industry triathlon
Getting a professional bike fit can improve comfort, reduce the risk of injury, increase bike handling ability and increase safety. Some specialist retailers even have on-site Endless Pools to allow customers to try out wetsuits before they buy, and gait analysis services which assess the movement, body mechanics and the activity of the muscles to help customers find the perfect shoe for their running style.
Bring on Rio There are only seven months to go before the British triathlon team travels to Rio to follow in the footsteps of the Brownlee brothers, who took both gold and bronze medals at the 2012 London Olympics. The 2012 Olympics took place in the height of the economic recession, but in spite of a lack of disposable income, Britain’s triathlon community apparently determined to buck the trend for belt-tightening. According to data provided by the Triathlon Industry Association (TIA), in 2012 triathletes showed an increased willingness to spend their way to better performance in training and events. It found that two thirds of respondents
expected to spend the same or more on their triathlon pursuits in the Olympic year, with as many as a third of triathletes expecting a 10-20% increase in spend the following year. What’s more, outgoings on tri hardware were predicted to be a big growth area, with average spend on the next bike purchased rising from £1500 to £1900, a surge of 27%. This bodes well for 2016 and the increase
in triathlon popularity and uptake that can be expected to accompany the Rio Olympics. 20% of respondents completed their first triathlon event in 2012, despite 78% of respondents reporting that they were struggling against work pressures and 49% managing family responsibilities to achieve their training goals. In 2016, with a recovered economy and consumer spending on the rise, the future looks bright for sports retailers aiming to capitalise on the growing popularity of triathlon. The Triathlon Industry Association has
recently launched its fourth annual Athlete Survey in association with British Triathlon to gain greater insights about the rapidly growing triathlon community and to identify any barriers in the way of the sport’s continued rise. Jack Buckner, chief executive of British Triathlon, said: “The Rio year is tremendously important to triathlon as it represents the sport’s biggest shop window.
We must work collectively both as a sport and as an industry group to leverage the momentum that the Games bring, and the TIA data will be invaluable in helping us to fuel growth, participation and performance.”
Upselling for triathletes With three sports to buy kit for, even purchasing the bare essentials means a substantial financial output for would-be triathletes. What’s more, as customers become more proficient, triathlon provides opportunities for retailers to upsell to more sophisticated products as their customers take part in increasingly frequent and challenging races. Triathlon is a unique and rapidly growing sporting activity that has clear potential reach, and provides myriad opportunities for retailers.
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Cycling The basics: Bike, bike shoes, helmet. Most races insist the bike passes a safety inspection. The luxuries: As a bike can cost anything from a couple off hundred pounds to the price of a car, this can be a key area for retailers to cash in. Triathletes who are serious about their sport will want a professional bike fit, which they cannot get from an online retailer.
SGB took a look at the different product options available for beginner triathletes through to experienced
Swimming The basics: Swimsuit, wetsuit, swim cap, goggles. Wetsuits are mandatory in many races (dependent on water temperature) The luxuries: More expensive wetsuits focus on buoyancy and elasticity. A high quality wetsuit can increase a triathletes’ speed by up to 20 seconds faster per 100m and many are coated with slick silicon to help decrease drag. Whilst typical goggles have a flat lens that
provides little to no peripheral vision, serious triathletes might prefer open water goggles, which can brighten up murky water, cut out glare and widen the range of visibility.
Triathlon England Membership* Year
Male
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
10,303 10,161 10,131 11,450
Female 3525 3566 3622 4155
Total
13,828 13,727 13,753 15,605
16,446 (as at 1 Dec 2014) 18,057 (as at 1 Dec 2015)
*As of December 2015. Data from
www.britishtriathlonmedia.org
Running The basics: Running and cycling shoes can be the same for beginner triathletes. Sunglasses protect the eyes from insects and other foreign matter (no joke when cycling at speed!) The luxuries:More advanced tri-suits, whether one-piece or two, allows the triathlete to wear the same outfit from the start to the finish of the event.
Whilst not essential, sunglasses that have
interchangeable lenses can allow triathletes to tailor their eyewear to the conditions and swap out scratched or damaged lenses.
SGB-SPORTS.COM | 15
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