What is the salt life? For the clothing company that has transformed into a lifestyle brand, the answer is clear. Begun as a lark between a couple of surf dude friends, Salt Life has expanded massively, reaching new markets of consumers with its growing product assortment and spreading retail stores.

In the early days, the two friends reminisced about their serious surfing days by describing their lifestyles as living “the salt life.” To cement their nostalgia and friendship, they got matching tattoos of the phrase with a distinctive, harpoon-sharp font. Then they started printing the logo on t-shirts and handing them out at local parties around Jacksonville, Florida, where they lived. The casual, comfortable gear promised comfort and a laidback style for people who love the water, such as kayakers, fishers, and beachgoers. A range of themed bumper stickers, featuring mermaids, anchors, sunsets, and other related images, together with the distinctive logo, allowed local fans to emblazon their boats and cars.

Due to the appeal of the brand to consumers who either lived or wanted to live the salt life, spending time in the sun and hitting a local bar after a day at the beach, Salt Life earned steady and increasing sales. It also carefully maintained reasonable price points, seeking to keep t-shirts under $30 and performance gear around $40. Soon, it gained access to several national retail chains, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bass Pro Shops. It also sold products through its own website.

As it was increasing the channels through which the offerings were available, Salt Life simultaneously was expanding its product assortment to include nearly anything and everything a sportsperson might need for a day fishing or exploring: sun shirts, beach chairs, ball caps, board shorts, sunglasses, coolers, fishing rods and tackle, and so on. The appeal of the logo was such that various consumers, not just the company founders, adopted it as their own body ink (and those consumers reportedly share pictures of their new tattoos with the company often).

This popularity signaled to Salt Life that it should start opening its own stores. The first one appeared in Jacksonville Beach, followed by others throughout Florida. As the brand gained more steam, it also attracted the attention of Delta Apparel, a national brand that purchased Salt Life with the goal to expand the target market beyond people who have ready access to a beach. It added more apparel for women, and it began researching other locations, beyond the Sunshine State, to add new stores. Currently, there are 23 dedicated Salt Life stores (joining the website and access through other retailers), which reach as far north as New Jersey. In support of its plans to continue opening stores, Salt Life relies on data that identify regions that are home to strong concentrations of people who search for the brand online. New York thus might expect some Salt Life stores soon; the president of the firm notes that “Nassau County has the highest concentration of people searching for Salt Life in the United States.”

Discussion Questions

1. Define the target market for Salt Life brand.
2. What other markets should Salt Life consider as it opens more stores? What regions seem promising?
3. Should Salt Life continue to work with other retailers, like Dick’s Sporting Goods, or should it concentrate more on expanding sales through its own stores? Defend your answer.

Sources: Maggie Lange, “Salt Life Is Coming to a Beach Near You,” The New York Times, May 28, 2023; https://www.deltaapparelinc.com/our-brands/salt-life