Sport Footwear Purchases in Europe – Consumers Wait for Sales and Discounted Prices

Three major events influence the seasonality of the footwear market in Europe: back-to-school shopping season, shoes purchased as gifts in December, and sales and promotions in January and in June/July.

In the majority of the “Big Five” European countries (Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain), September’s sport footwear purchases are the highest of the year, as a new pair of trainers is widely considered an important item for children and teens for going back to school and looking trendy. It is also one of the times of the year when adults and children buy new footwear for the sports they plan to practise during the coming year.

January and the summer months are also important peaks due to sales and promotions that occur in all European countries during these months, when the average price in the footwear market decreases up to 15 percent compared to the prices during the rest of the year. Consumers are, of course, very sensitive to such discounts, and sales in units are boosted by 20 to 30 percent in July compared to a “normal” month like May; in some countries the increase of sales between May and July can reach 50%.

Consumers obviously wait for the sale periods, with more than 50 % of trainer purchases made in July and August being purchased at a reduced price. This pattern occurs in all Big Five countries. And, it reflects all demographic groups as men, women and children all have the same propensity for buying discounted trainers, and taking advantage of the lower prices offered by the retailers during these periods.

Sports Tracking Europe, NPD’s monthly retail point-of-sale tracking service covering the main sports retailers in the Big Five European nations, assists participating retailers and manufacturers in quickly measuring the effect promotions have on their own businesses and the overall market.

For more information about Sports Tracking Europe, please call or e-mail Renaud Vaschalde at 33 1 55 78 25 27, or e-mail renaud_vaschalde@npd.com.

Source: The NPD Group/Sports Tracking Europe/point-of-sale data 2003