Abstract
The U.S. fitness clothing market experienced steady growth during 2002-07, thanks to a fusion of fitness and performance, advances in technology, better appeal to women, and the Hispanic athlete. While women shift toward sports-specific apparel, men are falling back to traditional sweat clothing.
This report offers discussion of the following topics:
" How women are helping to drive sales in this market, and how, by appealing to them with variety, technical innovation, and more appealing shopping environments, manufacturers can drive sales.
" How partnerships between companies in the marketplace and outside of it can help propel sales.
" How even in a marketplace that includes the behemoth, Nike, new competitors, such as Under Armour, can come in swinging.
" The significance of the Hispanic consumer in the fitness clothing marketplace.
" The importance of keeping the interest of the older population of Americans.
The report will also explore how rising obesity rates can be both a hindrance and a help to sales in this market, and will discuss the attitudes and motivations of key consumers in the marketplace.
Table of Contents
- Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Executive Summary
- Fashion meets performance and creates opportunities
- Major competitors maintain position in market
- Advertising and promotion
- Sales growth steady for past five years
- The retail picture
- Exercise trends impact sales of fitness clothing
- Hispanic purchasing power
- Overweight population presents both challenge and opportunity
- Consumer interest in fitness clothing
- Who' s wearing what?
- Where do they shop?
- Important factors in purchasing
- Attitudes towards fitness clothing
- Purchasing behavior
- Brand ownership
- Market Size and Forecast
- Key points
- Healthy sales
- Casual and healthy lifestyles
- Concerns over fuel and energy costs
- Figure 2: Total U.S. sales and forecast of fitness clothing at current prices, 2002-12
- Figure 3: Total U.S. sales and forecast of fitness clothing at inflation adjusted prices, 2002-12
- Competitive Context
- Figure 4: Important factors in purchase of fitness clothes, March 2008
- Competition from within
- Location, location, location
- Figure 5: Top ten cities for active sportswear spending, 2007
- Segment Performance - Overview
- Key points
- Women getting more sports specific
- Men going back to basics
- Figure 6: U.S. sales and forecast of fitness clothing at current prices, by gender and sweats vs sports, 2002-12Figure 7: Index of U.S. sales and forecast of fitness clothing at current prices, by gender and sweats vs sports, 2002-12
- Figure 8: U.S. sales of fitness clothing, by gender and sweats vs sports, 2005 and 2007
- What people wear
- Figure 9: Clothing worn when exercising, by age, March 2008
- Segment Performance - Women' s Sports Apparel
- Key points
- A variety of bras
- Key benefits of top selling items
- Figure 10: Best sellers in women' s activewear, 2007
- Figure 11: U.S. sales and forecast of women' s sports apparel, 2002-12
- Figure 10: Best sellers in women' s activewear, 2007
- Segment Performance - Women' s Sweat Clothes
- Key points
- Sweats appeal more to older folks
- Figure 12: U.S. sales and forecast of women' s sweat clothes, 2002-12
- Segment Performance - Men' s Sports Apparel
- Key points
- Technical and casual
- Figure 13: U.S. sales and forecast of men' s sports apparel, 2002-12
- Segment Performance - Men' s Sweat Clothes
- Key points
- Licensed products helping
- Need a larger size?
- Figure 14: U.S. sales and forecast of men' s sweat clothes, 2002-12
- Retail Channels
- Key points
- The mass merchandiser
- Department stores still in there
- Don' t forget online
- Figure 15: U.S. sales of fitness clothing, by retail channel, 2005 and 2007
- Women' s clothing
- Figure 16: U.S. sales of women' s fitness clothing, by retail channel, 2005 and 2007
- Men' s clothing
- Figure 17: U.S. sales of men' s fitness clothing, by retail channel, 2005 and 2007
- Retail Channels - Department Stores
- Key points
- Where the Baby Boomers shop
- Figure 18: U.S. sales of fitness clothing at department stores, 2002-12
- Retail Channels - Clothing Stores
- Key points
- They can' t offer it all
- Figure 19: U.S. sales of fitness clothing at clothing stores, 2002-07
- Retail Channels - Discount / Supercenters / Warehouse Clubs
- Key points
- Women and parents driving sales
- Figure 20: U.S. sales of fitness clothing at discount, supercenters, warehouse clubs, 2002-07
- Retail Channels - Sporting Goods Stores
- Key points
- Appealing to women
- Market share
- Figure 21: U.S. sales of fitness clothing at sporting goods stores, 2002-07
- Retail Channels - Other Retailers
- Key points
- Not just shrink and pink
- Fitness apparel can be posh
- Figure 22: U.S. sales of fitness clothing at other retailers, 2002-07
- Market Drivers
- Fitness before beauty
- Figure 23: Population by age, 2003-13
- Ups and downs of the bicycling cycle
- Figure 24: Top 15 most popular U.S. sports among those aged 7+, by participation, 2000-06
