The Weekly - June 16, 2020 - 6

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S U M M E R

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# W E A R E C O M M U N I T Y

SOG's Aegis AT
folding knife

Supply
Chain Shakeup

The global pandemic has thrown manufacturing
cycles out of sync, leading to uncertainty around
product deadlines and launches in the outdoor
market. By Amelia Arvesen
EVEN IF SHE COULD, JASMINE

Sanchez wasn't sure if she should
introduce her new hydroshirt brand,
Vessel Athletics, on Kickstarter.
On top of production delays, she
wondered if entering the market during the middle of a sharp economic
downturn was a smart business decision. But a message from Kickstarter
convinced her to go for it. It reminded
her that some of the most successful
businesses started during and right
after the 2008 financial crisis-businesses like Venmo, Instagram, Groupon, and Square. "It's a very pivotal

time for small businesses and startups
to innovate and adapt to this rapidly
changing environment," Sanchez says.
"I think it's an even more exciting time
to launch."
To launch or not to launch-either
a product or an entire brand-is
the question circulating in outdoor
industry meetings during this time
of unpredictability. Each business is
handling a unique set of challenges
based on its category, its audience, its
promises to retailers, and where in
the world its suppliers are stationed.
Many are facing unanticipated delays

6 THE WEEKLY / OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020

in production due to facility closures,
whereas others are voluntarily holding off on unveiling new products
until a more stable time.
Meanwhile, certain categories are
surging with brands trying to keep
up with high demand. WizWheelz/
TerraTrike, maker of recumbent
trikes and accessories, is on track
for a record May, and possibly even
a record year. "There's usually a
certain predictability within the
bike industry," says Mark Crews,
WizWheelz managing director. "But
this is unexpectedly crazy."
Thousand's founder and CEO Gloria Hwang expects to sell out of her
second helmet design, the Chapter,
as soon as it launches on June 23. It's
serendipitous timing for her, since
she was planning the launch anyway.
"Our goal is to keep people safe on
the road," Hwang says. She is also
expediting shipping products from
overseas to keep supporting retailers
with inventory. "Regardless of if we
see sales or not, this was something
we had promised our retailers and
customers for a long time."
For many brands, the greatest
roadblock is in manufacturing. Asian
factories closed first, followed by
Europe's; and now they're opening
back up while many American manufacturers are still closed or behind.
Hwang can't finish a helmet without
a buckle from China. Marshall can't
finish a trike without key components
from China. "Supply chain globally is
just in limbo," Hwang says.
Vessel's Sanchez sent her only prototypes to a manufacturer in Asia, but
the facility shut down days later. Now

without samples, she hasn't been able
to take photos for marketing materials or sign contracts with the manufacturer to get production pumping.
"Hopefully we launch sometime in
summer 2020," Sanchez says.
SOG Specialty Knives & Tools is
one company that is moving forward
with its brand refresh despite COVID-19. "Our position as a brand is
really about our strength as a species
that's derived from our resilience,
which we build up from our relentless
nature to keep pushing ahead," says
SOG VP brand Jonathan Wegner. The
brand supplies outdoorists, as well as
first responders and healthcare workers, and Wegner says it's on-brand to
continue supporting its missions.
Similarly, Oboz Footwear's new
town and trail styles, the Sypes line,
was well timed, with more people
seeking close-to-home adventures.
Marketing director Rich Hohne says
Oboz's line is modest for 2021-existing products will get new colors for
fall and spring-partially because the
brand scaled back.
Mountainsmith is also releasing a few small updates to current
products, but it's postponing a
confidential launch-which it says
is a game-changer-until 2022,
even though the company is itching
to share it. "We want to make sure
it gets the attention we think it
deserves," says Jeff Popp, product
line and development manager at
Mountainsmith. "With the atmosphere right now, and especially
with retailers struggling to hold on,
we just don't think it's an appropriate time to sell it into retail."

CO U R T E SY PA L E M O R N I N G P R

H E A D L I N E S

2 0 2 0

https://wizwheelz.com/ https://sogknives.com/ https://wizwheelz.com/ https://www.explorethousand.com/ http:// https://obozfootwear.com/ https://mountainsmith.com/ https://www.vesselathletics.co/

The Weekly - June 16, 2020

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