ClickZ Winter Sports Newsletter - 09.05.2024

Discover Velogemel, the Swiss winter sport you’ve probably never heard of

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ClickZ
September 05, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Specialty Bites đźŤŞ

Murase Kokomo and Cameron Spalding won the FIS Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup opener in Cardrona, New Zealand. Finals were canceled due to bad weather, making Saturday’s qualification results final. Murase scored 78.10, while Spalding achieved 82.50, marking his first career World Cup victory.

Source: iStock

Sierra at Tahoe joins the Ikon Pass for the 2024/2025 ski season, becoming the sixth California mountain on the pass. This addition offers Ikon Pass holders access to 2,000 acres of skiing, 48 trails, and significant snowfall. The pass now includes 59 destinations globally, enhancing its appeal.

In the heart of Switzerland’s Jungfrau region, Grindelwald offers a winter sport that’s as quirky as it is thrilling: the Velogemel. Picture this: a wooden bike-sledge hybrid with no brakes, no gears, and no padding.

This contraption, born from the inventive mind of Christian Bühlmann in the early 1900s, was initially a solution for his mobility issues post-polio. Fast forward a century, and it’s now a beloved, eco-friendly alternative to traditional winter sports.

Grindelwald is the only place you’ll find this unique ride. Renting a Velogemel is a breeze, with plenty of shops and even the local train station offering them. For the brave, the Big Pintenfritz toboggan run and the Eiger Run provide exhilarating routes to test your mettle. And if you’re feeling competitive, the Velogemel World Championships in February is your chance to shine.

But the Jungfrau region isn’t just about Velogemel. From snowshoeing in Mürren to zip-lining towards the Eiger, and even ice-climbing frozen waterfalls, there’s no shortage of adrenaline-pumping activities.

The global ski gear and equipment market is projected to reach USD 2.26 billion by 2032, driven by rising skiing popularity, technological advancements, and increased winter sports tourism. Key players like Burton Snowboard innovate continuously, while online retail expansion and higher disposable incomes further boost market growth.

Romaguera and the glacier wave, by Jorge Abian. Source: YouTube/Blue Banana

Surfer Eurico Romaguera and photographer Jorge Abian captured glacier waves in Greenland, a first for the region. Their journey, part of Blue Banana's One Shot project, was documented by filmmakers Nico Pina and Ibai Mielgo. Local fishermen guided them to potential wave spots, making this dream a reality.

Performance Platters đźŤ˝ď¸Ź

In August 2024, TikTok and Amazon teamed up for a seamless shopping experience directly within the TikTok app. This timely partnership, coming just before the Q4 shopping season, leverages TikTok's massive user base and Amazon's e-commerce dominance.

But how will it impact brands?

A major challenge for brands is measuring the halo impact of social media interactions on Amazon sales, as Amazon's data exists in a walled garden and relies on a last-click attribution model, potentially overlooking external contributions that drives product discovery.

The partnership highlights the need for more holistic marketing measurement solutions as the line between social media and e-commerce blurs.

Google's digital ad revenue is growing rapidly, outpacing Microsoft's. In 2024, Google's US ad revenues are projected to hit $77.49 billion, driven by its search dominance. However, a US ruling against Google's search monopoly could shift market dynamics. Marketers should consider investing in leading search platforms.

Richard Bell, President of UntilGone, leverages AI tools like Google Gemini and Google Cloud for Retail to enhance product descriptions, personalized emails, and search functionalities. These innovations have significantly boosted efficiency, customer engagement, and revenue, demonstrating the transformative power of AI in ecommerce.

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