Growth in racquet sports as a practice seems to be spurring growth in related softgoods, or so believe several analysts at Circana, the analytics company that resulted from the merger (in March) of Information Resources (IRI) and The NPD Group (NPD).
According to the company’s statistics, the U.S. market for racquet-sports equipment has grown by a factor of six over the past three years. The country’s tennis apparel sales are up by 15 percent year-on-year for 12 months ending June 2023 and by 38 percent from three years ago. Sales of athletic skirts and dresses are up a combined 24 percent over the past 12 months year-on-year and have more than doubled since 2019.
Sales of tennis shoes for the same periods are up by 21 and 37 percent, while sales of tennis-inspired shoes are up 9 percent in the past 12 months year-on-year.
For Circana’s apparel industry analyst, Kristen Classi-Zummo, “tennis apparel has carved a place in consumers’ post-pandemic wardrobe evolution as they swap their sweats for something more stylish without sacrificing on comfort.”
Footwear industry analyst Beth Goldstein believes we are seeing “the impact that the interest in tennis as an activity is having on fashion — by reaching a much broader audience than those who are actually playing the sport.”
Julia Day, executive director of business development, agrees that the enthusiasm for racquet sports, at least for now, “transcends the sports themselves.”
Circana’s receipt-based tracking service, Checkout, suggests that the main driver of this growth is an increase both in the number of buyers – up 20 percent over the past year – and in amounts spent. But there is also the American racquet phenomenon – pickleball.
Overall U.S. sales in racquet-sports equipment for the past 12 months are up 27 percent year-on-year, to $684 million. Pickleball racquets and balls account for well over 40 percent of this total, or $304.2 million. Three years ago, the pickleball haul was $50.8 million.
Photo: Joan Azeka, Unsplash
