Order taking and marketing was on tap for brands able to turn the heads of buyers Monday on Day One of the Outdoor Retailer Summer 2023 show.

Brands gathered at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah as buyers chased everything from accessories and apparel to skincare and outdoor gear following a sleepy start to the year.

“Going into this year, most people were conservative with their bookings, which I think was smart,” said Cory Higgins, co-founder of New Jersey-based Jetty. “Everyone needed to be. It’s a dumb decision to think that the 2021, 2022 trends (for sales) were going to continue. So, there was a little conservative pre-booking. And then Easter was super strong. There was good weather. The reports that I got, everyone was happy. Same thing with Mother’s Day. And then Memorial Day weekend, we had people tell us that they broke records.”

Now, there’s the annual lull after Memorial Day, but it’s looking like a ramp up come Fourth of July, Higgins said.

“All indicators that I’m seeing are we should be having a great summer,” he said.

Coal Headwear Managing Director Joe Windemuth echoed the theme of conservative orders post-pandemic.

“The COVID years in hindsight were really good,” Windemuth said. “When people had a hard time getting inventory, scarcity created bigger pre-orders. So we’ve definitely seen a taper off of those high-watermark numbers.”

Business Goes On

Trevor Reese, chief brand officer of Thread Wallets, reported an insulation from broader conversations on the economy.

In fact, the company was celebrating growth on Monday with a party at a new store – Thread’s first – that just opened at the City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

“I think our price points are really competitive, so we do tend to see ourselves in that insulated part of the market,” Reese said. “Although, I would say the first half of the year, the insulation has been a little bit more thin than what we’re normally used to. Consumer behavior with a lot of the recession talk, whether you think it’s nothing or not, starts to influence the mindset of consumers. But, at least from a wholesale standpoint, our products – other than the bags – still act as a very impulsive purchase.”

It helps when Thread tower displays are right at the cash wrap to woo consumers into a purchase. That’s a little bit harder to do online, which requires different tactics.

“Online it’s hard to drive that impulse selling because no one’s at checkout to say, ‘Hey, here’s this lanyard.’ So we have to be smart in our advertising,” Reese said. “It gets really competitive online when everyone starts to throw sales like they have been. It’s the season of perma-sales and it’s hard for us to compete because if we continue to be on sale, then we’re starting to sacrifice brand value and brand equity. We don’t want to do that.”

Exposure: New Accounts

Branding and marketing were just as much a part of the OR theme as taking orders and growing business.

While some brands reported slow traffic at the show, many said the upside has been the exposure.

Higgins grabbed a clipboard and ticked off the list of buyers who had visited the Jetty booth Monday, which was mostly newcomers to the brand in addition to pop-in retailers who looked at parts of the line and held conversations with executives.

“For us, it’s why we’re here. We’re here for new accounts,” Higgins said.

Duvin Design Co.’s vibrant, retro vibes stood out among more neutral colorways on the show floor, snagging buyer attention.

“We’ve had a good first day and met some new accounts that came by and are interested in the business and enough current accounts in the area to make it worth our while to be here,” Duvin co-founder and Director of Sales Shaun O’Meara said.

O’Meara had been visiting his mom nearby during the OR Snow Show in January, when he decided to walk the show floor and check out who was showing. What he saw was enough to sway him and the company into taking a booth this week.

Duvin turned the heads of a Hawaii outdoor and lifestyle retailer, in addition to a climbing and hiking account looking to bring swim into its store.

The exposure’s been particularly important for newer brands.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve been order taking, but we’ve gotten lots of interest,” said Utu founder Richard Welch. “We never expected to do orders. I think when you’re a new brand, people need to digest it, spend a little time on the site, and learn a little bit more. Now they’ve got our business cards so we can start that conversation.”

To that end, Welch said there was “very strong interest” from a “significant retailer,” in addition to a global cruise ship operator that stopped by to check out Utu’s premium SPF skincare line.

Writing Orders: A/Os and Pre-Books

Those writing orders reported a mix of business for immediates and pre-books.

“I do have some holiday product, like the knit sweaters, but for right now most of the business is going to be immediates or the women’s line that will drop in a couple of weeks on our site. And then I also have some product for spring ’24,” O’Meara said.

