Switchback Spring, June 16-18, 2026 in New Orleans, LA
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Switchback at TRE, December 1-3, 2026 in San Antonio, TX
Outdoor participation continues to grow, creating new opportunities to strengthen the outdoor economy. In this session, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) will share the latest insights into who’s getting outside, how people are participating, and what these trends mean for brands and retailers.
Drawing from OIA’s trusted research and business intelligence, this session will explore participation trends, demographic shifts, and activity growth—connecting the data to consumer behavior and spending. Attendees will gain actionable insights to help make informed decisions, better serve both core and casual outdoor participants, and translate participation growth into meaningful business impact.
As part of OIA’s work to champion equitable outdoor experiences that strengthen the outdoor industry, this session equips attendees with the data and insights needed to navigate a growing and evolving market.
What we’ll cover:
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Ecommerce is now a core part of how specialty outdoor retailers reach, educate, and serve their customers. This panel brings together retailers who have built and integrated online sales into their businesses – not as a replacement for the shop floor, but as an extension of it. Drawing from firsthand experience, panelists will share what has worked, what hasn’t, and the tradeoffs of selling gear both online and in-store. The conversation will focus on using ecommerce to leverage education, community, and maintaining trust while operating across channels, offering practical lessons on strengthening specialty outdoor retail rather than diluting it.
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Outdoor specialty retailers are competing in one of the noisiest landscapes the industry has ever seen. Big brands have bigger budgets, marketplaces offer endless choice, and algorithms often decide what customers see before they ever walk through your door.
In this increasingly digital world, great products and service aren’t enough on their own. The retailers who are winning know how to tell their story, build community, and stay top of mind—without blowing their budgets or burning out their teams.
This session will explore six proven marketing lessons that outdoor specialty retailers can easily use to increase awareness, deepen customer engagement, and drive sales.
We’ll cover practical ways to:
Everything is viewed through a retail-first lens—focused on creative, affordable, and simple-to-execute tactics that work with your existing team, time, and budget. No giant campaigns. No agency-sized resources required.
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This panel will explore how intentional, community-driven approaches can help bridge cultural gaps in off-road and public trail spaces. Using the work of Trail & Ultra Running Fanatics (TURF) as a real-world community model, panelists will share practical insights on how welcoming environments and shared experiences can help build trust, expand participation, and foster long-term connections across diverse communities.
Outdoor brands, specialty retailers, and industry leaders will gain actionable insights into how authentically led community building plays a critical role in shaping and diversifying the future of outdoor culture and industry standards.
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AI has become unavoidable, and most retailers still aren’t clear on how to use it effectively. And for specialty retailers who are running on small teams, trying to remain competitive, and stay searchable online, AI can seem like a daunting, but necessary tool for their business. This session will highlight the most practical and easy to implement use cases of AI, while also addressing its limitations and what functions you should avoid using AI for in your store.
Attendees will walk away with real-world examples of how to make AI work for you – whether it’s to support and amplify marketing efforts, scale your e-commerce presence, or automate laborious processes and reporting that can save your team time. These tools are not meant to replace an employee but will allow your team to spend more time in front of the customer, online or in-store, which leads to a better shopping experience and increased sales!
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