BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Verde Brand Communications is launching an online training program tailored to retailers, reps, manufacturers, guides and other members of the bike industry focused on the women’s market.
The Colorado-based PR, marketing and events firm focused on the outdoor, ski and bike industries, assembled the panelists and speakers for the Women’s Collective, a new area at the Interbike trade show. The 30-minute seminars over the first two days of the show covered topics such as designing female-friendly environments, best practices from women-focused retailers, the latest data on female cycling participation, trends in women’s gear and sales, and lessons from a 125-member women’s cycling group in Boulder, Colo.
“Verde’s panels were standing-room only and we had great audience engagement,” said Kristin Carpenter-Ogden, founder and CEO of Verde Brand Communications. “It was fantastic to be a part of the energy of this show and to truly feel that the bike industry is committed to growing the ranks of female cyclists and learning how to authentically serve women.”
That content is serving as a launching pad for Verde’s online training called What Women Want: Cycling. The program covers the power of the female economy, identifying customer needs and preferences, best practices in merchandising, strategic buying, marketing, hiring and community-building events.
The five-part series consists of podcasts. Each audio training module includes downloadable worksheets to guide implementation. Retailers who complete the online course will receive a certificate that can be displayed both online and in the store.
Verde developed a similar educational series focused on the business of the backcountry that tackled safety issues and how to sell backcountry products. It drew experts such as avalanche forecasters and head of sales for major companies in that category.
Retailers can sign up to receive a free summary of the Interbike merchandising tour led by Mercedes Ross of Merchandising Werx! The summary offers merchandising insights retailers can implement immediately in their stores, and scratches the surface of the more comprehensive tools and ideas in the complete What Women Want: Cycling training program.
The summary is available at verdeacademy.com.
Verde is offering the full online training program for an introductory rate of $197 until Oct. 5. After that, it will be priced at $297. The program will launch in mid-October.
“Since our founding 14 years ago, Verde has served the bike industry. Through this training, Verde is giving something very meaningful back to one of our founding markets — opportunity for sustained growth,” said Carpenter-Ogden. “We want to create lifers. That’s done by knowing how women develop and experience a passion for a sport or fitness outlet, and how we like to shop and interact with brands. Women love being part of a community. We’re incredibly loyal when we feel included and we love to share great experiences,” she added.
