Outdoor Retailer Winter Market is the first emergence of a rebranded Beyond Clothing. From the get go, you can’t think of this new brand in terms of the old Beyond Clothing and Beyond Tactical lines. Rather, they have postured themselves as simply Beyond. I was so blown away with what they showed me that I had to think about how to share it with you. We didn’t even talk product. It was all about how Beyond is going to interact with its customers rather than what they are going to see them.
This is Beyond’s booth. The centerpiece is a four-armed, eight foot tall man. They took the measurements of the manikin before it was shipped to OR from the vendor and then custom tailored the clothing in their shop in Seattle over a two day period. It indicates what they can make but he individual 1:1 size manikins along the edge of the booth show customized clothing solutions for a variety of climate challenges. Those displays show what Beyond can do.
They are turning traditional outdoor on its head by focusing on customization for the individual. In the Beyond model the customer is the pro athlete, regardless of his background, requirements or goals. The customer is the participant in the process, a partner if you will, and his needs are the focus of the solution provided by Beyond. For SSD readers that may well be what we consider tactical. But it could just as easily be a hardcore outdoor garment or more of a lifestyle piece. Regardless of the clothing solution, it will be tailored in form, fit and function.
One of the things I like about what I am hearing is that Beyond is transforming to become more than just a site to purchase cool gear. Although in its infancy Beyond is building a community where customers become members and can interact with one another. Granted, Beyond will still have a bench of pros to go to for inspiration and to help answer those interesting questions that pop up. These men and women will be called Guides and will be a part of the community, there to help their fellow travelers.
They’ve already launched their new ecommerce site, but that’s just phase 1. We’ll see more and more content added over the next few months. It’s important to start at their site to see what’s going on.
