Two Nebraska-based outdoor companies have come together on an innovative in-store experience coined “Digital Trailheads,” a new tool designed to help customers find local resources and experience the outdoors like never before.
Digital Trailheads feature intense 360-degree “virtual reality” content showcasing Cabela’s Ambassadors pushing products to their limit, along with maps and local resources designed to help customers find places to go. The project will be unveiled at the grand opening of Cabela’s El Paso, TX, and Albuquerque, NM store locations in mid-September.
According to Cabela’s Senior Manager of Commercialization, Brandon Beck, the project represents a continued effort by the retailer to push the quality of the experience delivered to customers at the point of sale. “People come to Cabela’s because our stores go to great lengths to deliver a meaningful experience, from the store environment to our selection of products and passionate Outfitter team. Years ago we began installing taxidermy collections and aquariums in our stores.
Today’s announcement of our Digital Trailhead project is part of our continued effort to push the Cabela’s experience beyond where we’ve been,” said Beck. “Imagine standing in a store, wearing a VR headset, and experiencing something as exciting as a 360-degree, white-knuckled float following an Alaska moose hunt, to something as simple as learning how to setup a tent you could pick up right down the aisle. There is a lot of room to grow on this idea, so it’s rewarding to begin sharing it with our customers.”
As the Cabela’s team constructed the vision for the Digital Trailheads project it became clear the addition of touchscreens in the store could be used for much more than selling product or entertaining passers-by. Adding resources customers or Outfitters could reference during a conversation seemed like a natural way to help people find places to enjoy the outdoors. Powderhook CEO, Eric Dinger, offered a solution.
“For many people, their local Cabela’s store is how they find out where to go, what to do, when to do it, and more. As Cabela’s customers ourselves, we’ve often found their Outfitter team extremely helpful, but lacking some of the tools that could really put the experience over the top. Giving Cabela’s the ability to use our map data in their stores was a good way for us to add value to those interactions. It’s so important that we, as an industry, make it easier for people to get out, and hopefully some of our tools in the hands of Cabela’s Outfitters can help make that happen,” said Dinger.
Cabela’s Grand Openings are scheduled just in time for the kick-off of the hunting season. El Paso, Texas is set to open its doors September 14th, with the Albuquerque store opening September 21st.
About Powderhook:
Powderhook promises to help people get outdoors more often. The Powderhook app and website are a one-stop place to find local, current information and expertise simply not available anywhere else. Our mission is ‘Access for All,’ which means we’re bringing all the local updates, groups, trips, events, and spots we can into one simple-to-use resource. For more information, visit us at www.powderhook.com.