Cover Story: REI Treks Ahead

Beyond Matchbacks
“Direct mail is perfectly suited for measurement,” according to Bowcut, “because we don’t have to guess at the value that catalog brings us. We don’t rely on matchback analysis.”

At the same time, REI’s unique co-op format remains intact. Although nonmembers always have been able to make purchases through REI catalogs, stores and its Web site, co-op members pay a one-time $20 fee. In return, they receive annual dividends of, typically, 10 percent of their eligible REI purchases from the past year.