Coronavirus placed many sectors under huge strain, but activewear emerged as a clear beneficiary. The vertical has seen some massive spikes in business as a result of the “new normal”.

Pandemic Lift

With gyms closing their doors, and many turning their sights towards home workouts as quarantines were imposed, the start of 2020 saw a rise that went beyond the usual “new year, new me” investment in activewear.

In April 2020 activewear sellouts leaped by 40% in the US and 97% in the UK, as customers invested in their home workout equipment.

The sector should feel proud for helping keep customers physically fit and mentally healthy during the early months of the pandemic.

The pandemic also had a positive impact on the activewear sector as people, confined to their homes, invested in more comfortable, casual attire. Athleisure sales rocketed, and according to a J.P. Morgan survey, in the USA 24% of the survey population counted athletic apparel and athleisure wear as a top-three category when it came to spending their stimulus checks.

Nearly half of all consumers said that active or athleisure bottoms had replaced some of the denim jeans in their wardrobe and more than a third (37%) claimed they preferred to wear athletic pants over denim jeans.

Lasting Gains

Months later, growth is still apparent. The athletic wear market is projected to grow at a 3.7% CAGR over the next six years, to reach $439.17 billion by 2026.

When it comes to purchasing decisions within the sector, customers’ personal preferences and workout-specific requirements play a huge role. As a result, your online store must offer easy product discovery and the ability to effectively filter products to find the items that exactly match your customers’ individual preferences.

As life slowly returns to normal, how can the online activewear sector continue to capitalize on new customers that have purchased online during the pandemic out of necessity, while continuing to inspire sales from those who always shopped online?

The answer lies in providing truly exceptional customer experience. This Guide will outline six ways Klevu is perfectly positioned to help online activewear retailers like you keep your customers happily purchasing online, long after brick and mortar stores have reopened for business