I'm not one to support the mention of brand and experience in the same phrase, but there is one brand that has been around for a long time that has always embraced a deep understanding of customer needs: REI.

Featured in a Fast Company article "Smart Strategies: Putting Ideas to Work" one of the most telling statements was: "No longer content with the emotional imagery of advertising campaigns, shoppers now demand experiences in exchange for brand loyalty." But there's a lot that the article misses about this particular company and its relationship with customers.

Originally started as a cooperative buying venture in 1938, REI has a reputation of meeting very specific needs of sports enthusiasts. But its deep history in supporting the needs of climbers strongly influenced its evolution as a company, specifically because of contextual demands.

For climbers/hikers, the equipment needed for survival must meet very specific, yet varied needs. In the pre-online '80s REI call centers supported deep interaction with catalog customers. Usually with the catalog in hand, a customer would call to get additional details about a specific product. Often weight and dimensions were critical considerations for purchase (as the exact dimensions/volume of a product were considered in the overall space-planning for a backpack). While there was an extensive database with supporting details about each product that the representative could tap into, the call center itself was stocked with many items. Anyone could and often did grab an item in question to answer very specific detailed questions a customer might have. They had often tried the jackets to know if they might run 'snug' in size, or would share their own opinion about the design of a particular product.

This level of service was unmatched in the industry.

Additionally, the company offered 'grants' to employees. Many people worked at REI because of their own interest in the outdoors, making them better resources of information and experience. Employees planning a particular adventure could submit a request detailing a need to 'test' a particular product as part of their trip. If their request was granted, the employee would be given the product and was required to keep detailed records of their experience with the product during their trip. You can't ask for better ethnographic data.

When a 'new' corporate headquarters was built, it was positioned (I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but it seems hard to believe it wasn't) right next to an extensive bike trail system in the Kent, WA valley (the Green River Trail). Teams of executives were regularly found switching into their spandex gear and embarking on speed adventures over lunch. It was then that I learned just how expensive (yet, desirable) a titanium bike frame was.

With my youth behind me and a husband who's only outdoor adventures are on golf courses, it's been some time since I've been inside an REI. Perhaps there are others who can share their own experiences with the company and how it affects their dedication to the company as a supplier of goods.