Fall 2019 - Inside Outdoor Magazine
Inside Outdoor | FALL 2019 30 Rental Central By Gerald Baldino The retailer’s guide to gear rental services B uying behavior is shifting in the outdoor in- dustry, as a growing number of consumers are choosing to rent gear rather than own it. This trend is changing the retail landscape in a big way, putting even more purchasing power in the hands of customers and forcing retailers to tweak their business models in the process. The shift is being driven by a combination of factors. Consumers, for instance, like the idea of being able to live and travel lighter. Gone are the days of having to drag out an item like a bulky kayak from storage, strap it to your car, clean it and return it at the end of the day. Now, this type of item easily can be reserved online and picked up at a local distribution point, saving space at home and making adventure travelling significantly easier. Sustainability also is a top priority for outdoor consumers, and the gear rental trend aligns closely with this demand. By renting instead of owning, consumers can obtain and share the latest gear without having to continuously buy new products, thus reducing their footprints. Perhaps just as powerful an influencing factor push- ing consumers toward renting, though, is consumer debt. U.S. adults aged 18 and over report having an average of $29,800 in personal debt, exclusive of mort- gages, according to new findings from Northwestern Mutual. And that’s an improvement over last year when U.S. adults reported an average of $38,000 in personal debt. The research also revealed that 15 percent of Americans believe they’ll be in debt for the rest of their Start ‘emUp
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