We are buying more and more sports equipment online

From a comfortable sweatshirt for working out at home to sweatpants for shedding pounds to gear for the new sports we're trying after lockdown - contrary to fears, sports accessories during the pandemic are selling well, especially online. The value of transactions in stores using Shoper Payments in the first half of 2021 has already almost beaten the sales result of 2020.

A McKinsey & Company report on the sporting goods industry published at the beginning of the year indicated that this is one sector that was supposed to be affected by the pandemic, but is coming out of it with a hand and adapting to the new normal. For the current year, experts predicted an increase in the popularity of products for individual outdoor sports and various fitness styles practiced independently or online with a remote instructor.

Trends expected to drive the industry in 2021 also include athleisure apparel fashions and a pandemic-inspired shift to more health-oriented habits. These were to be accompanied by a "digital surge," i.e. the growing popularity of apps and communities that support physical activity, and a rapid increase in the number of online buyers and sellers.

Data from online stores using Shoper Payments confirm the accuracy of these predictions. The value of transactions in these stores in the first half of 2021 reached 85 percent of the value of all 2020 transactions.

Many employees, connecting with colleagues only for short video conferences, have abandoned the office dress code and started filling their closet with more comfortable clothes. This has given an unexpected second life to a style that fashion experts refer to as athleisure - a name formed from a combination of the words athletic (athletic) and leisure wear - it means wearing athletic clothes not only for sports, but also for their comfortable fit.

- Online stores selling sports equipment and clothing are on the rise, because they give you access to a wide range of products, often more than stationary stores. Their advantage is also that they provide convenient shipping and returns, so you can create mini gyms and training areas in your homes, retrofitting them with more useful accessories: mats, griffins, dumbbells, exercise bands and more. During the pandemic, there are still many people who prefer to train at home instead of at the gym, and a well-equipped online store makes it very easy for them," assesses Artur Halik, Head of Sales at the Shoper platform, which provides software for online sales.

According to a NIZP-PZH survey last fall, one in three people in Poland gained weight during the pandemic. This year's Ipsos poll reports that this has already affected 42 percent of people. On average, we gained 5.7 kg.

The Fitbit watch maker, in turn, reported that during the first wave of illnesses, users took 38 percent fewer steps per day than before the pandemic, with one in eight respondents surveyed by the brand declaring that they had started exercising independently at home. In contrast, a pan-European Ipsos survey from late 2020 revealed that as many as 60 percent of the continent's residents were exercising at home and would like to continue doing so even after the pandemic.

So, as a result of the pandemic turmoil, we have a stronger motivation than before to take care of our health and engage in sports and activities, especially those that can be done at home with an online trainer or by yourself outside.

- For the past year and a half, stationary sporting goods stores have been temporarily closed due to restrictions. Naturally, this diverted some customers to buy online, as has happened in other industries. In the case of sports, this was compounded by the reduced availability of gyms and various modes of collective sports. The active have gone into DIY mode, which naturally encourages the search for workout tips and equipment online on the one hand, and on the other encourages more entrepreneurs to launch sales in the online channel, where there is still a lot of undeveloped space. This trend continues even after the lifting of restrictions, notes Artur Halik of Shoper.