Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2023 - Salt Lake City, Utah

I got to go to the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Salt Lake City thanks to my friend at Clayer [https://clayerworld.com/].

This trip aligned well with Scoot Trade’s mission to find new resources for our industry, so off to Salt Lake City, Utah I went!

Scooters are on the margin of the outdoor industry, connected just enough to find a few interesting prospects.

The first thing I noticed while attending, scootering is not the only industry facing difficulties.

The Snow Show reflected the struggle, with most top brands not present, saving their marketing budgets. Retailer attendance was limited, with reps and designers wandering in mass on the trade show floor, seeking their next gig.

In this set-up, start-ups and innovative products shined. Top innovative awards went to new brands often boosting new environment friendly “savoir-faire” (from recycled skis to wool band-aids!).

Nearly everyone on the show floor echoed the same sentiment, a shared view of a slow “post-pandemic” climb for the outdoor industry despite growing demographics.

Freshy World

The guys at Freshy World [https://www.freshyworld.com/] with their bright color shoes & snow apparel brought some sunshine to snowy SLC, and a show dominated by “earth tone fashion”.

Scoot Trade is currently getting the new Freshy skate model tested by our affiliate pro Vincent Kudrna. We are exploring the opportunity to bring Freshy to the scoot market and even partnership with riders to create a new Freshy “scoot shoe”. Freshy World is a California-to-the-heart  brand ready to embrace scootering. Freshy focuses on stylish sneakers and snow-boots.

Would it be nice to have a shoe brand supporting the sport!!??

Let us know what you think!

We also got introduced to 2 new apps that could be of interest for scoot retailers, Order Monster & Map Force!

[https://www.ordermonster.ai]

Order Monster is an app built for retail shops like yours to save you hours of time doing mindless data entry. Simply take a picture of invoices when product comes in, and the app will update your inventory quantities automatically! 

Order Monster offers 60 days free to Scoot Trade network (use the code SCOOT), the service is $30/month after that ordermonster.ai

(* Scoot Trade has no commercial agreement with OM, we just liked their services and team).

This just looks like a no-brainer to save time on administrative work and focus on sales!!

We can expect this start-up to add more time-saving services to their app in the future.

[https://mapforce.io]

Map Force optimizes Google, and Apple Map listing for local businesses, a top source of consumer acquisition. Keeping up to date with new Google regulations, algorithms, and use of AI, this smart Canadian team insure their clients shine on any map search.

How many pics do you have posted on your map listing?

Google’s AI recognizes products and brands from those profile pictures, affecting online search ranking.

It is recommended to have over 200 pictures, including product pics, in your map listing!

MapForce uses Social Media (Insta) to feed those map listing on their clients behalf.

Full services are $140/month.

This smart services could particularly benefit retailers in high urban populations where many families might not know their local shop. It should be good for anyone doing e-scoot as well as those attracts lot of searches.

(* Scoot Trade is set to receive compensation for retailers joining the app.)

Additional Resources

We also met with Outdoor Sports Insurance which provide liability insurance for outdoor brands and retailers (interesting, but we are not getting involved there!), with the genius behind Authentic Labs inventive bar code use, and with the Australia’s Stōkō leggings which double as knee braces thanks to a cable system.

It was also productive to see what the Outdoor Industry Association and the Board Retailers Association (skate/surf focus) can offer to their retailers and industries. It’s inspiring for Scoot Trade to witness the dynamism such cooperation do bring.

On top of all, the show was a good occasion to have breakfast with local retailers Jesse & Hugo at Utah Pro Scooters - Thanks guys!

* Let us know what you think about a Trade-show for the scoot industry…