The North Face has become a company for people of all ages and experiences to shop for stylish, warm, and high impact sportswear. Over the years, The North Face continues to inspire people with their mantra to “Never Stop Exploring™” (The North Face, 2017). Today, The North Face has performance apparel, equipment, and footwear and uses athletes to endorse their brand. (The North Face, 2017). In the 1990s, The North Face focused on inspiring athletes to explore the outdoors with the launch of Tekware™ a new clothing collection for high intensity athletes (The North Face, 2017). Since many of The North Face’s customers are not professional athletes and just enjoy the stylish performance wear, in 2015, The North Face used virtual reality to inspire
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Bean currently has a massive flagship store in Maine, with multiple modes of interactivity throughout the store as well. The store itself tells a story whether it’s through museum-like exhibits, aquariums, or large displays of their signature items. They also have a cafe to encourage customers to simply hang out, or for a little fun, customers can participate in free horse-drawn carriage rides outside the store. To further attract and emphasize L.L Bean’s love for the outdoors, in 2015, L.L. Bean launched their Outdoor Discovery Schools. These schools offer courses, tours, and trips, ranging from a few hours to several days. Customers are able to sign-up in store and online. The majority of the trips are only available in Maine, while some courses are available in other states. Courses and demonstrations are taught at stores or at outdoor locations like parks and reservations (Mckeever, 2015). Their stores have so many opportunities to combine apparel and equipment with technology; whether it be with virtual reality, climate simulators, or demonstrations. For example, a customer is going somewhere with a warm climate and needs apparel/equipment. L.L. Bean could simulate that climate physically and visually with VR, and help them select the perfect merchandise and offer travel recommendations based on where they have …show more content…
Founded in 1912, L.L. Bean’s product line remains focused on the great outdoors and an ever-expanding general clothing section. L.L. Bean’s competitor, The North Face, focuses more on outdoor activities through athletic programs, in comparison to L.L. Bean’s educational workshops and trips (Recomparison, 2011). L.L. Bean is strong in educational experiences, and has opportunity to grow in areas outside of the state of Maine (L.L. Bean, 2017). Currently, L.L. Bean has 42 locations in the United States. Back in 2000 was the first time they opened a store outside of their Freeport Maine location, and they are continuing to grow and open up more stores today. In fact, L.L. Bean is aiming to open up 100 retail stores by 2020 (L.L. Bean New Domestic Stores, 2015). Although they have slowly began to expand, they still are not in all 50 states and rely heavily on online shopping. Many customers remain loyal to L.L. Bean because of their satisfaction guarantee, return policy, and free shipping. However, all those good qualities do not help L.L. Bean attract customers into their actual big stores. Customers would not be able to make a strong emotional connection with the brand if they don’t go to the actual store and know their
Bean currently has a massive flagship store in Maine, with multiple modes of interactivity throughout the store as well. The store itself tells a story whether it’s through museum-like exhibits, aquariums, or large displays of their signature items. They also have a cafe to encourage customers to simply hang out, or for a little fun, customers can participate in free horse-drawn carriage rides outside the store. To further attract and emphasize L.L Bean’s love for the outdoors, in 2015, L.L. Bean launched their Outdoor Discovery Schools. These schools offer courses, tours, and trips, ranging from a few hours to several days. Customers are able to sign-up in store and online. The majority of the trips are only available in Maine, while some courses are available in other states. Courses and demonstrations are taught at stores or at outdoor locations like parks and reservations (Mckeever, 2015). Their stores have so many opportunities to combine apparel and equipment with technology; whether it be with virtual reality, climate simulators, or demonstrations. For example, a customer is going somewhere with a warm climate and needs apparel/equipment. L.L. Bean could simulate that climate physically and visually with VR, and help them select the perfect merchandise and offer travel recommendations based on where they have …show more content…
Founded in 1912, L.L. Bean’s product line remains focused on the great outdoors and an ever-expanding general clothing section. L.L. Bean’s competitor, The North Face, focuses more on outdoor activities through athletic programs, in comparison to L.L. Bean’s educational workshops and trips (Recomparison, 2011). L.L. Bean is strong in educational experiences, and has opportunity to grow in areas outside of the state of Maine (L.L. Bean, 2017). Currently, L.L. Bean has 42 locations in the United States. Back in 2000 was the first time they opened a store outside of their Freeport Maine location, and they are continuing to grow and open up more stores today. In fact, L.L. Bean is aiming to open up 100 retail stores by 2020 (L.L. Bean New Domestic Stores, 2015). Although they have slowly began to expand, they still are not in all 50 states and rely heavily on online shopping. Many customers remain loyal to L.L. Bean because of their satisfaction guarantee, return policy, and free shipping. However, all those good qualities do not help L.L. Bean attract customers into their actual big stores. Customers would not be able to make a strong emotional connection with the brand if they don’t go to the actual store and know their