Sports brands aren’t just for athletes.
Since a long time, the fashion and sports industries have been affected by Athleisure. This trend is now gaining momentum in other areas as well.
leggings surpassed jeans online sales for the first ever time in 2016, marking a major shift towards casual athleisure wear. It's quite shocking.
This is a great opportunity for the market for athletic apparel and sporting goods: a larger audience means greater sales potential. Sports retailers must follow the example of athleisure and be inclusive in order to capitalize.
Expanding your lifestyle reach
LeBron James. Serena Williams. Tiger Woods. These top athletes are tied together by Nike sponsorships. This allows Nike to market the brand's excellence through their performance on the court or course.
However, a number of athleisure brands are challenging this mentality.
Tyler Haney, founder of Outdoor Voices, stated that Nike and many other brands are about being experts, being the best. Outdoor Voices is all about staying healthy and happy.
On a workday in Manhattan, you will see people walking down the streets wearing sneakers while women are wearing leggings and sweaters. Athleisure clothing is now commonplace at parties, work and at home.
Lululemon's men’s pants have a comfortable, stretchy, and sweat-resistant fabric. They'd also pass the country club dress code with the belt hooks that line the top. Gap-owned retailer Athleta has simple dresses that can be worn with a variety of sports bras or leggings.
This space isn't limited to clothing. Many of these brands are expanding their experiential offerings by hosting classes in-store or out. Outdoor Voices offers jogging, kayaking, and meditation. Lululemon hosts yoga classes for many years. All of this is part of athleisure becoming a lifestyle, not something you wear.
Personalization is a powerful tool for enhancing displays
Fabletics and Outdoor Voices, two of the most popular athletic brands, have proven themselves to be accessible to everyone, whether they are athletes or not. Their inclusivity is evident in their branding and store setups. My family is an excellent example of the inclusiveness of athleisure brands. My mother daughter and I purchased a pair Athleta linen pull on pants recently.
However, larger retailers of sporting goods have much to learn from the democratization.
Non-athletes looking for athleisure clothing in a sporting goods shop can feel disorientated and not aspirational. They will find hardcore athletes, brand partners, and a daunting array of products everywhere they go.
For non-athletes who are looking for running shoes and leggings for everyday wear, they will be more likely to shop online.
This is why sports retailers must appeal to a wider audience via displays to combat this.
You can take a leaf from the fashion retailer book and create fictional shopper characters (the active consumer, the dedicated athlete, or the casual dresser) to help you design customized displays that meet their needs. Your in-store displays shouldn't alienate your customers!
Men wearing sneakers and casual wear; women in yoga pants in the park. Show the business traveler who requires clothes that can do double duty. Athleisure merchandise can already be found in stores. To attract this wider audience, retailers will need to properly display the merchandise.
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Sports gear in daily life
There are many opportunities for inclusion beyond clothing. Today's society is health-conscious. Pharmacies have become wellness hubs, and sporting goods shops should follow suit. Sport and exercise are key to good health.
Water bottles are a lifestyle essential (with an expected market value of $10.19 Billion by 2024). These fitness trackers can be used as wellness diaries. Supplements for the gym are a common daily addition. All of these products are available at sporting goods shops.
Dick's Sporting Goods includes sections devoted to electronics. These are not phones or TVs, but accessories such as headphones, watches, and speakers that encourage an active lifestyle.
These products should be available in all sporting goods stores. They are meant for anyone who is looking to lead a life of activity and leisure.
The sporting goods industry must reevaluate their target audiences and revise their organization in order to support the shift towards inclusive, healthy lifestyles over aspirational performance.
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