Our team at Zaneray just returned from the Outdoor Retailer 2025 trade show, one of the largest in North America for the outdoor industry. Our goal was to listen closely to what B2B outdoor brands need to grow online.
This year's event brought together hundreds of outdoor brands and thousands of buyers, all exploring the latest trends in the outdoor space.
We heard the same core questions repeatedly from merchants looking to personalize and optimize the customer journey.
In this post, we are addressing the top eCommerce challenges we heard from the show and will provide practical solutions for outdoor brands who are navigating this evolving landscape.
1. What eCommerce platforms work best for outdoor retailers and B2B brands?
The right platform for Outdoor retailers depends on your business model and growth goals. Two strong options we often recommend are:
- Shopify: It's ideal for direct-to-consumer focused outdoor brands. It's fast to launch, scalable, and supported by a rich app ecosystem.
- BigCommerce: It is built for more mature and complex B2B business requirements and hybrid models and includes native features like customer-specific pricing and multi-storefront support.
As specialists in the outdoor retail industry, ZaneRay works with the top technology partners to help brands maximize their growth and performance by providing them with the right tools, integrations, and platform strategy to grow their eCommerce practice..
2. How do I optimize my site for both B2B buyers and DTC customers?
An increasing number of outdoor and apparel brands are merging B2B and DTC operations on a single site, streamlining processes while tailoring the experience for each audience.
- Personalized experiences: Show customer-specific pricing, catalogs, and payment terms via login.
- Flexible checkout: Support bulk orders, purchase orders (POs), and tax exemptions for B2B while maintaining a fast and intuitive checkout process for DTC.
- Unified Backend: Seamlessly integrates with ERP, CRM, and inventory systems.
At ZaneRay, we specialize in creating hybrid eCommerce experiences for B2B and DTC. Brands like Patagonia, Black Diamond, Gozney, Traeger Grills, Arcteryx and Martins Industries have trusted us to create flexible, scalable storefronts that serve multiple audiences, creating a D2C-like experience without doubling the workload.
3. What are the biggest eCommerce trends for outdoor retailers in 2025?
By 2025, outdoor retailers will have doubled down on digital innovation to meet rising customer expectations.
- Omnichannel everything: Customers expect a seamless experience across online, retail, and dealer channels.
- Personalization at scale: Tailored content, product recommendations, and loyalty programs drive engagement and create loyal customers.
- AI-powered optimization: This includes smarter merchandising, predictive search, and customer support.
4. How can outdoor brands drive online sales while also supporting retail partners?
For outdoor brands aiming for sustainable growth, balancing direct sales and retail partnerships is key.
- Omnichannel integration is essential. Connect online and in-store experiences to create a consistent customer journey.
- Use collaborative tools. Share inventory, promotions, and customer data with retail partners to increase sales together.
- Flexible fulfillment: Offer options like buy online, pick up in-store to increase foot traffic and provide customers with the ability to choose which experience best meets their needs in a given moment..
As a strategic partner specializing in outdoor retail, ZaneRay helps brands build omnichannel strategies and ecosystems to grow both their brand and online revenue: https://zaneray.com/industry-vertical-outdoors
5. How do I improve product storytelling for outdoor gear and apparel?
Outdoor brands thrive by telling authentic stories that connect with their customers on an emotional level to inspire their passion while promoting their products.
- Storytelling that demonstrates how the gear performs during real-life adventures with ambassadors, athletes and everyday customers.
- Engaging visuals and videos that immerse buyers in the brand experience.
- Optimized user experience (UX) that guides purchase decisions and invites users to explore the brand’s lifestyle and values.
At ZaneRay, we specialize in UX Design, helping brands like Yeti Cycles create immersive and authentic story-driven experiences that deepen customer connection while boosting conversion.
6. What are the best practices for launching a new product online in the outdoor space?
For marketing teams at outdoor brands, product launches are an opportunity to excite adventurous customers and create a positive first impression.
Build excitement early with teaser campaigns, exclusive previews, and partnerships with influencers who resonate with your audience. Ensure your product pages clearly communicate the benefits of your products with inspiring visuals and an easy path to purchase. Monitor performance closely and use data to quickly adjust your campaigns to turn initial buzz into lasting sales.
7. How can outdoor brands use content marketing to drive eCommerce sales?
Content marketing is a powerful tool to boost both SEO and direct sales for outdoor brands.
Creating valuable, activity-focused content like guides, tips, and stories draws in passionate audiences and drives them toward purchase. When content aligns with product messaging and is optimized for search, it builds trust and attracts qualified traffic. Marketing teams can leverage this strategy to create a continuous pipeline of engaged customers.
8. How do we build loyalty and repeat purchases in outdoor eCommerce?
Increasing customer lifetime value is a priority for every brand.
A smart CRM strategy combined with personalized email campaigns, loyalty programs, and targeted retention tactics is key. Platforms like Bloomreach offer advanced tools for segmenting customers and delivering personalized offers that encourage repeat purchases. For marketing leaders, establishing meaningful, ongoing engagement that resonates with outdoor communities and customers is paramount.
At ZaneRay, we offer dedicated CRM services to help brands implement loyalty strategies that increase repeat sales and strengthen customer relationships.
9. How do leading outdoor brands manage seasonality in their eCommerce strategy?
Seasonality influences buying behavior significantly in the outdoor retail industry. Brands stay ahead by aligning their marketing, inventory, and product launches with these cycles. They use targeted ads and promotional calendars to capture seasonal demand. Accurate forecasting helps them avoid running out of or having too much stock. Flexible inventory management is essential for responding quickly to shifting trends.
10. What are outdoor brands focused on given the market challenges they are facing today?
Outdoor brands are looking to leverage the tools they already have more effectively, shifting their focus toward conversion rate optimization (CRO) to maximize their qualified traffic. As acquisition costs rise, marketers are investing in A/B testing, behavioral insights, and on-site enhancements to increase conversions without spending more.
Are you ready to turn insights into action?
At ZaneRay, we help outdoor brands transform strategies into high-performing digital experiences across eCommerce, UX design, content, CRM, and more...
