Dive Brief:
- REI Co-op is revamping its lifetime membership program, according to a Wednesday press release sent to Retail Dive.
- The company hopes to grow the effort to a 50 million member community by 2030. It currently has 20 million lifetime members. Consumers can purchase a lifetime membership to the co-op for a one-time fee of $30, up from $20.
- The company has five new and enhanced benefits including free standard shipping on U.S. orders, a $5 donation to the REI Cooperative Action Fund with purchase, a monthly curated set of products of brand collaborations and special offers, used gear offerings and a 20% discount for shop services.
Dive Insight:
REI wants everyone to love the outdoors.
That is why the retailer is setting its sights on growing the number of members in its program by tens of millions of shoppers.
The retailer last increased the price of a lifetime membership fee in 2008, but did it without making significant improvements to the program, according to the announcement. Now, people can engage with a number of benefits.
“REI’s membership relaunch comes after more than a year of planning and research. We heard from a diverse group of potential members who shared that the new program has broad appeal to be part of a broader community and creates the opportunity to make a meaningful impact,” Vivienne Long, REI’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
One of those benefits is the members-only ability to shop for used gear through its newly renamed RE/Supply program. The company has offered used gear for purchase for a number of years as a way to make the outdoors more accessible, and previously limited used gear sales to members. Members can shop for used products online, in stores or at its branded Re/Supply stores in Manhattan Beach, California, and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Making secondhand gear available also builds on the rise in popularity of previously owned apparel — a market that is projected to reach $77 billion in the next few years, according to a 2021 report by used-clothing site ThredUp.
This week REI workers at a store in Manhattan on Wednesday voted in favor of unionizing. In an emailed statement, REI acknowledged the vote in favor of the union. “REI firmly believes that the decision of whether or not to be represented by a union is an important one, and we respect each employee’s right to choose or refuse union representation,” the retailer said.
