sportstyle

R unners know what they want. But they also crave information and are more than willing to test out new brands and new technologies. ose are just two of the takeaways from our most recent consumer survey, where we asked more than 330 "active runners" a variety of questions about how and when they run, how and where they shop, and what influences their purchases. e consumers we surveyed were frequent runners — 45% said they run 16 or more times per month, and 57% said they replace their running shoes every nine months (or less). As far as brands go, we asked runners if they have a specific footwear and apparel brand in mind before they even enter a store. For footwear, 70% said yes. On the apparel side, it was only 46%. is would suggest, not surprisingly, that runners are more brand loyal when it comes to their shoes than their clothes. However, 78% of consumers also told us they would like a sales associate in-store to present additional styles and brands to them as they shop for those shoes. Of those surveyed, 30% said they have their gait assessed while shopping for footwear and 38% said they have their feet measured by either a scanner or a traditional measuring device. (In-store shopping perks!) We also compared some of the responses to our survey to responses from last year. Recovery footwear is growing in awareness. In 2021 when we asked if consumers had ever purchased recovery footwear, 47% said they had never heard of recovery footwear. In 2022, that number dropped to 31%, with 25% telling us they have bought recovery footwear (versus 17% in 2021). Also growing in awareness is "safety" for runners — protection from everything ranging from weather, vehicles, peoples, dogs and cyclists. Of our respondents, 75% said they "prepare for a potentially dangerous situation" when it comes to weather, 71% for cars and 51% for potentially dangerous people. And 54% said they have purchased reflective apparel for running in low light situations. e interest in purchasing "self defense" products for the run has remained fairly steady, with 56% telling us they have "considered" it in 2021 and 57% reporting the same in 2022. n This survey conducted by MESH01 included 336 respondents, male and female runners, aged 18-60.Trend Insight is a feature within sportstyle that delivers research conducted on the MESH01 Platform. MESH01 collects data from a select panel of active and outdoor enthusiasts. S E I Z E T H E T R E N D ! CARPE TRENDEM TRENDINSIGHT How many times per month do you typically run? UNDERSTANDING THE RUNNING CONSUMER DEMOGRAPHICS What time of day do you normally run? How often do you replace your running shoes? 1-4x Early morning 3 months or less 5-10x Late morning 3-6 months 11-15x Early afternoon 6-9 months 16x Late afternoon 9-12 months Evening 1 year or more 12% 41% 6% 15% 11% 30% 29% 10% 27% 45% 24% 18% 14% 19% 28 • November/December 2022 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com

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