Commentary

Maybe REI Had The Right Idea To Close Physical Stores On Black Friday

REI held to its promise of keeping retail stores closed on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. The outdoor sporting goods retailer not only kept physical stores closed, but held off of processing orders until Saturday.

Although REI would not elaborate on its order volume for Black Friday, the company did post on its Web site the day after Thanksgiving that more than 1.4 million chose to #optoutside, sharing photos of their day outdoors on social media using the hashtag #OptOutside. This is how consumers demonstrated their support for the movement. Now some of the photos serve up on  the company's Web site. Perhaps they knew something other retailers didn't.

After all, Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday drove $11 billion in online sales -- a 15% increase year-over-year (YoY), according to data from Adobe. In-store purchases were down, and online purchases rose that day. Adobe's report is based on aggregated and anonymous data from more than 150 million visits to 4,500 retail Web sites. Adobe measures 80% of all online transactions from the top 100 U.S. retailers.

REI's move turned into an awareness campaign that the company calls #optoutside. "We’re deeply humbled by and grateful for your support," a note reads on the company's Web site. "We’re also inspired by your passion. That’s why starting in January we’ll begin a series of conversations, events, actions and stories that explore what it means to truly opt outside and put the outdoors at the center of a life. We look forward to having you join us. Happy holidays to you and yours."

On REI's Web site, entering a ZIP code brings up a list of local places to explore such as Moro Canyon Trail in Laguna Beach. Another click on one of the specific locations, and the site brings up an aerial view and details, such as the type of trail, best activating, elevation, difficulty rating, duration, and whether the location is family and dog friendly.

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