Sports Consumer Insights

Trend - Outdoor gadget brands are integrating mosquito-repelling features into less traditional devices. These multifunctional devices, such as lights, speakers, or air purifiers, repel unwanted insects from camping areas, ensuring consumers can enjoy their outdoor activities uninhibited.

Insight - Consumers who spend a lot of time outside, such as those who frequently enjoy camping, barbecues, or even simply spending time on their patio, know the struggles associated with unwanted insects, such as mosquitos or bees. However, many of these consumers are not willing to invest in a device specifically to repel the insects, as this may not fit in their budgets. In response to this, brands are integrating mosquito-repelling technologies into outdoor gadgets that would be purchased regardless.

Trend - Both athletics brands and those adjacent to the sports industry are launching campaigns to support the inclusion of neurodiverse athletes. These campaigns include community activations, fundraising for charities, and sporting programs, thus building trust and good will with the communities.

Insight - As consumers become more socially conscious, their purchasing decisions increasingly reflect their values, particularly regarding inclusion. This shift in consumer behavior is evident in the sports industry, where there is a growing demand for brands to favor inclusion and show clear support for social issues. This trend is pushing brands to initiate and sponsor events, products, and endorsements that highlight neurodiversity in sports, thereby fostering a culture of acceptance and recognition.

Trend - New startups are launching wearable sweat monitors for safe hydration levels. These are non-intrusive wearables that measure the sweat on the skin, rather than detecting moisture within the skin directly. This helps remind users when to hydrate, particularly during sporting activities.

Insight - Climate change has led to outdoor weather becoming increasingly unpredictable, with rising temperatures causing more regions to become near-uninhabitable at certain times of the year. These conditions cause consumers to pay more attention to proper hydration. When performing physical activities, these consumers are looking for non-intrusive solutions to ensure their bodies maintain healthy fluid levels. Brands are in turn creating hydration monitors with less intrusive sweat-monitoring designs.

Trend - Brands are releasing ready-to-eat pastas and bowls that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. These are heavy meals that are typically craved after a workout. The addition of functional ingredients results in meals that taste like cheat meals, but are proven beneficial for workout recovery.

Insight - Fitness-aware consumers often pay attention to their intakes, whether it be through calorie counting or a general preference for healthier meals. However, these consumers still have cravings, and still desire variances in meals, rather than sticking to the same few dishes repeatedly. Brands are recognizing the need for a variety of satisfying meals for these target consumers, and are responding with heavier meals packed with functional ingredients.

Trend - Coffee brands are infusing their convenience-focused coffee products with electrolytes. These drinks are positioned as healthier alternatives to regular coffees while being served in a time-saving format. The infusion of electrolytes has been shown to improve hydration and reduce jitters.

Insight - Athletic consumers often adhere to specific diets and lifestyles, and find it difficult to incorporate their favorite products without betraying their diet or busy lifestyle. For example, many of these consumers still prefer to wake up with a coffee or tea, despite the lack of functional ingredients and prevalence of sugar in typical products in this space. Brands in this space are acknowledging these desires and are crafting convenient products that address both dietary and time constraints.

Trend - Brands in the workwear industry are releasing connected equipment that aim to improve on-the-job safety while offering convenience. These devices are equipped with features such as environmental sensors, communication tools, cameras, and wi-fi connectivity–each designed to improve safety.

Insight - Employees in physical labor sectors have specific requirements for both equipment and workwear. These workers place a lot of demand on their clothes and devices. These high requirements for durability have made it difficult for the workwear industry to innovate. Despite this, safety and convenience are priorities for workers in these fields. As wearable technology continues to improve other sectors, brands are investing in ways to utilize these technologies in the workwear space.

Trend - Sports equipment companies are experimenting with connected AI-powered features to enhance training and gameplay experiences. These features are used to precisely monitor player performance over time and expose areas for improvement—effectively streamlining the coaching processes.

Insight - The sports equipment industry is focused around constant improvement and results, with each product pitching that it will directly contribute to better performance than its competitors. This competitive culture leads to brands looking into adjacent fields to anticipate future innovations in sports, while players are willing to try new, experiential products to get an edge over their peers. This collective drive for future-facing products has led to AI integrations in equipment.

Trend - Sports brands are entering the metaverse with web3 experiences such as virtual reality (VR) worlds, collectible NFTs, and online events. These services deepen community involvement in sports, providing a convenient and accessible way for fans to connect with athletes and each other.

Insight - Sports fans are a very community-involved group, frequently connecting with fellow fans through fantasy leagues, watch parties, and discussions. This group wants to take its involvement in sports even further and is willing to try new services and experiences to achieve this goal. The popularity of the metaverse provides a means of filling this desire, as it offers convenient community-building, as well as exclusive perks and collectibles that further immerse fans in sports.

Trend - Brands in the food supplement space are creating vegan protein and superfood powders with mushroom blends. These brands incorporate adaptogenic mushrooms for their cognitive and muscular benefits, offering not only a vegan alternative to protein powder but one that offers more utility.

Insight - Consumers with active lifestyles frequently keep up with new trends in the health and wellness space. These consumers want products that not only serve basic functions, but offer numerous health benefits on the side, as these products better support health-focused lifestyles. Many of these customers are turning to brands that are willing to incorporate new ingredients with scientifically-backed claims. Brands are therefore pressured to innovate on modern health trends.

Trend - Creatine is a supplement commonly used in pre-workout and post-workout products for the purpose of increasing muscle training and endurance. The popularity of the amino acid has led to brands infusing it into beverages, gummies, and general health products for general consumers' health.

Insight - North American consumers are increasingly drawn to health and wellness industries as they desire to feel better, look better, and have more energy in their daily lives. As more consumers are introduced to this space and the various treatments and products available to them, they not only desire all-purpose health products but also supplements tailored to specific people's needs. The large annual influx of consumers in this space provides an opportunity for brands to experiment with ingredients previously thought of as only for the most dedicated portion of the market. Increased familiarity with daily wellness supplements accelerated the viability of products such as creatine.