Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 32

AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND INDUSTRYANALYST IN THE NPD GROUP'S SPORTS PRACTICE,
Dirk Sorenson follows trends in bikes, boats, outdoor, and fitness pursuits at retail by the numbers
and in the trenches. But COVID-19 has created a unique environment. With data fresh in hand
from the past 10 months, he talked to Outdoor Retailer magazine about how the pandemic has
reshaped the industry. See what he has to say about the current market and emerging trends here
and catch his Jan. 6 Outdoor Retailer Winter Online education session, What's Hot and What's
Not in the Outdoor Industry, for a deeper look at what's trending in the outdoor market and where
there are opportunities to maximize growth in 2021 and beyond. Register for the show here.

this time were 55 to 60% greater compared to
the same period one year ago. The longer-term
takeaway here is the permanence of the shift
to online. During the onset of the pandemic,
consumers were essentially forced to rely more
heavily on online shopping, but as the months
progressed, their new buying habits persisted
and appear to be sticking for the long haul.
Now that these online shopping habits have
reshaped, our checkout data notes that online
receipts are about 20% higher each week than
one year ago. This seems like our new normal.
The investment in sports and outdoor
equipment is also likely to be a long-term
trend. Through the lens of NPD's point-ofsale (POS) data, we see a strong desire on the
part of consumers to purchase these types of
products that can be used to create moments
of adventure and escape from the challenges
and hindrances caused by the current circumstances-working from home, forsaking
travel, social distancing, and so on. Looking at
dollar sales performance in the outdoor market, stand-up paddleboards increased by 87%
year-to-date through October 2020 compared
to the same period last year, and also up were
kayaks (+28%), stoves (+36%), grills (+30%),
recreation tents (+33%), and camp tables and
chairs (+31%). The outdoor consumer base
is growing, and even when life returns to normalcy, we can expect the draw and popularity
of outdoor and backyard adventure to endure.
Finally, we have seen a real surge in the purchasing of fitness-related equipment, which
will continue to shape exercise and workout
habits down the road. Consumers are investing in general sports equipment such as bicycles and fitness equipment for the home, with
sales up 68% and 82%, respectively, year-todate through October. On par with the above,
consumers are not going to abandon their
newly purchased equipment once gyms and
fitness centers are back on track. Their investment might have been spurred by the pandemic, but it is one for the future as well.

What are the big themes that took hold in 2020 that are reshaping the outdoor industry?
Three major themes jump out. First, e-commerce is here to stay, and consumers are embracing it in
an accelerated way. I look at NPD's checkout data as a great benchmark for how U.S. consumers have
shifted their spending from brick-and-mortar to online. Across all the industries we track, there
was enormous growth in online spending in March, April, and May. In fact, online receipts during

What impact are these trends having on
outdoor equipment retailers and manufacturers, specifically?
Sports retailers have definitely felt the effects of
the accelerated migration to the online shop-

BACK TO THE FUTURE
Some COVID-19
habits may remain
when we go back to
live trade shows.

RESEARCH

The State of the
Outdoor Economy
The NPD Group's Dirk Sorenson dishes out the data and
discusses how the industry has survived, suffered, and thrived
during the pandemic and long-term trends that could
change the way we do business. By NPD Group

32 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ January 2021

Scott Martin

IDEAS / Research and Resources

https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/home/

Outdoor Retailer - January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - January 2021