Out of Snow Goggles 2024/25 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Snow Goggles 2024/25 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Out of it
Interviewee: Marketing - Out of

What are the main customers’ demands when buying snow goggles?
Being equipped with a performing goggle on the slopes is definitely a crucial point for all skiers and snow sports enthusiasts. It is most important to have a wide vision that is always clear and never fogged up, with a durable lens that can withstand impacts and weather and possibly adapt to the surrounding light conditions-and we are making a special effort in this regard, with the advent of new technological IRID lenses that are a major step up from classic photochromic ones. Obviously, comfort, fitting and style are also very important and play an important role in the choice, without sacrificing the quality of the materials from which the product is made.

What were your biggest sellers in 2023/24? Why?
Our flagship product is definitely the Electra 2 goggle. It is the first pair of goggles with the second generation of IRID technology (patented). IRID makes your lens able to adapt to light changes instantly, in less than 1 second, without using any battery. The response from users has been really positive because it is a never-seen-before innovative product that greatly improves the user experience on the slopes. Another product that has gone mainstream is the Void goggle with our signature The One photochromic and polarized lenses. It is so popular because of its wide field of view, modern design and very versatile lens.

What type of snow goggles from your 2024/2025 collection do you expect to grow the most?
Certainly, with the advent of Electra 2, we expect that goggles equipped with IRID technology (patented) will find more and more space in the marketplace, as this is a product that significantly changes the experience of all skiers and snowboarders. It is the only lens that provides the best light filter, instantly, without having to do anything. It feels like magic to ski downhill and have a lens that constantly and automatically adapts to light.You forget any hassle and only think about enjoying the slopes.

Electra

What are the technical highlights of your 2024/25 collection?
Certainly the technical aspects on which we are focusing particularly in recent years are about IRID (patented) electronic lenses, currently featured on our flagship product, the Electra 2 goggles. The IRID lens is photochromic, electronic and instantaneous as it adjusts its tint to the surrounding light in less than 1 second without having any batteries. The crucial difference between IRID and traditional photochromic lenses is the reaction time. Classic photochromic lenses are quite fast going from clear to dark, but to switch back from dark to clear it takes them full minutes. Plus they are activated by UV rays, not by visible light, and the clouds stop more visible light than UV rays.
In the mountains this issue is particularly visible as the amount of UV rays is higher due to the altitude, so your photochromic lens tends to say activated all the time, even if your eyes would like a clear lens. IRID instead is able to instantly cover the whole range that goes from S1 to S3 so it’s really clear in the shade, and really dark in the sun. Plus, it covers an unlimited amount of tints in between these filters, so you always have the perfect lens. IRID works thanks to a small photovoltaic cell that powers a thin liquid crystal film. Because of this there is no battery. Not even a small one. Zero. You can enjoy the perfect lens, instantly, forgetting any hassle.

What construction techniques and materials are you using in your 2024/25 goggle collection?
We are working hard to research the highest quality and eco-friendly materials for the production of our goggles which are all assembled on site, with careful monitoring by the quality control and assembly department. In addition to the IRID lens, our goggles also feature The One photochromic and polarized lenses with new, very resistant mirroring treatments that have passed the Q-UV test Cross Hatch – Adhesive tape for more than 120 hours, but also extraordinary quality Zeiss lenses with Ri-pel treatment – hydrophobic and oleophobic. As for the frame components, we use high quality material and a few years ago we introduced the Bio Project line which we are happy to propose again, which uses eco-sustainable and recycled materials. We are therefore trying to offer products using quality materials, but with particular attention to sustainability, aware of how important it is to try to do everything possible to reconcile our business with a greener world.

What colours and designs are you featuring in your 2024/25 collection? Any standout collaborations?
We are extremely focused on technology, and we believe technology is at its best when seamlessly integrated into the product through design. The design of all our products is made in Italy and you can definitely tell a careful research towards clean lines and functionality. So even if we keep design in high regard, we aren’t really focused on the goggles’ graphics so we don’t have any active collaboration.

Katana

Are you implementing sustainability in your products and production processes?
We are aware of how important it is to take care of our planet, even more so nowadays,
when the problems caused by human action are there for all to see. We are therefore working very hard in terms of sustainability. Our main suppliers are in fact Italian and share our beliefs and principles. Two years ago we launched on the market the Bio Project line, a pilot project to start implementing more and more sustainable materials into our line of products. The frame is made of Pearlthane, a renewable source-based TPU extracted from castor oil. The end material contains up to 46% of bio based material, maintaining a very good flexibility at low temperatures. The rigid parts are made of Rilsan Clear G 850 Rnew, a high performance copolyamide designed for high end optical frames, that contains up to 51% of renewable carbon while the microfiber pouch and elastic band are made with recycled textiles. Furthermore, we are a benefit corporation and are becoming a certified B Corp. We strive, in everything that we do, to create a richness that goes beyond money and that positively affects all our collaborators, our community and our partners.

What are your marketing stories for 2024/25?
We believe in honest marketing. We like to empower people by explaining all the technical details making them able to choose whether a technology is worth their money or not. So we don’t want to “hide” behind marketing and we refuse the usual marketing’s gimmicks. We are extremely focused on technical features, but we don’t want our clients to take a leap of faith, as we explain exactly why our products are the way they are. When enthusiasts choose an Out Of product, they know they’re in for a great ride powered by technology, research and honesty.

How are you helping retailers to sell this category?
We know how difficult the last few years have been for our retailers, due first to the pandemic, and then to increasingly higher temperatures. This is why we provide constant support to our customers, including through the free loan of our displays and advertising material. Furthermore, special praise goes to the hard work of our graphics department which always satisfies the requests of our customers through the creation of banners and customized installations for individual shops. We also support them through the organization of test events or the sponsorship of their athletes.
Our Customers can also easily check product availability and register orders easily from the B2B platform, and always have updated material available also regarding the marketing part. Among other things, retailers are free to apply discounts that we actually never provide on our online store, so as not to conflict and “compete” with them. It is very nice that a relationship of trust is created with the Customer, which brings benefits to both parties.

What is your situation regarding stock and deliveries?
Talking about the stock and warehouse part, our guys work very hard to have a stock always available from which to draw, starting to order the material well in advance and then being able to assemble everything while respecting the delivery times requested by the Customers. Usually for larger orders, pre-orders are made in the previous season, so that useful forecasts can be made for managing supplies and more. We are constantly working on our management system in order to make all processes simpler and more immediate, even for counting pieces and components, and we are usually able to provide the Customer with the requested material within the established timescales without problems, also relying on a reliable and fast courier.

Void