As a creator of "technical apparel for recreation," Outdoor Voices has set itself apart in the world of activewear—but this has not been without others trying to imitate its products and success. In the process of developing its brand, Outdoor Voices created a large, supported community of devoted fans. As such, it is now using this audience as a sounding board for the creation of new products.
The Running collection from Outdoor Voices is the first from the brand to ask for customer input via social media. As Outdoor Voices CEO Tyler Haney describes: "We said, ‘We’re building an assortment around jogging and running. Tell us what your preferences are, what kind of support you need,’ and we folded that back into our product development." In response, Outdoor Voices will be launching six to eight pieces to meet the needs of its customers.
Beyond this product development round, Outdoor Voices plans to create future projects in a similar way, where crowdsourced customer input is an essential part of the creation process.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Crowdsourced Product Development
- Using customer input for product development creates opportunities for disruptive innovation in the apparel industry.
- Community Engagement
- Building a strong customer community can be a disruptive innovation opportunity for brands in the outdoor apparel industry.
- Social Media Collaboration
- Leveraging social media platforms for customer collaboration can lead to disruptive innovation in the activewear sector.
Where This Applies
- Outdoor Apparel
- The outdoor apparel industry can benefit from leveraging customer input for developing new products.
- Activewear
- Incorporating customer preferences into activewear design can lead to disruptive innovation in the industry.
- Social Media Marketing
- Using social media platforms to engage with customers and gather feedback can be a disruptive innovation opportunity for marketing in the apparel industry.
