-19 has been absolutely
devastating to the brick-and-mortar channel. For brands and retailers who have most (or all) of their
eggs in that basket, it is a difficult
time to take the leap into a whole
new digital business model. But one
of my favorite Nike ads of all time
says: "Someone who is busier than
you is running right now." That's
how I feel about selling online right
now. For every company that's
hesitant to dive into digital, there
are 10 other companies that are
older, younger, smaller, bigger, less
invested in the wholesale model,
more invested in the wholesale
model-and killing it online. Before
Emily Weiss was the CEO of the
billion-plus-dollar skincare brand,
Glossier, she was a 28-year-old, exart-school student with no money
and no idea what she was doing. If
she can do it, anyone can.
KR: I recently listened to an episode

of one of my favorite podcasts, How
I Built This with Guy Raz. He was
on with the author Simon Sinek,

talking about building resilience in
these times. Simon made a point
that has stuck with me by highlighting that while this is a tragic and
devastating time in many ways for
communities around the world,
these are not unprecedented times
for businesses. The business world is
very familiar with changing market
conditions or social conditions that
completely shift business models.
As one example, the emergence of
the Internet in the 1990s and 2000s
completely challenged entire industries. Some of them are still reeling
and struggling to keep up.
This is more sudden and jarring,
but having your business model
challenged by a market condition or

social change has happened many
times before and it will continue
to happen far into the future.
It's the businesses that are
driven by their value, and their
reason for existing-their why
at this time-that will have the
capacity to not only meet their
customers where they are at this
moment, but also have the greatest opportunity to pivot based on
resources, talent, and values. We
are seeing this in the companies
(including those in the outdoor
industry) that completely switched
out the product they produce to
make things like PPE. This time
is not about churning out widgets
or being tied to a very specific

product if that product becomes
irrelevant or doesn't actually
make an impact in people's lives.
Leaders who understand that will
continue to evolve, grow, adapt,
re-invent. In the midst of a tragic
situation, It's a beautiful thing to
see the innovators, challengers,
and value-centered companies
that will emerge from this period
of time.
Learn how you can succeed in
e-commerce when Prismatic
CEO Kelly Ramirez and Talkoot
CEO Brian Hennessy join us
on Thursday, June 18, at 4 p.m.
Eastern / 1 p.m. Pacific for The
Weekly Chat. Register here.

THE SHOW GOES
VIRTUAL
Five things you need
to know about Outdoor Retailer Online
Save the date.
Outdoor Retailer is
moving online this
summer for a threeday outdoor business, networking, and
educational event:
Outdoor Retailer Online. From July 21-23,
2020, live programming will foster creative exchange and
inspiration. Better yet,
the platform's matchmaking and discovery
tools will be accessible throughout the
summer. Ready? Here
are five things you
need to know about
the virtual show.
1. The event kicks off
as the Show always
does with the Outdoor Industry As-

sociation's Industry
Breakfast on July 21.
2. Exhibitors can
customize their digital
booth space to stream
video line showings,
host live events and
simultaneous one-onone meetings, promote new products,
and more.
3. Attendees can
discover those new
products and brands,
book live appoint-

ments, snag show
specials, and learn
from industry leaders.
4. Live, scheduled education sessions will
run on the platform
each day from July
21-23, and all sessions
will be available after
the Show on demand.
5. The 10th annual
Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Awards take
place live on July
22, with more social

events to be added.
It may not be quite
the same as meeting
in person at Summer
Market, but Outdoor
Retailer is building a
space for the industry to virtually gather
while apart.
"We really want
Outdoor Retailer
Online to be a place
for our community
to connect and have
conversations. Everyone's business is at a
different place right
now, so we hope this
can support recovery, give brands and
retailers a place to
meet, and provide
resources for future
growth," says Marisa
Nicholson, Outdoor
Retailer senior vice
president and show
director.
Registration is free
and opens this week at
outdoorretaileronline.com.

OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020 / THE WEEKLY 15

https://www.welcometoprismatic.com/ https://talkoot.com/ https://www.outdoorretailer.com/events-education/webinars/ http://www.outdoorretaileronline.com

The Weekly - June 16, 2020

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