With the seasons changing and spring in the air, we decided to take a look at the outdoor apparel industry to understand today's online shoppers' habits. In any industry, it is difficult for brands to remain relevant and the rise of retail stores certainly makes it even harder.

This blog focuses on three of the largest outdoor brands – Columbia, Patagonia, and The North Face – as well as two of the largest outdoor retailers – REI and Dick's Sporting Goods. We will explore how these household names position themselves in this space, the strategies they use to drive website traffic and the quality of the traffic they each win.

1. The US outdoor apparel category has grown 4% YoY.
2. Retailers are on track to become threats to outdoor apparel brands.
3. Brand strength gives patagonia.com an edge over its competition as evidenced by its high rates of direct traffic.
4. Rei.com had the largest growth in website visits, by 14% YoY.