- Figure 25: Participation in activities at least once per week, by gender, March 2008
- Figure 26: Participation in activities at least once per week, by age, March 2008
- Women do more shopping
- Figure 27: Female population by age, 2003-13
- The economy
- Appealing to men
- Figure 28: Male population by age, 2003-13
- Those who need exercise the most
- Figure 29: Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Americans, 1988-2002
- Where people work out
- Hispanic purchasing power
- Figure 30: Population by race and Hispanic origin, 2003-13
- Figure 31: Buying power by ethnicity, 1990-2011
- Leading Companies
- Key points
- Companies slimming down
- Brand usage
- Figure 32: Brands of fitness clothing owned, by gender and age, March 2008
- Brand Qualities
- Just Do It, Just Nike
- adidas wants it all
- Reebok
- The everyday Champion
- Under Armour: function first
- Russell and evaporation
- Innovation and Innovators
- Key points
- Nike of course
- A bra is not just a bra anymore
- Figure 33: Innovative sports bra introductions, by manufacturer, March 2008
- Give me the high tech
- More of it
- Environmentally friendly
- Advertising and Promotion
- Style, support and fun central to fitness clothing promotions
- Events
- Television ads
- Columbia
- Figure 34: Columbia sports television ad, March 2008
- Nike
- Figure 35: Nike ACG television ad, March 2008
- Puma
- Figure 36: Puma sportswear television ad, March 2008
- Russell Athletic
- Figure 37: Russell athletic television ad, March 2008
- Under Armour
- Figure 38: Under Armour sportswear television ad, March 2008
- Fitness Activity
- People who exercise in the first place
- Figure 39: Incidence and frequency of exercise, by age, March 2008
- Activities participate in
- Figure 40: Participation in activities at least once per week, by household income, March 2008
- Figure 41: Participation in activities at least once per week, by age, March 2008
- Apparel Purchases
- Who purchases clothing for exercise
- Figure 42: Purchased clothing for sports or exercise, by gender and age, March 2008
- Figure 43: Purchased clothing for sports or exercise, by household income, March 2008
- Who' s wearing what
- Figure 44: Clothing worn when exercising, by household income, March 2008
- Men' s apparel
- Figure 45: Purchase incidence of men' s apparel and accessories, by gender and age, May 2006-June 2007
- Figure 46: Purchases of men' s apparel and accessories, by age, May 2006-June 2007
- Women' s apparel
- Figure 47: Purchase incidence of women' s apparel and accessories, by gender, May 2006-June 2007
- Figure 48: Purchases of women' s apparel and accessories, by age, May 2006-June 2007
- Attitudes and Motivations
- Attitudes towards fitness clothing
- Figure 49: Attitudes about fitness clothing, by gender, March 2008
- Figure 50: Attitudes about fitness clothing, by age, March 2008
- Important fitness clothing factors
- Figure 51: Important factors in purchase of fitness clothes, March 2008
- Race and Ethnicity
- Take sports seriously
- Figure 52: Purchased clothing for sports or exercise, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Participation
- Figure 53: Participation in activities at least once per week, by race/ethnic origin, March 2008
- What to wear
- Figure 54: Clothing worn when exercising, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Licensed clothing
- Figure 55: Purchases of licensed sports clothing, by sport, by race/ethnicity, May 2006-June 2007
- Figure 56: Purchases of licensed sports clothing, by type of clothing, by race/ethnicity, May 2006-June 2007
- Black respondents favor discount stores
- Figure 57: Where purchased clothing for sports or exercise, by race/ethnic origin, March 2008
- Champion and urban fashion
- Figure 58: Brands of fitness clothing owned, by race/ethnic origin, March 2008
- Attitudes
- Figure 59: Attitudes about fitness clothing, by race/ethnic origin, March 2008
- Appendix: Other Useful Consumer Tables
- Figure 68: Purchased clothing for sports or exercise, by marital status, March 2008
- Figure 69: Purchased clothing for sports or exercise, by presence of children in household, March 2008
- What do they buy
- Figure 70: Mean number of men' s apparel and accessories purchased, by type of apparel, May 2006-June 2007
- Figure 71: mean number of women' s apparel and accessories purchased, by type of apparel, May 2006-June 2007
- Where do they shop
- Figure 72: Where purchased clothing for sports or exercise, by gender and age, March 2008
- Purchase behavior
- Figure 73: Fitness clothing purchase behavior, by gender and age, March 2008
- Figure 74: Fitness clothing purchase behavior, by race and ethnic origin, March 2008
- Reasons for not purchasing
- Figure 75: Reasons for not purchasing fitness clothing, March 2008
- Items purchased by fitness location
- Men' s
- Women' s
- Figure 76: Purchases of apparel and accessories, by location of fitness program, May 2006-June 2007
- Appendix: Trade Associations
- Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association

