{"id":5752,"date":"2015-12-09T19:42:33","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T00:42:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/rei-the-outdoor-customers-company\/"},"modified":"2015-12-09T19:42:33","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T00:42:33","slug":"rei-the-outdoor-customers-company","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/rei-the-outdoor-customers-company\/","title":{"rendered":"REI &#8211; the Outdoor Customer&#8217;s Company"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Founded in 1938, REI\u2019s first item was an imported ice axe from Austria because the axe the co-founder, Lloyd Anderson, had bought in Seattle, WA broke the first time he used it. While the outdoors is an exciting and beautiful place, it can be dangerous with unreliable equipment protecting you: REI sets out to provide high quality gear through a partnership with its members, building a loyal community of outdoor enthusiasts.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"REI: Celebrating 75 Years of Adventure, Employee Perspectives\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kqvGOdHTbS0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Co-op Model<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From a customer value perspective, the co-op model is a win-win. After a one time membership fee of $20, a member is rewarded with a 10 percent dividend for life on purchases of full-priced items along with other benefits.\u00a0 With the membership, a customer becomes a partial owner of the REI Co-op. As stated by Former CEO Dennis Madsen, \u201c[\u2026] when customers are owners, their interest is not solely about earnings. They\u2019re interested in seeing good products and prices at their stores.\u201d Members and other customers want to ensure what they are purchasing is high quality which is possible through the profit sharing of the co-op model. The annual dividend ritual builds trust within the REI consumer community because of the level of influence members have within the organization.<\/p>\n<p>The benefit does not stop at the members and customers. Having a co-op model brings value to the company because decisions can be made without the fear of the quarterly earnings review. While the company does need to be profitable, the leadership of REI is able to stay focused on its targets of excellent quality and service for the long term instead of focusing on short term wins.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Products<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>REI provides a wide selection of high quality gear ranging from highly technical equipment for climbing to the causal user\u2019s yoga mat. Within a store, a customer can find a variety of brands for the different items, including REI\u2019s own label. The high quality expectations for all products sold in the store are reinforced through the 100% satisfaction guarantee. If an item doesn\u2019t meet a customer\u2019s high standards, it can be returned for a refund or replacement, even after having used the item (i.e. return sleeping bag after taking it camping). While this seems risky for the company, it build a loyal customer base that continues to come back because the company is putting the customer first.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/outdoor_school_hdr.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-5720\" src=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/outdoor_school_hdr-300x133.jpg\" alt=\"outdoor_school_hdr\" width=\"300\" height=\"133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/outdoor_school_hdr-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/outdoor_school_hdr.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To further put the customer first and ensure they are making the most of the outdoors, REI offers classes in a variety of activities and skill sets to better prepare its customers for their various adventures. These classes are offered at REI\u2019s Outdoor School, in-store, as well as online. Along with the classes, REI organizes adventures through a portion of its stores, to help the community explore the outdoors in ways they might not have otherwise. These opportunities build the REI community, building loyalty to the organization and transforming REI into a lifestyle brand.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Walking the Walk<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A company can provide all the right products and services, but without believing in its mission at its core, it will not thrive. REI is in love with the outdoors and wants to introduce as many people as possible to it. At every level of the company, employees are enthusiastic about the outdoors. Having the staff of the various locations actually using the products sold brings another layer of value to the company and the customer because they have a level of product understanding and insight that goes beyond a technical product summary. Another act of REI\u2019s belief in the outdoors was their \u201ccanceling\u201d of Black Friday shopping and saying \u201cGo Outside!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the company has grown, it has a larger impact on the environment it values so much merely due to the increase in operations. Sustainability is a core concern of the company as it continues to grow because outdoor gear is not worth much if there is little wilderness to explore.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>REI has been able, for the past 75+ years, to bring its love of all things outdoors to the customer by engaging them through products and beyond. Backed up by its operating model, the company\u2019s mission continues to bring value to the customer and to REI.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/rei-logo1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-5748\" src=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/rei-logo1-300x186.png\" alt=\"rei-logo\" width=\"300\" height=\"186\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/rei-logo1-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/12\/rei-logo1.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Sources:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2015-03-27\/rei-s-crunchy-business-model-is-crushing-retail-competitors<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.rei.com\/about-rei\/business.html<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/rei.jobs\/careers\/MicroSiteStory<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/REI<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/hbr.org\/2003\/05\/gearing-up-at-rei<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe inspire, educate, and outfit for a lifetime of adventure and stewardship\u201d \u2013 REI Employee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":997,"featured_media":5753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[],"class_list":["post-5752","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/the-tom-challenge-tom-winners-and-losers-assignment\/","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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