OPINION
How the BA’s MDS Delivers Actionable Cycling Market Data
Simon Irons, Data & Insights Director for the Bicycle Association, reveals how the Bicycle Association’s Market Data Service (MDS) has transformed how cycling unparalleled clarity and enabling targeted actions for growth.
I
t’s now six years since the BA launched its world-leading, non-profit market data service (MDS) back in 2020. Whilst it was conceived by a cycling industry long starved of robust consumer sales data and forced to rely on either expensive, low quality commercial data services or, more usually, internal data supplemented by gut feel and instinct, few could have imagined the invaluable asset it would become during an unprecedented period of volatile demand, brought about by the COVID lockdown, the cost of living crisis and major shifts in how we all get around and spend our leisure time in the UK. With data back to 2018 from around 70% by volume of
UK retailers, and bike shops getting the option of free access in return for anonymously contributing data, MDS has given the whole market insights to help navigate the highs and lows, enabling businesses to understand where they are not taking their fair share of customer demand (information that can’t be found anywhere else!), put a value on the opportunity to correct it and then measure the success or otherwise of the actions taken. And the difference can be staggering. From major
investments in new Brand marketing campaigns or product development to grow market share, to encouraging shop
colleagues to sell the next helmet up in the range every time they make a bike sale to grow the average selling price to the same as the rest of the sector, to making the business case to investors to back a particular strategy based on known customer demand…these are all the types of use cases of MDS we have seen over the past few years. And thanks to the insights from MDS, the BA is finally, cautiously, predicting a return to UK cycling market growth this year. At the time of writing, five out of the seven months this year have seen sales higher
than last year, with +5% growth recorded overall in the
BA’s recently published Half Year report. But what is the BA doing to enable more in the industry to benefit from this amazing data asset when many don’t have the time or know-how to get the best out of it? Firstly, we have made a significant investment this year in our internal BA resources to help more in the industry get value out of MDS today. In practical terms, this means listening to the different types of existing MDS users across bike shops, brands and distributors, as well as those not currently engaging, so that best practice on how to use MDS to make a difference can be more easily shared and to take feedback on board on how we can develop MDS in a way that makes it easier to use and more useful for everyone. In other words, anyone using MDS should be able to easily look at the stats for their business each week, whether it’s through a detailed piece of desktop research or through five minutes accessing a tailored business summary on their smartphone and be able to take action. Secondly, having won two separate innovation grants this
year from EIT Urban Mobility and Bridge AI, we are investing in the integration of store inventory analysis and forward
20 | October 2025
www.bikebiz.com
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