Feature: Bowling Changing lanes


Developing technology, more flexibility in set-up, theming and licensing are all contributing to a broadening of the bowling market beyond its traditional image. Ronnie Dungan finds out what is driving these changes….


F


or decades now, bowling alleys have been one of the great American past-times. Iconic,


central to youth culture, somewhat dismissed as a serious sport, but an obsession for many, many others and an enduring part of life in the US and, increasingly, elsewhere. But as technology brings advancements and operators seek to broaden the appeal of the sport, bowling’s future may no longer lie in the traditional bowling alley as we know it. The rise of the family attractions


market has seen bowling break out beyond its male-oriented, blue -collar, image towards being a family or group past-time for the casual bowler. A recent Experian Simmons National Consumer Survey found that over 51 million American adults aged


16 www.globalamusementsandplay.com


18 and over, and 19 million youths aged 6 to 17, bowled at least once in the last year. Bowling clearly is gaining in popularity as 2016 represented the ninth consecutive year of growth in participation. A significant portion of that increase resulted from heightened interest from women and younger bowlers. Since 2007, the number of adult women bowling has shown an increase every year while participation among 6 to 12-year-olds has also grown steadily, according to Experian Simmons. Moreover, 10 million consumers classify themselves as “frequent bowlers,” those who bowl 12 or more times a year, a notable base of loyal customers. Its traditional image as a sport appealing to working and lower- middle-incomes no longer applies.


Several recent studies have found that the largest number of bowlers, both casual and serious, is found in higher socioeconomic households. “Consumers in households that earn more than $100,000 are the largest market for bowling centres”, according to a recent report issued by market research specialist, IBISWorld. By 2019, IBIS projects that 25 per cent of all US households will have incomes over $100,000, which bodes well for the future of the bowling industry. Several other recent US surveys


have verified bowling’s growing appeal to an upper-income clientele. For example, the Experian Simmons National Consumer Survey found that the median income of a bowling household is over $76,000 per year, and more than 28 per cent of all


March 2017


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