Summertime and sports go together like cucumber sandwiches and cricket, strawberries & cream and tennis, new football kits and football - what dreamy combinations! But what does this mean for your e-commerce brand? Read on to discover more.
No matter your sporting preferences, 2022 has already offered up some memorable sporting moments, one of the highlights being the England ‘Lionesses’ winning their unforgettable victory against Germany in UEFAs Women’s Championship football finals. Who could forget that iconic moment when Chloe Kelly removed her football shirt and whirled it around like a helicopter rotor blade to celebrate her winning goal?
Interest in women’s football skyrocketed during the past year, with UK Google Trends data showing interest in England women’s football growing by a massive 500%. Online searches for ‘football boots’ and ‘football equipment’ also rose by over 70% in the UK during this 12-month period.
Whilst interest in sport is certainly nothing new, it does seem to be a growing sector when it comes to online sales of sports equipment and athleisure clothing.
Since the covid pandemic in early 2020, our ‘new normal’ has seen less formal working patterns emerge, allied to which is a distinctly more casual, comfortable style of dressing. Sporty athleisure apparel is being designed not just for the gym but for everyday wear. The sportswear and athleisure sector grew by 84% during the pandemic and continues to expand according to Forbes.
Interest in wellness, nutrition and exercise also rose sharply during and since the pandemic too, a trend which does not seem to be slowing down now that the pandemic is over. Unable to go outdoors for more than an hour a day during extended periods of lockdown, people ordered sports equipment, sportswear, bicycles, home gyms and bikes in droves, and even set up home gyms. The new ‘wellness’ habits seem to have stuck, with a sharp rise of interest in the protein powder, CBD and vitamins sector. No doubt you may have observed some of your acquaintances who were previously uninterested in fitness, start to think more about their health, drink protein shakes, adopt athleisurewear, or take up a new leisure activity such as walking or cycling as a result of the pandemic.
If you run an online business, you will no doubt be acutely aware of the need for agility and to have a fulfilment partner who can help you respond quickly to capitalise on shifting market trends like these. We are sports fulfilment experts with over 12 years’ experience working with sports and fitness clients, including some major brands. We can store, pick, pack and deliver your online orders accurately and on time, and keep your customers satisfied so that your business can capitalise on market trends and grow.
One of our sports client’s online order volumes grew by a staggering 260% during a 12-month period of the pandemic – something they said they would simply not have been able to achieve without our fulfilment services.
Here are some examples of recent growth trends in the sports sector*, observed on Google Trends data:
- searches for home gyms rose by 400% in 2020
- searches for the ‘Peloton’ fitness bike grew by a massive 1,450% in 2020
- interest in protein powder grew by over 250 % over the past 12 months
- interest in bodybuilding supplements grew by over 120% over the past 12 months
- interest in CBD grew massively in recent times, as this graph shows:
Interest in CBD from 2004 to date, Google Trends data
We are experts in sports sector fulfilment, including athleisure, sporting equipment and managing fulfilment of new season sports kits. Whether you are a premiership football club, a luxury sports brand or an e-commerce business selling sports merchandise and equipment, we have the expertise you need to provide the best fulfilment solutions for your sports brand, and we will form a partnership that will drive your performance and power your growth.
For more details of how we can help you optimise your e-commerce operations, delight your customers and help you grow, contact us today or take a look at our specialist sports fulfilment services. We would be delighted to talk to you, provide a demo or walk you around our distribution centre.
*data taken from Google Trends and Forbes is not meant as business advice but as general information about our fulfilment services, trends come and go and can shift quickly, and this article is not intended to be used in substitution for your own research.
