The second quarter of 2019 for Asics North America (ANA), which includes the United States, Canada and Mexico, showed positive regional growth year-over-year and increased traffic to both online e-commerce and retail channels. This marks the second consecutive quarter of growth for Asics North America.
In the U.S., the brand saw increased traffic and year-over-year growth of 39.9 percent in e-commerce driven by strategic investment in paid search, email and affiliate channels. Overall, traffic was up 15.2 percent and sales conversion increased 26.4 percent over last year. The brand saw its strongest performance online with its performance footwear, including: Gel-Kayano, Gel-Nimbus, Gel-Cumulus and Gel-Ds Trainer models.
There was continued growth across key retail channels, citing 1.4 percent growth year-over-year in the U.S. This increase is attributed to successful product launches and brand events during the quarter that drove consumers to retail partners and in-store.
“Asics continues to make strategic investments in the region that encourage product discovery at the intersection of our customer’s passion for running – making it easier for them to find our products online, in store, or through a trusted partner,” said Koichiro Kodama, Asics North America CEO. “While shopping habits and trends continue to evolve, we know that our strongest investment is ultimately in the customer – the passionate runner and his or her needs in the long term.”
Further, Asics’ Core Performance Sports category increased 36.8 percent year-over-year in the U.S. driven by tennis models like the Gel-Resolution, made popular by international tennis star and Asics sponsored athlete Novak Djokovic, as well as the Gel-Dedicate 5 model.
Across ANA, Asics Canada grew by 23.7 percent over last year in local currency, as well as Mexico experiencing a 12.9 percent lift in local currency since last year.
Asics bolstered its leadership team this quarter as seasoned industry veteran Sean Mannion joined the brand in May as the Vice President of Sales. Mannion will lead all sales and commerce functions for the brand across the U.S.
Asics’ expanding roster of athletes had a strong showing this quarter with newly signed Emma Bates winning the USTAF 25k Road Championship, Sara Hall winning the 10k USTAF Road Championship. Hall and Bates finished respectfully in second and third in the USATF Half Marathon Championships. The Asics elite athlete roster grew with the signing of 17-time All American and 2018 NCAA Champion in the 60m-hurdles Payton Chadwick.
This quarter, Asics celebrated Global Running Day with a nationwide campaign in the United States, hosting workouts and runs at multiple retail locations and asking consumers to write love letters to their shoes online using #DearShoes to link stories together. The brand also continued its partnership in the market with Live Nation, hosting custom events at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Governors Ball and more.