Shwood, which also showed at the OR Snow Show in January, returned this week.

“We come here to bring new accounts and meet with existing ones,” co-founder Dan Genco said. “We’re looking for retailers interested in sustainability and plant-based products. So we come hoping to meet with both (existing and new retailers). For us, (Outdoor Retailer’s) a way for them to discover the brand.”

For eyewear, it’s mainly immediates buyers are looking to scoop up and the time of year aids in that momentum, he said.

“I think for the eyewear space, with sunglasses, they see it. They love it. They want to buy it. And, it’s summer,” Genco said of the type of trade show business Shwood generally does.

“Deeper Conversations”

Igloo President of Domestic Mobile Cooling Josh Militello said Monday it was mostly existing wholesale partners coming through the brand’s showroom, which was set off in a meeting room separate from the main floor.

Militello said being in a separate meeting room allows for “deeper conversations” with customers, helping balance out the lack of new buyers passing by outside the main show floor.

The Igloo team was showing pieces from its expanded Trailmate Series of coolers, which are made domestically as the business focuses on growing its sporting goods customers.

Atwyld’s booth was turning heads, particularly with its Pit Crew Jumpsuit – a best seller for the brand – and the No Service jumpsuit.

“We’re a small and growing brand, so everyone’s kind of new to us as far as buyers,” said co-founder Anya Violet. “There’s definitely a lot of crossover between outdoor lifestyle, fashion, and motorcycling. It’s all mixing now and there are a lot of really cool boutiques that are seeing that.”

The Costa Mesa-based business is predominantly direct-to-consumer, but Violet said that will likely evolve over time to be 50/50.

“It’s been exciting because you’re seeing consumers return more to the mom-and-pop boutiques and more the curated boutiques versus some of the big chain stores, and we’re seeing the same thing when it comes to the interest that we’re seeing at OR,” she added.

For Indosole founder Kyle Parsons, OR marks a return to the trade show circuit for the brand, as it seeks to expand distribution. The quality of conversations he said he’s been able to have with buyers have made the show the right investment.

“It’s always been a fitting show for us because people really care about sustainability and ethical practices,” Parsons said. “For us, we’re all about recycled materials and processes and we feel that the consumer base and the retail base at this show care more than at any other show. They actually really get the intention. It’s not just about price or the minimum order. It’s about understanding the full story.”

Kari Hamanaka can be reached at [email protected]. 

Editor’s Note: For more from our coverage of Outdoor Retailer, check out our story on Circana’s presentation of outdoor industry trends here. 

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  Anya Violet of Atwyld. Photo by SES.

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  Cory Higgins of Jetty. Photo by SES.

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  Trevor Reese of Thread Wallets. Photo by SES.

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  Shaun O'Meara of Duvin Design Co. Photo by SES.

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  Hannah Beauchemin and Kharma Vella of Poler. Photo by SES.

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  Dan Genco, Gregg Shaw, Ryan Kirkpatrick, and Rian Rhoe of Shwood Eyewear. Photo by SES.

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  Kai Paul and Kyle Parsons of Indosole. Photo by SES.

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  Bob Gundram of C3 and Nick Sargent of SIA. Photo by SES.

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  Podcast host, author and former SES reporter Shelby Stanger has a new book. Photo by SES.

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  Adrienne Berkes, Ben Soto, Josh Militello, and Jeff Diamond of Igloo Products. Photo by SES.

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  Patricia Thornton of Psycho Tuna. Photo by SES.

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  Psycho Tuna apparel. Photo by SES.

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  The Outerknown booth. Photo by SES.

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  Nick Lanfranco and McKenna Lanfranco of Pop Board Co. Photo by SES.

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  Jimmy Blakeney and Thomas Papp of Isle Paddle Boards. Photo by SES.

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  Coal is introducing a sock line made with sustainable materials. Photo by SES.

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  Richard Welch of Utu. Photo by SES.

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  Quentin Humphrey of WGSN delivering a talk on Day One. Photo by SES.

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  An education session at The Camp. Photo by SES.

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  Attendees gather outside the entrance to the show floor on Day One of Outdoor Retailer's Summer 2023 show. Photo by SES.

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  The busy registration line on Day One. Photo by SES.