rei ipad app

REI has released its first-ever iPad app, and has updated its snow report app, just in time for the winter and holiday shopping season.

The Seattle-area based outdoor retailer announced the two apps today, saying that its customer base is increasingly using multiple access points to shop. In fact, it said that 75 percent of customers, who purchased something in a store, also visited an REI digital property as part of their research and purchase decision.

REI said the new iPad app allows users to access its full catalog of items from camping, backpacking, cycling, climbing, skiing, fitness and more. It also includes a store locator tool, which allows the user to search for product availability at their nearest REI. Users can also pinch-and-zoom product photos.

The application is too new for Apple to release average ratings, but of the handful of comments, some customers say they are disappointed. One user complains that the app logs the user out after each session, creating for a cumbersome user experience. Another points out that it doesn’t support portrait view.

reisnowreportThe new REI Snow Report app, which has been providing weather information about various ski resorts for years, routinely gets high rankings. In this new version for the iPhone, users can place up to 15 resorts on their favorites list, and enable push notifications to alert you when snowfall is deep enough for you to call in sick.

The outdoor retailer’s mobile line-up also includes an iPhone app, which was recently updated to support iOS 8 and enabled the ability to purchase gift cards.

The company’s main shopping app and snow report app are also available on Android.

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