Outdoor sports are almost an indispensable way of life for people in Europe and the United States. They have a stable and sustainable demand for outdoor sports products. Therefore, the outdoor sports market in Europe and the United States has always been in a leading position in the world.

The global outdoor products industry is in full swing. According to the survey, the revenue of the global outdoor products industry in 2020 will reach nearly 160 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 28.33%. The growth trend is unraveling and is expected to exceed $230 billion by 2025. At the same time, the consumer group of outdoor products continues to expand. In 2023, it is expected that more than 1.3 billion people will fall in love with the healthy lifestyle of outdoor sports. Its penetration rate has exceeded 10% in 2019, and this figure is expected to increase to 17.3% in 2023.

As the coronavirus lockdowns are lifted, Americans are turning to the outdoors. The popularity of the outdoor economy has gradually spread to all aspects of the consumer market, and all links related to outdoor activities are ushering in new opportunities.

According to the latest data from NPD, while the year-on-year growth of many categories in the outdoor retail market was less pronounced in the first quarter, in the 12 months to March 2022, overall sales in major channels increased by 19% year-on-year to 283 billion, and the previous years growth was also driven by consumer incentives.

These major channels include major sporting goods retailers and small specialty retail stores in the United States, as well as specialty outdoor gear sales websites.

1 The outdoor economy is unprecedentedly hot, where do Americans love to burn money?

In the twelve months through March, by category in outdoor retail, apparel sales rose 21% to $15.9 billion; footwear sales rose 18% to $5.3 billion; outdoor equipment sales rose 11% to $5.8 billion; accessories rose 35% to $1.3 billion.

Among outdoor equipment, sales of water bottles and insulated containers increased 30% in the 12 months to the end of March; camping chairs increased 44%; hard-sided coolers increased 10%; lighting equipment increased 7%; sleeping bags up 25%.

Other categories that saw significant growth included knives (10%), camping equipment (61%), roof accessories (24%), and first aid kits (40%). The climbing category also saw growth, with climbing shoe sales up 79 percent and climbing harnesses up 40 percent.

In the accessories category, the notable growth was backpacks, up 35% year-on-year in the past 12 months; duffel bags, up 36% year-on-year; fanny packs/chest bags, up 22% year-on-year; and handbags, up 38% year-on-year.

Growth in apparel reflects strong demand for comfort, lifestyle apparel and versatility; footwear is driven by increased interest in running and hiking shoes; equipment products are driven by increased outdoor recreation, said Dirk Sorenson, NPD sports industry consultant. Driven; strong growth in accessories reflected increased travel demand, with strong year-over-year growth in backpacks and luggage.

2 The strong performance of footwear and apparel, who is the sales leader?

In the clothing category, in the 12 months as of March, the categories with significant growth in the main sales channels of outdoor products are shown in the following figure:

In the footwear category, in the 12 months as of March, the categories with significant growth in the main sales channels of outdoor products are shown in the following figure:

3 Outdoor sports become a new way of life, how to grasp "Qian Jing"?

Matt Powell, senior industry consultant for NPD Group Sports, introduced the changes and trends in the U.S. outdoor sports goods market during the three-month period between the first quarter results ended March and the same period last year.

In the first quarter of this year, U.S. sneaker sales fell 8.2% to $6.1 billion, while the average selling price rose 2.7%. In the last year, sales have increased by about 20%, and the average selling price has risen by about 15%. NPD attributed the decline to a comparison with stimulus spending a year ago, and expects a turnaround in the second half but not a return to strong growth.

Powell believes that sneaker promotions will increase in the second half of the year due to excess inventory. By market segment, sales of childrens sports shoes fell 10%; sales of mens sports shoes fell 9%; sales of womens sports shoes fell 6%.

In sportswear, sales fell 2.3% to $7.6 billion in the first quarter of this year, and the average selling price rose 8.1%, compared with a 47.1% increase in sales in the same period last year. By market segment, menswear increased by 3%, womenswear decreased by 7%, and childrenswear decreased by 8%.

The increase in average selling prices for activewear in the most recent quarter reflected faster growth in higher-priced categories such as outerwear, reversing a trend of strength in lower-priced categories a year earlier, and the overall decline was again attributable to stimulus spending a year ago.

Team sports equipment sales fell 0.6% to $2.25 billion after growing 54.3% in the first quarter of 2021. Average selling prices in this category remain high, rising 11% in the most recent quarter.

Among them, sales of golf, the largest category, fell 13% in the first quarter, as sales began to decline around late spring 2021 after experiencing significant growth in the early stages of the pandemic.

Many sports categories rebounded as sports seasons were canceled or postponed in many parts of the U.S. in the first quarter of 2021. In spring sports, baseball equipment was up 19% year over year, lacrosse equipment sales were up 72%, soccer was up 10%, and general-purpose protective gear was up 9%.

4 Country Distribution of Buyers in Outdoor Sports Industry

Young men in the UK and US are the number one buyers of outdoor orders. Among the outdoor sports consumer groups, the ratio of males and females is obviously 82. At the same time, the proportion of women has also increased compared to the previous year. In terms of age, young and middle-aged people aged 20-50 have strong spending power in outdoor sports, and young people aged 21-30 have the most fanatical love for outdoor sports. In terms of geographical distribution, comparing the platform data in 2021 and 2019, it can be found that the U.S. outdoor product consumption market has always occupied the bulk of the global outdoor product market, and the market development has been very mature. On the other hand, the growth of the UK market also deserves the attention of the majority of businesses.

5 The distribution of merchants in the outdoor sports industry, the seller "Rolling King" is in Guangzhou and Yiwu

In the team delivering high-quality outdoor products to the world market, business friends from Guangshen area and Yiwu showed multiple superimposed skill points. Guangzhou is one of the "roll kings" in the number of "competitions" in the business category, and is proficient in everything from outdoor equipment to cycling products, from hunting products to water sports products. Yiwu is similar to Guangzhou, and at the same time has a separate side in the competitive landscape of fishing. Shenzhen is a player who spans three tracks of outdoor equipment, hunting and water sports.

Which months are the best selling items? Looking at the hot sales of various items, outdoor enthusiasts are enthusiastic about shopping from May to August every year, and these months also contribute to the main sales of the year.

Affected by the epidemic, the health awareness of the whole people has increased, the participation in fitness sports has been unprecedentedly high, and the market demand has increased rapidly, which has brought about the rapid growth of the global fitness industry. At present, the female market is the most important market segment in this category. From the platform data, fitness apparel has the fastest growth, followed by indoor fitness equipment. It is recommended to focus on treadmills, cycling machines, steppers, trampolines, dumbbells, yoga supplies, fascia guns, massage balls, etc. (large items need to be stocked in overseas warehouses).

The extreme sports category is a hot-selling category in spring and summer, with annual sales increasing by more than 80%, great development potential, and obvious advantages of overseas warehouse products. The supplement directions that merchants can focus on include branded scooters, balance bikes, karts and fashion skateboards (non-electric).