The outdoor market outperformed the broader markets in November posting an impressive 8.7% retail sales increase versus the same month in 2009.  Footwear category sales were up 9.6% (largely due to late-arriving winter boot sales), apparel category sales were up 11.7% and hardgoods category sales grew 4.1% over the same time period in 2009. 


Aggressive promotions, pent-up consumer demand and colder weather patterns combined to drive retail chains and outdoor vendors to their best November in four years.  According to retail point-of-sale data compiled by SportScanInfo for OIA VantagePoint™, sales trends in the outdoor market are mirroring the trends at retail overall, with luxury and specialty out-performing lower-end stores and the Internet channel continuing to take market share from traditional brick and mortar business.

  
Despite higher than anticipated unemployment and tax uncertainties, holiday gift-giving and winter weather patterns combined to loosen consumer purse strings.  Sales motivators began shifting in November, with consumers driven both by wants and needs instead of just needs.  For example, Winter Boots made up 36.0 % of total outdoor footwear sales in November 2010, while comprising only 8.8 % of sales for the entirety of third quarter 2010 (retail calendar third quarter is August-October).

Another obvious performer is outdoor outerwear which commanded 53.0 % of all November outdoor apparel sales versus only 42.9 % in November 2009.  Activewear brought in 27.8 % of the category sales during third quarter 2010 but represented only 14.5 % of November 2010 sales with outdoor accessories (hats, gloves, socks, etc.) coming in at a surprising 18.7 % of November 2010 sales.  Apparel flew off the literal and virtual shelves in November, where strong double-digit sales gains were seen in both Internet and Department Store channels where discounting and promotional activity reached a fever pitch in the last week of the month that included Black Friday weekend.

On the hardgoods front, snow sports products were a larger piece of the overall Outdoor Hardgoods business in November, pulling in 13.3 % of overall outdoor hardgoods sales, though camping equipment continued to perform well (20.1 % of hardgoods sales) and electronics (8.0 %) and packs & bags (7.4 %) are strongly in the November 2010 product mix as well.

“Consumer spending is starting to shift slightly as discounts and promotions are tempting consumers to purchase items for themselves,” said  LaRae Marsik, vice president of business intelligence at the Outdoor Industry Association. “Many of the top outdoor brands are invigorating their presence online for good reason.  The Internet and e-commerce channels continue to expand and offer broader inventory selection for consumers who are looking for the shopping trifecta of choice, convenience and value.  Brands that provide the whole package are seeing consumer spending grow despite a hesitant economy.”

 
Outerwear and boots are expected to continue to surge in December, while accessories and last minute big-ticket items will round out the end of the month.  After the pre-Christmas shipping cut-off deadline, brick-and-mortar retail locations are expected to benefit from consumers looking for over-stocked and over-promoted items (that may or may not still be available) during the last week of the season.

OIA members can access the OIA VantagePoint™ monthly trend report for November 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.

About Outdoor Industry Association
Outdoor Industry Association® (OIA) is a national trade association whose mission is to ensure the growth and success of the outdoor industry. OIA provides trade services for over 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers in the outdoor industry. OIA provides industry defining resources and support in government/legislative affairs, market and social research, business‐to-business services and youth outreach initiatives. Ongoing education opportunities and strategic business workshops provided by OIA include the annual Rendezvous®, Outdoor University® sessions, and the Capitol Summit. Outdoor Industry Association is based in Boulder, Colorado, and is the title sponsor of the Outdoor Retailer tradeshows. For more information about OIA go to www.outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.

About The SportsOneSource Group
The SportsOneSource Group is a full service market research company delivering solutions through consumer insight research, retail insight research and retail point‐of‐sale trending and analysis. The company provides the most reliable, timely and comprehensive sports and outdoor industry information available in the market today. SportScanInfo is a SportsOneSource technology platform developed to compile, aggregate and disseminate aggregated retail point‐of‐sale information. SportsOneSource also publishes the Sports Executive Weekly and The B.O.S.S. Report executive newsletters, along with the SGB, SGD TEAM Business and Performance Sports Retailer print publications and their related online, e‐mail and digital products. For more information about the SportsOneSource Group call 704.987.3450 or go to www.SportsOneSource.com.