Case Study: L.L. Bean achieves 3X customer lifetime value, renewed customer growth, and 50% SKU reduction with Qualtrics

With Qualtrics, we know what outdoor family enthusiasts care about

L.L. Bean, a 100+-year-old retailer known for outdoor gear, faced flat revenue and waning brand interest despite a loyal core audience. To grow again the company needed a more targeted strategy and pinpointed a high-value segment—“outdoor family enthusiasts”—but lacked the insights to design experiences and assortments that would resonate with them.

Using Qualtrics XM, L.L. Bean centralized research across store, app, call center, and online to build a directory of high-value customers and surface drivers like seasonal gardening and in-store experiences. Those insights reshaped product selection, media buys, partnerships, and store operations, delivering a 3x increase in average customer lifetime value, the first customer growth in years, and a 50% SKU reduction for greater efficiency.

L.L.Bean

Tari Pendleton

Consumer Insights