After a very strong showing for outdoor product in fiscal November and the first week of the holiday selling season, growth trends moderated a bit for the five-week fiscal month of December through Jan. 1, 2011.
The Internet channel, one of nine channels tracked by OIA VantagePoint, showed the largest increase in outdoor product sales for the month, surging ahead by more than 24% over December 2009 figures. Outdoor specialty stores trended well above the total market with sales growing 7.3% over December 2009 levels. Also, Outdoor Apparel and Outdoor Footwear both posted their biggest weeks of the year during December, peaking the weekend before the Christmas holiday.
“Looking at the entire market, outdoor product sales have emerged from the uncertainties of 2010 on solid footing,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, president and CEO at Outdoor Industry Association, “The outdoor specialty business is proving highly competitive as every brick-and-mortar business keeps a wary eye on the success of Internet channels.”
Outdoor Footwear sales in outdoor specialty stores grew 10.2%, significantly lower than the 33.1% gain in November 2010, as consumers focused more on holiday buying versus the weather-driven surge in personal purchases seen in November.
Outdoor apparel sales grew more than 9% in December 2010, with the greatest growth coming from the Internet channel, again, expanding 27.3% over 2009 levels, though the Sporting Goods trade channel maintained its position as the largest single channel for sales of outdoor apparel for the year. With frigid arctic temperatures commonplace across the country, and New Year’s resolutions looming, it was no surprise to see a number of jacket categories and long-sleeve fitness/yoga tops all posting sales increases in excess of 25% for fiscal December 2010.
Outdoor hardgoods dipped slightly negative overall in December, though daypacks, sleeping bags, kayaks, snowboards and three-season tents all increased sales in double-digits. The Internet channel gained more ground in outdoor hardgoods than in the apparel and footwear categories, mostly by taking share from the sporting goods channel. In snow sports, Snowboard, AT and Alpine Systems drove a mid-single-digit gain.
Retailers will be looking for spring to arrive early this year. After the holiday madness, and the weather effect realized in most every market in the U.S., January and February are considered “clean-up” time, but retailers have relatively little inventory to promote to coax consumers into the stores unless early Spring 2011 merchandise is available.
OIA members can access the OIA VantagePoint monthly trend report for December by logging in to www.outdoorindustry.org/vantagepoint.
OIA VantagePoint is the first and only full market point-of-sale data view built specifically for Outdoor Industry Association members. OIA VantagePoint provides comprehensive visibility into the outdoor marketplace by tracking weekly point‐of‐sale data from over 10,000 retail doors and websites carrying outdoor products, including over 350 outdoor specialty locations. In‐depth sales information is available online within five days of the prior week close – a competitive advantage for businesses who can shift critical resources and react quickly to ever-changing consumer preferences.
