Consumer-reported sales of sporting goods apparel, equipment and athletic footwear increased 7 percent in 2012 to $59.2 billion according to the 2013 edition of the NSGA Sporting Goods Market report.
“We have seen steady growth in the sales of sporting goods apparel, equipment and footwear in our research over the last three years,” said NSGA’s Director of Research & Information Dustin Dobrin. “The data we are reporting today shows continued evidence that consumers are not afraid to spend on sporting goods, which is a positive sign for our industry moving forward.”
The new report shows that sales of equipment makes up 50 percent of the total market for sporting goods, while athletic footwear makes up 33 percent and apparel is 17 percent. All three segments increased in sales during 2012.
In the athletic & sport equipment category, consumer purchases of Hunting & Firearms equipment led the way in 2012 with an increase of $1.6 billion, representing a 28 percent increase, to $7.2 billion. In the athletic & sport footwear category, Jogging/Running shoes led the way, increasing by $573 million, representing a 23 percent increase, up to $3.0 billion.
Outlet Distribution
For the first time in the more than 30-year history of the NSGA Sporting Goods Market report, specialty sport shops became the preferred destination for purchases of sporting goods equipment in 2012, with 26.8 percent of purchases being made there. This was fueled by the large growth in hunting and firearms equipment sales. Sporting goods stores were second at 23.8 percent.
Sporting goods stores remained as the top outlet of distribution for athletic footwear, with 22.0 percent of purchases made there. Discount stores followed behind at 19.5 percent.
In addition to its Sporting Goods Market report, NSGA provides multiple reports on Sports Participation. They include Sports Participation in the United States (formerly broken out into Series I and Series II), as well as State-by-State, Lifecycle Demographics, Cross Participation, and Single Sport reports.
Regular purchasers will find a new experience when opening the 2013 editions of NSGA’s reports. For the first time, both the Sports Participation in the United States and the Sports Participation State-by-State reports include quick view snapshots one-page charts and graphs that allow users to easily see demographic information and a 10-year trend on each sport/activity.
According to Dobrin, “We have taken steps to make the data in our reports very easy to consume so users can easily understand all of the key information they’re looking for with less effort.”
For more information on each report and to purchase your copies today, please visit www.nsga.org/research.
