Ashley Korenblat, Outerbike CEO & Kristin Carpenter of Channel Mastery talk “Your Friend in the Bike Business.”
/Ashley Korenblat, Outerbike CEO & Kristin Carpenter of Channel Mastery talk “Your Friend in the Bike Business.”
With the cancellation of Outerbike's 2020 events, we've been working tirelessly on a tool to help connect new and existing riders with a bike that's right for them. Today, we're so excited to formally announce the launch of our new online bike finder, Your Friend In The Bike Business.
Ashley Korenblat sat down with Kristin Carpenter of the Channel Mastery podcast to talk about the launch and what it means for both consumers and exhibiting brands. Check out this excerpt from the episode to get a teaser.
Q: If you go to Outerbike.com today, what will people find?
A: We’ve added a new button in the top navigation of the Outerbike website called Bike Finder which takes you to the ‘Your Friend In the Bike Business’ quiz.
Anyone who has been in the bike business for a long time, you know this call, you get this call from someone you went to college with or you haven't seen in a while. And they're like, "I’m buying a new bike online, what are the best women’s mountain bikes under $2,000. What should I get?" And you're like, "Oh my gosh. How am I going to explain it to this person? And when it's someone you really care about, you go through all these steps and you start asking them questions. Like, what are your plans? Where do you live now? You really go back and figure out what type of bike would be best for them.
We wanted to provide an online resource for buying a bike that will ask those questions and help get people to the right category of bikes. We're not reviewing bikes and we're not recommending a specific bike, but we're getting them to the category so that they can see the list of bikes from Outerbike exhibitors in that category. The way they answer the questions about the trails in their neighborhood and their goals for biking leads them to the right category. Our goal is to drive them to the manufacturer's webpage so they can look around and see what's there, knowing exactly what they’re looking for after taking the quiz.
Q: With Outerbike events, I know you all were so cognizant of empowering the new cyclist to come into their IBD feeling like they have their legs under them. Without these in-person events, this tool should be a fantastic way for people to come in still feeling empowered, or buy a new bike online. Was that the goal?
A: That's definitely the goal. And they may find themselves in a category and then learn something that pushes them to another category. One of the inspirations for this was we knew that at Outerbike, people were walking into booths and they were getting confronted with this question 27.5 or 29? Some people really didn't know about it. And other people knew the choice was there, but they were uncertain why. I think if we're going to welcome new people into the sport, we can't assume that they are literate in every aspect of cycling. But that doesn't mean they don't deserve the bike that's right for them. That's the part that we're trying to bridge, is helping them get to the point where they know more and it's easier for them basically to walk up the price point ladder.
Q: This is a great tool for newcomers breaking into the sport, but it could also be a great resource for cycling enthusiasts, correct?
A: Absolutely. In the tool, one of the very first questions is, “Are you just getting started or looking for your next bike?” So we've worked to tailor it a little more to experienced people versus newcomers. They get slightly different explanations and answers. And we think that's really effective because we're able to speak directly to the newcomers, but we aren't boring the more experienced cyclists.
To learn more about Your Friend in the Bike Business, listen to the full episode with Kristin and Ashley on the Channel Mastery HERE.
To try the new Bike Finder tool for yourself head to: https://www.outerbike.com/your-friend-in-the-bike-business
