REI Co-op Relaunches Lifetime Membership Program

Rosemary Feitelberg
·5 min read

Just like its rivals, REI Co-op is trying to attract lifelong, loyal customers — and a new incentive is designed to help with the lure.

For the first time in 84 years, the retail chain has revamped its lifetime membership program with new benefits. The onetime price for a lifetime membership has also gotten a boost from $20 to $30.

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With each new membership that is purchased, REI will donate $5 to the REI Cooperative Action Fund to support organizations that are committed to justice, equity and belonging in the outdoors. The pandemic shutdown was a boom to outdoor pursuits, with millions getting into socially distanced fresh air activities for the first time and maintaining those interests after indoor businesses and pastimes returned to normal operations. Forty-four national parks in the U.S. set visitation records last year.

REI has invested more than $100 million in organizations that create access to outdoor places and experiences since 1976. Last year more than 460 nonprofits benefited from $6.3 million. The company has 174 stores in 41 states and in the District of Columbia.

In an interview Tuesday, REI senior vice president and chief marketing officer Vivienne Long said as a member-driven co-op, REI has an aspiration to encourage everyone to get outdoors. With 20 million co-op members currently, the company aims to have 50 million members within the next 10 years. “We have a little bit of time to get there,” she said.

Last year, nearly 1.5 million people became lifelong members — an all-time annual high for REI, according to Long. “The outdoors is definitely resonating with a lot of people. The coronavirus renewed a lot of people’s focus on the outdoors. We worked really hard to support customers and members, during a time when people ready needed and wanted the outdoors,” she said.

Citing the co-op’s heritage that started with 23 friends coming together through “their shared love of the outdoors,” Long said: “The reality is we need to be bringing in not only more people, but the future generation — younger, more diverse — so bringing in almost different types of people that we’ve traditionally had in our member base. A big part of our benefits is really thinking about, ‘What are the needs of a future generation of outdoor enthusiasts?’”

Last fall the Seattle-based REI launched a $30 million initiative to help 300 entrepreneurs of color. Founders and entrepreneurs of color — and outdoor enthusiasts of color — have historically been overlooked by the $460 billion outdoor industry.

One of the five new benefits is the expansion of a program focused on its used gear offerings, which is now called Re/Supply. Members can buy those items year-round online or in the retailer’s two Re/Supply stores in Manhattan Beach, Calif. and in Conshohocken, Penn. With “tremendous excitement” around used gear from younger members, the retailer is also offering members the opportunity to trade in their used gear. The effort helps to keep used gear out of landfills and offers members the chance to try outdoor activities without first committing to buying the necessary equipment. Consumers who turn in used gear will receive a gift card with a percentage of the value of those items that can be use for future purchases. Free shipping, a broader selection of monthly members-only drops and increased discounts for shop services such as bike tune-ups are a few of the other benefits.

While togetherness or a united body is the objective of the lifetime membership relaunch, REI employees in its SoHo store have been seeking a different kind of collectiveness: a labor union. As for how coverage of their attempts to unionize are going to help or hinder this membership initiative, Long declined to comment, noting it is not her area of interest.

Today’s relaunch of the lifetime membership program coincides with a decisive day for the SoHo store employees. The vote on whether to unionize REI SoHo is slated for Wednesday, with the results expected to be announced shortly thereafter. The retailer’s 116 staffers there submitted a filing to the National Labor Relations Board seeking a formal union election and recognition last month.

Long said: “From a member’s standpoint, there’s a lot of interest from our members in how we help support their journey. We’re definitely very focused on reaching out to our current member base to tell them about these additional benefits. They are already grandfathered in. For new folks, who are not as aware of REI, we will be spending time over the next year and into the future just introducing ourselves in markets across the U.S.”

Prospective and current members have emphasized the importance of creating equity in the outdoors and preserving green spaces, Long said. This year the company expects to generate up to $7 million for the action fund through new members.

A major marketing plan gets underway Wednesday to raise awareness, especially in markets in the Midwest, the South and Northeast, where the company has stores, but is not as well-known as it is in the West, Long said. Digital naturally will be a key part, as well as in-store efforts, as well as email and direct mail pitches. REI has not rounded up more social media influencers for the membership campaign, but is relying on people that the company already works with to encourage people to get outdoors.

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