Merrell goes barefooting at the Outdoor Retailer Show

Vibram Soles on the Merrell Barefoot

The Outdoor Retailer show recently held in Salt Lake City is a great show.  I love it.  This one is specifically set up for the winter sports but obviously the show is going to take whatever they can get so everyone comes and everyone has all of their products there.  Merrell obviously is a big name in the outdoors industry and showed as much at the show.  Before I go any further I just wanted to brag about my association for a second (it's so pathetic that it doesn't really count).  Merrell was founded in Utah,  that's right, Utah.  It was founded in Vernal, Utah by a man named Randy Merrell.  He initially made custom leather boots for the outdoorsman, i.e. cowboys and hunters.  Some other bigwigs joined up and they moved the company to Vermont and commercialized it.  Randy Merrell sold his part and went back to making custom boots in Vernal, Utah.  That's the short of it.  It happened about 30 years ago so not too many people remember.  My connection?  I'm from Roosevelt Utah which is 30 miles away and we share the same Wal Mart as Vernal (it's actually in Vernal).  Vernal is where my folk goes and shops... rival highschools, people work in the other city, you get the point.  So I feel I'm somewhat connected... barely.

Merrell Barefoot Shoe

Okay on to the OR show and Merrell.  Merrell launched its barefoot line which is no surprise at all.  Everyone is jumping on board with this.  Nike has the Free series (which was basically a pioneer to a certain extent although it has been around for a while), the Vibram Five Fingers is a sweeping sensation, and now Merrell has joined the game.  What is significant about this is the fact that they are using Vibram soles and competing in the same space as Vibram and the Five Fingers.  I found it amusing that the soles of the shoes that are going to be competing with the Five Fingers bare the same logo... go figure.  I talked to the folks at the Vibram booth, tried a pair on and asked if they saw it as a threat or what their thoughts were on it.  The answer was unanimous... "we're not worried at all, they're using our soles... we still make money".

Nike Free 3.0

Five Fingers

So there you have it, Vibram is not worried.  The Merrell Barefoot shoe is a little different anyway.  While claiming barefoot the toes are encapsulated which automatically differentiates the product.  The shoe is more of a minimalist shoe.  It's looking to move into a space that is in between  the Five Fingers and the Nike Free.  The part that separates Merrell Barefoot from Nike is the outdoor aspect of it all.  Outdoors people are generally accepting of "natural", "minimal", "connecting" types of words.  It's tough to tell a 250 lb linebacker that if he uses the shoes he'll strengthen his core and help grow his stabalizer muscles... he doesn't care.  He just wants to throw some weight around and kill some people on the football field.  So the Nike Free idea is sound... I like it, some runners like it but to reach the entire target market that they have... there are some difficulties.  Merrell on the other hand can do it.  They have the following already and the people probably were asking for the product.  Two different target markets and one would be much more accepting of it than the other.

Made to mimic the foot.

Merrell Barefoot is brand new.  It launches this month and will start seeing sales go through the roof due to the launch date.  I know because I'm considering getting a pair for spring running.  Merrell has even pushed the brand to its fullest extent by making them trail focused.  Like all Merrells you can use them wherever but they really shine on trails.  Again, trail runners are the type of people who care about strngthening their stabilizers, less impact on joints, minimalism.

It just makes sense... I applaud Merrell for seeing a market and going after it.  The beauty of it all is that there are less materials needed for it, less engineering (just let the body take over), and more money for marketing.  That's a perfect formula for success and big returns.  Merrell listened to what the market was calling for, good for them.  They deserve this success.  I'll be interested to see how they are doing as they go along.