Outdoor sports have become popular in North America, reducing sellers’ losses due to the epidemic

These include apps for biking , hiking , walking and other outdoor activities .

Some categories saw double- and triple-digit growth as long-time users and newcomers prepared for local, local travel, such as travel backpacks and hiking shoes.

Retailers are also capitalizing on the renewed interest in outdoor activities by running digital education campaigns that reward customers with freebies or discounts as they learn more about the brand.

Heading into the new year, the number of newcomers taking up outdoor activities in 2020 is expected to continue to drive growth in the sector, according to Powell’s forecast, but it could be further fueled by people’s commitment to living healthier lifestyles after seeing the dramatic impact the pandemic has had on people with pre-existing conditions.

That ’s based on Harris Poll data , which showed that nearly 70% of Americans want to spend time outdoors , an increase of nearly 20% over the company’s past 10 years of tracking. Aangeenbrug added that if those numbers hold, it would be the largest annual increase in outdoor participation ever in OIA’s history.

Garrett McGuire, Merrell’s director of retail experience, said the company has been working to connect customers to their local spaces and local outdoor experiences through the smaller regional retailers it sells in. It took about six weeks to redefine what it means for customers to experience the outdoors and encourage them to hike wherever they are (sidewalk or otherwise).

“I think a lot of people think of the outdoors as this experiential thing that you have to travel to, you have to go to the top of a mountain or you have to fly to this exotic place,” McGuire said. “From a performance perspective for our business, I’m excited to see the definition of the outdoors expanding to something that is as simple as a consumer walking to their front door. ”

According to Powell , sales at outdoor specialty brick-and-mortar stores fell 26% in the 12 months ending November 2020, while e-commerce sales in the sector grew 23%. Powell said that given the much larger scale of physical retail, the net result was still an 8% decline , and having a strong digital business will continue to be key .

Outdoor Activities

Seller

epidemic

North America