Rollerblade said sales have increased more than 300 percent since the beginning of March as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. In May, the brand experienced its largest shipping month in the past 20 years in the U.S. market.
Traffic to Rollerblade.com also grew exponentially as pandemic restrictions took hold, up more than 450 percent in April and May compared to the same period last year.
“Sales have been trending up moderately over the past few years but since the beginning of March, things have really exploded,” said Jeremey Stonier, Rollerblade’s president and business unit manager. “We attribute that to the fact that with everything going on, people need a mental break and some exercise, even a bit of fun. Inline skating provides all three and can easily be done close to home while socially distanced and out in the fresh air.”
Fueling the growth in inline skating is a diverse cross-section of enthusiasts looking for different benefits from the same activity. Sales figures, Google Trends data and reports from retailers alike, suggest that many hockey players and snow skiers who suddenly found themselves barred from rinks and ski resorts, turned to inline skating as did residents in warmer states seeking outdoor exercise in the face of widespread gym closures.
Fortunately for Rollerblade, the company produced higher than normal stock heading into this spring because of a sales forecast that called for a modest rise in sales, so it was reasonably prepared to handle the unexpected surge of orders. The springtime emergence of COVID-19 also meant that increased consumer demand occurred when product inventories were at their highest levels of the year.
“We’ve been able to meet this wave of demand pretty well considering the unexpected nature of it and our commitment to making sure our employees were operating in as safe of an environment as possible,” stated Stonier. “We’ve been able to work with our supply partners to reduce the normal production lead times so that our product restocking cycle will be faster than it’s ever been.”
Company officials hope reconnecting with past enthusiasts and being introduced to new ones fuels long-term growth for the sport.
“If anything, we hope the current situation reminds people just how great inline skating is and leads to a new wave of skaters,” said Tom Hyser, Rollerblade’s product marketing manager.
Photo courtesy Rollerblade
