“Give a second life to your outdoor gear. Launched on November 9 by Julien Bronnert, Jérémy Rochette and Vincent André, three mountain sports enthusiasts, the application Everide is based on a clear operation: sell or buy, in three clicks and at reduced prices, sports equipment from individual to individual with the same guarantees (secure payment, integrated delivery, exchanges and returns) as an e-commerce site classic. Practical and free both for registration and for sale, this new concept in the outdoors is perfect for this hardly economical February holiday period in the snow.
In three months, the app has been downloaded by 50,000 users, 3,000 products have been sold (30,000 drop-off points in total), and 15,000 advertisements for ski and snowboard equipment, mountaineering and climbing, hiking and bivouac, but also running and trail have been put online. Two-thirds of them relate to winter sports, with a very precise categorization proposed, including via six different states of wear.
Everide or “the Vinted of the outdoors”
“We operate with the same business model as Vinted, but very specialized. Prices are reduced by 40 to 70% compared to new products,” says Julien Bronnert, managing director of this young company based in Annecy, which raised 1.2 million euros last summer from committed investors. After a winter season without ski lifts in France due to Covid-19, the Everide concept has already convinced a lot of enthusiasts. “We have seen the evolution of the mentalities of practitioners in relation to the ecological dimension, continues Julien Bronnert. There is a general awareness and with this second-hand operation, we allow users to improve their carbon footprint and limit their expenses. »
This entrepreneurial project has also attracted many high-level athletes such as climbers Liv Sansoz and Nina Caprez, mountaineer Paul Bonhomme, ultra-trailer Xavier Thévenard, skier Fabien Maierhofer, and freeride snowboarder Xavier De Le Rue, part involved in Everide. “If we want to continue to ride, climb, run or sleep under the stars, we have to protect our playground, and therefore radically change our habits”, underlines the latter.
Outdoor and second-hand market, the winners of the Covid-19
Everide, which built its economic model by earning a share of 5% per transaction, paid for by the buyer, has rushed into the two strong trends revealed by Covid-19 over the past two years: that of the outdoors, with a significant development in the practice of outdoor sports such as ski touring, but also the second-hand market, estimated at 7.4 billion euros in France in 2020.
The young application, which intends to represent a responsible alternative of choice, recalls that the average carbon impact of a product already used is 5 to 6 times less than that of a product purchased new. Same region (between Clermont and Annecy), same environmental and economic niche and same launch timing or almost (December 2021), the outdoor textile brand Picture also notes “interesting enthusiasm” for its equally original concept.
“When you need a drill, you’ll borrow one from your neighbor”
“For those who don’t practice much skiing and snowboarding, is it essential to buy trousers and a jacket?” asks Florian Palluel, in charge of corporate social responsibility (CSR) at Picture. When you need a drill to make three holes in the year, you’ll borrow one from your neighbor. A telling comparison, which inspired the creation of a rental platformwith the idea of ”allowing the reduction of production volumes at the base”.
The savings here are also glaring if you are not a regular practitioner: it takes 110 euros on average for a week’s rental of the ski/snowboard set (jacket and pants), compared to 450 euros for a new purchase of equivalent Picture products. As with Everide, the logistics are intended to be as simple as possible: delivery to a relay point, label and return packaging provided.
“This practice must still be democratized”
400 products are available at the moment, including gloves in addition to jackets and pants. Picture also plans to launch its summer range for treks and hikes, and to extend its initiative to all of Europe. As the “modest” assessment of this Picture initiative attests, with 100 orders made in two months, “this practice must still be democratized”.
“New products will not disappear overnight, but we are counting on an evolution of the second-hand market share from 5% today to 20% within 10 years for our sector. We are here to support practitioners, stores and brands in this evolution necessary to consolidate the offer, facilitate community exchanges and to protect our playground by lengthening the life cycle, reducing pollution and carbon impact of products”, concludes Julien Bronnert.