The modern path to purchase is anything but linear. Today’s consumers jump effortlessly between online, mobile, and in-store experiences—often researching on one channel, comparing prices on another, and purchasing in a third.
For outdoor retailers, that means understanding the customer journey requires more than counting transactions. It demands connecting the dots between every touchpoint to see a complete picture of what customers want, how they behave, and what drives loyalty.
Brands that collect and analyze this customer data with a holistic, connected approach are finding a measurable competitive advantage. Those that continue to manage siloed data streams—marketing data here, e-commerce data there, and in-store analytics somewhere else—are missing the insights that lead to smarter decisions.
A great example of how a cohesive data strategy can push brands to the front of the pack is found within the outdoor retail industry.
The Changing Landscape of Outdoor Retail
Mid-market outdoor retailers have long faced an uphill climb against big-box competitors that dominate on price, store size, and product selection. Rather than fighting those battles, many forward-thinking leaders are focusing on data intelligence and customer insight to build relationships that large retailers struggle to replicate.
The opportunity is significant. The outdoor recreation economy generated $1.2 trillion in economic output and supported 5 million jobs in 2023—representing 2.3% of U.S. GDP (Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, 2024). Within that, outdoor retail sales reached roughly $28 billion in 2024, a modest rebound driven by the growth of “casual” consumers entering the category (Outdoor Industry Association, 2024).
That evolution matters. As participation diversifies and price competition tightens, data becomes the differentiator. Mid-market brands that know who their customers are—and how they move between digital and physical channels—can compete through experience, personalization, and relevance, rather than discounts and volume.
Why Business Intelligence Is the New Trail Map
Early research by Aberdeen Group found that 86% of top-performing outdoor retailers used some form of business intelligence, compared with 55% of lagging peers. Today, those numbers have likely climbed even higher.
According to recent analyses, retailers implementing comprehensive BI tools see an average 8.4% lift in sales volume within the first year (Reenbit, 2024). The broader retail analytics market is expected to grow from $8.5 billion in 2024 to $25 billion by 2029 (TruRating, 2024).
For outdoor retailers, that growth isn’t just about technology—it’s about clarity. When customer and operational data live in the same ecosystem, brands can answer questions like:
Which marketing channels drive first-time vs. repeat buyers?
How do local weather trends affect purchase timing?
What cross-category patterns reveal new product opportunities?
The mid-sized brand Nexus Outdoors illustrates this perfectly. By replacing spreadsheets with a real-time dashboard, the company aligned its sales, marketing, and inventory teams—cutting reporting delays from weeks to hours and optimizing product allocation to match regional demand (Retlia, 2024).
From Insight to Action: Key Strategies for Mid-Market Outdoor Brands
1. Build a unified customer view.
Combine data from online purchases, store POS, loyalty programs, and email engagement to understand each customer’s journey. This enables segmentation based on actual behavior, not assumptions—turning anonymous transactions into meaningful relationships.
2. Personalize the experience.
Big-box stores can’t easily replicate the authenticity and local connection smaller brands offer. Use customer data to send targeted offers, provide expert recommendations, or host community events tied to customer interests (for example, local trail runs or gear-fit nights).
3. Let omnichannel work for you.
Despite e-commerce growth, physical stores remain a major growth opportunity, 30% of retailers identify stores as their top revenue driver (NVIDIA, 2024). Integrate online and offline data to enable seamless experiences: “buy online, pick up in store,” mobile reservations for in-store try-on, or localized inventory visibility.
4. Start small, scale smart.
You don’t need enterprise-level AI to make progress. Start by identifying one or two business questions—such as reducing stockouts or improving retention—and implement dashboards or analytics that directly inform those goals.
5. Align data with purpose.
Outdoor consumers value authenticity and sustainability. Use insights to back up those values—measure your sustainability performance, understand what matters most to your customers, and communicate it transparently. Data can tell both your story and your impact.
The Competitive Edge
Mid-market outdoor brands will never win a pricing war with national chains, but they don’t need to. Their greatest advantage lies in human-centered insight: knowing their customers deeply, delivering relevance at every interaction, and turning data into connection.
As the outdoor retail economy continues to grow and evolve, brands that combine the art of relationship-building with the science of analytics will lead the pack, working smarter, not harder, to earn both loyalty and love.
Closing Thought
Outdoor retail has always been about adventure, exploration, and connection to nature. Today, it’s also about connecting data points, and using those insights to create experiences that feel personal, purposeful, and real.
For mid-market retailers ready to put data to work, the opportunity isn’t just to keep up with big-box competitors. It’s to outpace them—by understanding customers better than anyone else.
If you’re interested in learning more about how your brand can gain a competitive advantage through strategic research and customer insights, give us a shout or schedule time for an intro call!
For over 40 years we’ve been working with brands to develop, implement and maintain data-driven strategies best suited to their industry and position. It’s what we love to do, and we’ve gotten pretty good at it.
