An extensive study from the National Sporting Goods Association tells a lot about the habits of sporting goods shoppers in the U.S. Shopper Playbook – Insights into the Sporting Goods Shopper, used information from 1600 sporting goods shoppers and 3600 in-store observations to assist retailers in growing their businesses. Here are some of the key takeaways.

 

The majority of shoppers research before they buy

Sporting Equipment 67%

Footwear 59%

Sporting Apparel 45%

 

Which resources do shoppers use to learn about products?

                                                            Source of Information Most Influential

Amazon                                              26%                                                     12%

Store Website                                      24%                                                     10%

Personal Recommendations                19%                                                     11%

Seeing/Trying Item(s) in-store            19%                                                     13%

In-Store Displays                               18%                                                     8%

Google/Google Shopping                    17%                                                     5%

Manufacturer’s Website                     16%                                                     5%

Retail Store Associates                       11%                                                     3%

 

Where do shoppers visit before making a purchase?

                                                Websites         Stores

Sporting Equipment                3.5                   1.9

Footwear                                 4.2                   3.6

Sporting Apparel                    2.1                   1.6

 

In-Store vs. Online Purchases

 

Retailers take note!

 

29% of in-store shoppers purchase an unplanned item

8% browse or shop in-store and then go back to purchase online

18% use a smartphone inside the store to help make decisions

 

Nearly 33% of sporting goods shoppers leave the store without making a purchase. But why?

 

Didn’t like the selection 31%

Not in stock 24%

Not on sale 20%

Couldn’t find 17%

Not high quality 7%