Outback Equipment was founded in 2014 by Jourdan Wong and Jaime Chee in the corner of a garage and has evolved to a full-scale warehouse operation in Brisbane. Their passion grew the company into one of Australia’s largest and most accessible online 4WD, camping, marine and caravanning accessories marketplaces.
GEAR’d Rewards
Outback Equipment launched its new and improved loyalty program, GEAR’d Rewards, in July 2025 replacing the old system, The Outback Rewards Club. The Outback Rewards Club gave Outback Equipment visibility over customers’ shopping patterns and a data set to design from. GEAR’d Rewards is the result. The new program has now been live for just over 12 months, providing members the opportunity to ‘Shop & Earn Points’, and providing Outback Equipment a structured way to recognise, retain and grow the base.
Joining GEAR’d Rewards
To join GEAR’d Rewards you must first create an account with Outback Equipment and then sign up to the program, filling out your name, email and DOB. Once you’ve joined the program, members receive a ‘refer a friend’ voucher offer. The referred customer receives $10 off a first order of $100 or more, and the referring member receives a $15 voucher once that order is completed.
From a loyalty program design perspective, advocacy tends to follow experience, and a member who has just joined has earned no points, redeemed nothing, and has little basis yet to recommend the program. I would recommend surfacing the referral offer after a first redemption would give the ask more weight.
GEAR’d Rewards member benefits
Along with the ‘refer-a-friend’ voucher , members access GEAR’d Rewards benefits by spending, earning 10 points per $1 spent. There is also a set of non-transactional actions a member can take to earn points, most of which build program awareness and exposure through social channels. Combining transactional and non-transactional earn is best practice, though a new member has had no chance to experience the program value at that point, so is unlikely to feel motivated to complete these additional tasks.
The core of GEAR’d Rewards is its points accrual, with every $1 spent earning 10 points. Members unlock a $10 voucher at 2,500 points, a $25 voucher at 5,000 points, and a $50 voucher at 10,000 points, which puts the nominal return at 4 to 5 per cent (fairly average for a retail program).
Minimum spend thresholds of $200, $250, and $500 then apply to redemption. A member who earns the $10 voucher has already spent $250, and must spend a further $200 to use it. The second threshold arrives at the moment the member expects to be rewarded, which is where programs can lose goodwill. Lowering the redemption minimums, or removing them, would allow members to realise value closer to the point they earned it, closing the loyalty loop and supporting program engagement and member trust over the long term.
Compounding this, vouchers cannot be combined with other discount codes, offers, or promotions. At the time of writing, a 5 per cent sitewide code was live for any shopper. A member redeeming the $10 voucher on a $200 order captures the same 5 per cent, after spending $450 to get there.
Closing that gap is where Outback Equipment have the most to gain. Value that non-members cannot access gives an immediate reason to sign up and keep transacting while signed in, instead of shopping as a guest.
Personalised offers are a second tool, so someone buying camping gear is shown different value from someone buying marine accessories. Both moves make membership worth holding, which is what sustains engagement over time.
My Outback Equipment experience
As a keen four-wheel driver and camper, Outback Equipment covers most of what I need, carrying everything from water bottles to tyre deflators. I shopped with them before joining GEAR’d Rewards and had a good experience with the website and the customer service, so they have their foundations in place.
Since joining, what has changed is the email volume. I have received coupon codes, offers around events like Father’s Day, and general product advertising. Very little of it looks different from non-member promotions, I’m just getting them sent to my inbox. My points balance hasn’t moved and I don’t feel any closer to a reward at the moment.
Heading into the summer holidays I expect to spend enough to unlock the first voucher, and the mechanic itself is simple to follow. However, the value exchange for members has to significantly improve to make membership visibly better than shopping without it if this program is going to change member behaviour.
