For the second year in a row outdoor retailers were viewed highest in the eyes of the U.S. consumer when shopping for sporting goods. Based on survey feedback compiled in the most recent Where America Shops report, full-line sporting goods and discount/ mass merchant retailers had higher awareness levels and scored more in-store visits than the outdoor segment as a whole, but when it came to rating the shopping experience, it was the outdoor specialists that scored higher across almost all categories versus other trade channels.
The survey, which was conducted via the Internet in late June as part of the broader Where America Shops report, sampled a cross-section of the American population ages 13 and older. A top-line review of the study will be made available in the SGB magazine Fall issue, due out next week. The full study will be available on September 28.
When respondents were asked to rate the retailers they have visited specifically for sporting goods, it was the outdoor retailers that dominated the ratings of many of the attributes measured throughout the survey. Other than “Having a Low Price” and “Convenient Store Locations” an outdoor retailer was as the top of the list.
Cabela's received the highest average ratings from their consumers than any of the other retailers measured. Cabela's received the highest ratings for having a “Variety of Product Offerings” and “Having Products in Stock”. When thinking about the “Customer Service” respondents who have visited Cabela's in the past year ranked only L.L. Bean higher.
Cabela's fell slightly below REI and L.L. Bean when respondents were asked to rate “Quality of Products” that each of the retailers carry.
In the battle for Full-Line Sporting Goods retailer supremacy The Sports Authority outranked Dicks Sporting Goods in every category with the exception of “Carrying Quality Products”.
The greatest difference in the average ratings was in the perceived price of the products sold. Sports Authority received an average rating nearly a full point higher than that of Dicks Sporting Goods.
The SportsOneSource 2009 Where America Shops report will be packaged in various formats to customize or optimize the benefits to the user. The full report is over 250 pages, but can be broken down into specific retailer data, such as how a consumer that shops at one retailer rank that retailer against its competition in a number of categories. The report will also be broken into trade channels. The report is free to SportScanINFO retail reporting partners.
For more information on the study, including the customization of the data for a specific project or report, please contact SOS Research at 704.987.3450 or e-mail to: Research@SportsOneSource.com.
