Fashion and comfort driving athletic footwear sales
Research carried out by The NPD Group, Inc. indicates that, within the $19.4 billion athletic footwear market, low performance has become the second-largest athletic shoe category after running shoes (at $4.8 and $4.9 billion respectively).
Chief industry analyst, Marshal Cohen, commented: “Consumers are telling us that style and comfort, not performance, are the keys here.”
In a recent survey, consumers suggested that comfort is the primary influence on their athletic footwear purchases with price and ‘a fashionable look’ coming second and third.
Mr Cohen added that the Skate category was another example of where fashion and comfort are driving sales. “While skate-inspired footwear still represents a small market ($800 million of the $19.4 billion total athletic footwear market), its growth can't be ignored.” Sales of Skate footwear were up 45.1% in 2006 compared with 2005 sales.
According to the group, the five top-selling brands in the athletic footwear sector are (in order) Nike, New Balance, adidas, Reebok and Brand Jordan.
The NPD Group measures the athletic footwear and sports apparel markets in ten countries, representing two-thirds of global sports sales. For the remaining third, its estimates are based on assumptions related to gross domestic product development.
