According to a new Label Networks study, snowboarding could be ready for a growth spurt in the 13-24 year-old demographic. The report also shows that while there is opportunity, there are also some significant barriers to entry in the sport.
For example, snowboard retail may not be as wide-spread as it should. 35% of young people would buy more snowboarding-related brands if there was either a store near them that carried such brands, or they knew where to go online to get them. There are also barriers to learning the sport, “Not sure How to Get Started” remains a top reason why young people who are interested, dont ride yet.
In addition, the ever escalating equipment, transportation, and lift ticket prices may be hindering potential participants. The study shows that expense of the sport was listed more often as a major concern compared to last year, particularly among males; however, the report showed that females are more willing to pay more for rentals and apparel in general. Young people are also willing to pay higher prices for rentals and getting to the resort, than the actual average price of a lift ticket.
Finally, the study found that environmental concerns are beginning to increase among the snow sports consumer base. Global warming was listed as a top concern about the future of the sport more often this year than in the past. While green marketing is prevalent in the outdoor industry and in several broader consumer industries, snow sports companies, especially hardgoods companies, have yet to look at this aspect of innovation as a point of differentiation on the retail floor.
