Wholesale shipments of sports and fitness products increased by 3.5 percent in 2014, propelling the industry to total sales exceeding $84.2 billion, according to the latest State of the Industry Report published by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA).
“In recent years, the industry has been concerned with business factors such as constrained spending, unemployment and lack of consumer confidence,” said Tom Cove, SFIA’s president and CEO. “While those concerns are still present, our industry outpaced the GDP last year and we’re seeing a positive transition in consumer spending and wholesale orders in our categories.
The 2015 SFIA State of the Industry Report reveals that the bulk of consumer spending comes from active Americans who are looking to participate in new sports and fitness activities.
In addition to wholesale shipments, the 2015 SFIA State of the Industry also provides insights into participation, consumer spending, non-endemic investments, and current distribution trends.
The State of the Industry features in-depth interviews with Suzie Nixon (Executive Director, Kids In The Game), Randy Bergstedt (Group Product Manager, Smart Wearables, Epson America, Inc.), and Keith Anderson (VP, Strategy and Insights, Profitero), focusing on youth participation, technology and e-commerce trends.
"This is an interesting time to be operating in the sports and fitness space. It really feels like it could be a pivotal moment,” said Nate Heckman, principal of Stitch Marketing. “Social and societal factors are heavily impacting which activities thrive and which struggle, and technology from inside and outside the industry is making sports and fitness more relevant and valued than ever. But at the same time we have a ways to go to close the divide between the most avid participants and the completely sedentary- a real dilemma for both business and community."
The 2015 SFIA State of the Industry Report is free to all SFIA members and $495 for non-members. The SFIA will also host a 2015 State of the Industry Webinar, on June 25 at 2pm EST, featuring SFIA’s Tom Cove, Stitch Market Research’s Nate Heckman and Profitero’s Keith Anderson.
