Cabela's 2014 Annual Report Download - page 4

Product Innovation
During the first 50 years of our existence, we built a
variety of brands at Cabela’s®. In fact, as of several years
ago, we had more than 200 brands trademarked. Many
of these brands resonate deeply with our customers and
create meaningful market awareness. This led us to the
conclusion that we could compete with premium brands
in the marketplace. In 2014, we took the opportunity to
elevate three of our brands to be best-in-class premium
brands with a focus on a sub-brand strategy in our
Instinct™, Guidewear® and XPG® brands. While the
premium-level brands we offer account for roughly 10%
of our overall assortment, we felt compelled to offer
customers premium products under the Cabela’s brand
of which they have grown so fond.
Our Instinct brand provides a premium assortment for
the accomplished hunter who hungers for the next great
hunt, always preparing his mind, body, soul and gear
for each and every opportunity in the field. Our deep
heritage in the hunting sports has provided us with the
expert knowledge and experience required to develop
this highly technical line of products.
The XPG (Extreme Performance Gear) brand was
designed for the ambitious adventurer who is
determined to conquer the next challenge and
encourages others to face their challenges. Our XPG line
offers premium products to outdoor enthusiasts who
spend their time in the backcountry and have a need for
fast, light and durable equipment to help them complete
their outdoor quests.
While our Guidewear brand has been part of our
assortment for some time, we have elevated the quality,
technical features and durability of this assortment.
Our Guidewear products fulfill our customers’ needs
for performance gear in extreme weather conditions,
whether it be an ice-fishing adventure or enduring a
rainstorm during a bass-fishing tournament.
We believe our ability to offer these premium brands
under the Cabela’s name has allowed us to provide our
customers with the ultimate in outdoor gear no matter
their objective.
Omni-Channel Enhancements
Throughout 2014, we continued to enhance our omni-
channel model, providing our customers with the world-
class experience they expect, no matter how they prefer
to interact with us.
We continued to make meaningful emotional
connections with customers with our It’s In Your Nature®
campaign through many media sources, including many
of our new social media capabilities. Our DCEM (Digital
Customer Experience and Marketing) program continues
to grow after being implemented in 2013. We have
grown operations in our Rocky Mountain foothills office
to more than 70 Outfitters who focus on enhancing
customer relationships through social media, digital
marketing, mobile devices and email campaigns.
The integration of our omni-channel fulfillment
capabilities in 2013 continues to satisfy our customers’
needs at a world-class level and has been expanded
to the majority of our retail locations. With the ability
to fulfill direct-channel orders from our retail stores,
we can give our customers access to our inventory
assortment across the Company, rather than generating
a negative online experience when we do not have a
specific product in our distribution centers.
In keeping pace with the evolution of technology, during
2014, we introduced several improvements to our
cabelas.com website as well as to our cabelas.com
mobile platform. Our customers can now explore our
assortment in an online environment that is much
more enjoyable.
These improvements, along with many more, generated
outstanding customer response. For 2014, our Voice of
the Customer survey resulted in a rating of 87.9, again
putting us at the top of the list consisting of the most
respected names in retail.
Distribution
In 2014, our distribution operations continued to perform
at a world-class level and were able to keep up with
the expansion of more than one million retail square