We just got back from the Outdoor Trade Show 2025 in Liverpool, and safe to say, it didn’t disappoint.
We went in with one goal: connect with outdoor retailers and suppliers to understand the reality of how they manage returns and warranty claims. We came away with a tent full of insights, new friends, sore feet, and the surprising discovery that a lot of people in this industry know how to juggle.
Here’s what stood out:
The Outdoor Industry Knows What’s Broken, But Fixing It Is Another Story
We spoke to a mix of fast-growing brands, legacy players, and logistics pros. And while their product ranges, systems, and scale varied, the pain points didn’t.
- Too many emails.
- Too many spreadsheets.
- Too many delays between the customer, the warehouse, and the supplier.
Everyone agreed: processes are too slow, too manual, and too siloed. And when something breaks (literally), the lack of connection between the consumer, retailer, logistics, and warehouse teams is where claims get stuck.
“We’ve got a customer service team and ticketing system, warehouse software, and a CRM, but they’re not talking to each other. That’s where the delays start.”
- Head of Customer Service, Attendee Outdoor Retailer at the OTS
At our stand, conversations quickly turned to the tools people actually want to be using, things like self-service portals, claims automation, and clean, sharable analytics. These aren’t nice-to-haves anymore. They're becoming essentials.
OTS: The Place to be for outdoor retailers
Let’s just say our booth wasn’t your average tabletop and banner.
We set up a “Return Me Through Claimlane” tent, which sparked a lot of curious conversations. And then there was Stephan, our solutions specialist, who started juggling, and somehow turned it into a mini event. Turns out, the outdoor industry has way more juggling talent than we expected.
It wasn’t just fun, it helped us connect on a real level.
The outdoor crowd is one of the most down-to-earth, genuine, and collaborative groups we’ve met. People came by to chat, laugh, snack on sesame snaps (turns out they’re everyone’s nostalgic fave), and actually talk about solving real workflow problems.
Our Claimlane caps and bags were also a hit. Functional and stylish, just like our platform.
Spotlight: Raising the Bar with Black Diamond
One of the biggest highlights was sharing a wall with our friends at Black Diamond, a global leader in climbing, skiing, and mountain‑sports gear, and, as of this spring, an official Claimlane partner.
Black Diamond is rolling Claimlane out across North America first, then worldwide, to streamline their after‑sales care. With highly technical products, managing warranty claims and repairs can get complicated fast.
Here’s how we’re helping them keep pace with their own high standards:
Advanced customer self‑service to collect accurate, detailed information up front.
Tailored workflows that give every team a clear overview and keep collaboration tight.
A dedicated B2B claims portal so global retail partners enjoy a single, consistent process.
“We are building more than a process. This is a new approach to repairs and warranty care that matches the quality of our products.”
- Fabian Garza, VP of Operations, Black Diamond
“We’re proud to support Black Diamond as they raise the bar for after‑care in the outdoor industry.”
- Choukri Zerhouni, Co‑Founder & VP of Sales, Claimlane
Standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder at OTS gave us the perfect chance to demo the upcoming features, swap feedback in real time, and show retailers exactly what a best‑in‑class warranty experience looks like.
Why All This Matters:
Let’s keep it simple.
If you’re still managing warranty claims through email threads and Excel files, you’re doing extra work, and it’s costing you.
With Claimlane, retailers and suppliers can:
- Cut warranty resolution time by 85%
- Collaborate with suppliers 80% faster
- Save over 50% in operational costs
And the best part? It’s all automated, tracked, and shareable, no more hunting for emails or attachments.
If We Missed You at OTS…
We’d still love to connect.
Book a demo to see how Claimlane works for your team and (yes, you can ask all the nerdy workflow questions) or check out our interactive demo to experience Claimlane in action!
Bonus Shoutout: Retailer of the Year Winners
Congrats to this year’s OTS Retailer Award winners, an impressive bunch pushing the industry forward:
National Scale: Ellis Brigham
Online Scale: sportshoes.com
Multi-site: The Climbing Shop and Joe Brown
Northeast Independent: LD Mountain Centre
Northwest: The Epicentre
South: Lockwoods
Central: Outside (outside.co.uk)
Ireland: Basecamp Outdoor Store
Scotland: Craigdon Mountain Sports
Wales: Crib Goch Outdoor
Overall Independent (Big): Outside (outside.co.uk)
Here’s to another year of doing great things in tough terrain with brilliant minds in the outdoor industry!
