U3A1: Product Offerings
Product and Features
REI has a large selection of shoes, which includes; running, casual, hiking, water, walking and approach shoes. Some of the shoes are waterproof, which prevent feet from getting wet if stepping in a puddle. Other shoes have asymmetric lacing, which reduces pressure on the top of the foot. Also, some has thermoplastic urethane toe caps and heel counters, which deliver additional protection, structure and support. They even carry a shoe which easily coverts from a casual shoe to a lazy day slides shoe by tucking the hell downside. Customers rate these shoes durable and comfortable. REI has many manufacturer’s brand for example; Merrell, Nike, Brooks, Sperry and OluKai, to name a few. Under the Merrell brand they carry all the categories shoes. In in the Casual shoe category they have 35 Merrell shoes. In hiking shoes they have 21 Merrell shoes. In running shoes they have 19 Merrell shoes. In water shoe category they have two and in walking shoes they have one. The main product under the Merrell is casual shoes.
Distribution
Customers can place an order of shoes and all merchandises online in the REI website and REI retail stores in the United States. Customers can also place orders by mail catalog, phone and even fax an order. For all these type of order, REI offers several ways to ship merchandise. Customer can pick up the merchandise at the nearest retail location; this will save on the shipping cost. Also the customer could have the merchandise ship to the home or other location using standard, two-day and one-day express shipping at a reasonable rate. REI offers free shipping on order of $50 or more. For international orders, the recipient is responsible for payment of applicable duties, taxes and other fees. REI allow customers to returns and exchanges, merchandise by mail or at any retail store location.
Promotion
REI offer discounts on shoes and other merchandises in the REI’s outlet store. They have footwear and many other items on sale. The Current promotion is REI is cleaning house sale, which discount range from 60% - 80% off. Customer can also check out the deal of the day and the deal of the week to get discount. REI also has special discounts to REI members, allowing them to receive typically 10% refunds annually based eligible purchases. REI VISA Card holders, receive an additional 5% rebate for REI purchases and additional 1% for all other purchases made with the REI VISA card. One can get 15% off on selected items when signing up for REI Gearmail newsletter.
REI’s footwear is advertised in the home page and they have a link to all their footwear the reason for this is because there is a customer demand for footwear and other merchandise, because of students returning to school. Due to the change of season REI is also advertising a summer clearance sale up to50% off on footwear and clothing.
Pricing
REI’s has 856 items under the shoe category and the price ranges from $10 – $499.99. The promotional they have are established on pricing discounts deals that they are offering to the customers. Out of the 856 shoes they have 515 deals on shoes. They are offering price deals ranging from $10 - $199.

Product and Features Gander Mountain has huge footwear selection, which includes sandals, athletic shoes, casual shoes, hiking boots, boat & water shoes, work boots, cold weather boots, tactical boots and slippers. Some of the shoes are waterproof, which prevent feet from getting wet if stepping in a puddle, just like REI. Some shoes have antimicrobial finish, which helps reduce odors. Some shoes has steal toe on work shoes, to protect the toes if anything falls on the foot. Gander mountain customers also rate these shoes durable and comfortable.
Gander Mountain has many manufacturers’ brand some are similar brands that REI has too. Some brands are Danner, Merrell, Adidas, Brooks, and Sperry to name a few. Under the Danner brand they carry a total of 125 footwear; 93 men’s footwear, 26 hunting boots and 7 women’s footwear,. The main product under the Danner is Men’s footwear. Gander Mountain also carries their own brand, which have 12 hunting boots in the footwear category.
Distribution
Customers can place an order of shoes and all merchandises online in the Gander Mountain website and retail stores in the United States. Customers can also place orders by mail catalog, phone and even fax an order. For all these type of order, Gander Mountain offers several ways to ship merchandise. Customer can pick up the merchandise at the nearest retail location; for free on standard and expedited shipping. Also the customer could have the merchandise ship to the home or other location using standard, two-day and one-day express shipping at a reasonable rate. Gander mountain offers free shipping on order of $50 or more. For orders in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, APO/FPO and all U.S. Territories, requires special handling fee of $10 plus shipping charges. Customer is responsible for any applicable duties, taxes and customs charges. Gander Mountain allows customers to returns and exchanges, merchandise by mail or at any retail store location.
Promotion
Gander mountain offer discounts on shoes and other merchandises in the sales & clearance category. They have footwear and many other items on sale. The Current promotion is Gander mountain clearance sale, which discount is up to 50% off. Customer can also check out the weekly online only special and all new markdowns. They currently have a sweet deal; 3 days only take additional 30% off on clearance footwear and apparels items. REI also has special $60 in rewards if you apply for a Gander Mountain Master Card and spend $500 in the first 90 days of getting the card. In addition, MasterCard member get 3 point per dollar on Gander Mountain & Overton’s purchases. Card holder will also get 2 points on gas and grocery purchases. Card holder gets 1 point per dollar on any purchase anywhere else, where MasterCard is accepted. Every 2,000 points earns a $20 reward certificate. One can receive exclusive offers & updates when signing up your email.
Gander Mountain’s footwear and other merchandise are advertised in the home page to promote the change of season to fall and the hunting season, they have a link to all their footwear and other merchandise for the fall and the hunting season. Due to the change of season Gander Mountain is also advertising an addition 30% of on clearance items in footwear and clothing.
Pricing
Gander Mountain’s has 1187 items under the footwear category and the price ranges from $0 – $499.99. The promotional they have established is on pricing discounts deals that they are offering to the customers. Gander Mountain has 281 deals on shoes, which price deals ranges from $7.96 - $369.95
REI Compared to Gander Mountain After reviewing both companies, REI has more discounts available for customers. They also ship internationally while Gander Mountain doesn’t. As far as the footwear, Gander Mountain carries a lot more footwear and variety. Gander Mountain does have more brands available for customers than REI. But they both carry several similar brands and both have the same pricing range. Both company carries similar return policy and both company advertise footwear in the home page. REI goal was to get customers interested in any type of footwear, while Gander Mountain was mainly focusing on hunting footwear.