Industry Report
Today, football is a global phenomenon that connects people like never before, and the humble football shirt is an age-old symbol of this shared passion. Jeremy Bauer, global commercial director, Embelex at Avery Dennison, reports on how personalised merch is taking sports fandom local and global.
More than just apparel T
he football apparel market is set to grow, with analysts predicting an increase of USD$2.62 billion from 2020 to 2025, at a CAGR of 4.97%. For FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, every team bar Canada wore a new kit design, stimulating huge demand for branded replica shirts. Japan, Brazil, France and many others revealed amazing shirt designs that proved popular with fans. Interestingly, only six World Cup football teams were not supplied by Adidas, Nike or Puma. Needless to say, this is big business for the leading sportswear brands.
Heat transfer personalisation made easy
World Cup merch was a standout opportunity for football shirt retailers and online vendors who offer personalised printing services. Specialist embellishment providers need the latest technology to keep up with the rising demand for printed images, names and logos on kits, and related merchandise. Thanks to software and high-precision, high-speed production processes, it’s become easier for independent stores, clubs and organisations to offer personalised clothing and accessories quickly and cost-effectively, on site. On-demand production through semi-automation and downloadable software that high-tech innovators provide are enabling new business models to reach local markets. Thanks to the affordability of the latest heat transfer application software and hardware, smaller firms can easily set themselves up to print football shirts, on-demand, no matter where in the world they’re located.
Larger retailers will use an external supplier to manage high volumes of printed and personalised sportswear for a global customer base. In this case, it will help to team with a supplier with access to global distribution centres, for the necessary stock to be supplied on a
| 64 | March 2023
Sportswear has evolved to become more than just apparel, building social bridges between global sports fans and creating a worldwide ecosystem of loyal supporters
just-in-time basis, cutting waste and lost revenues to a minimum.
Full-service, on-product branding and customisation can guarantee speed, agility and large enough centres strategically placed around the globe, to personalise garments at scale. With customisation and personalisation now such an integral part of sports fandom, we’ve seen interest in these services escalate in recent years.
Personalising the experience through ‘connected’ garments The Internet of Things (IoT) takes sports fandom and apparel to a whole new level as garments can now be directly connected to online content. Through scannable smart heat transfers and QR codes on garments, embellishments and packaging, consumers can open apps on their smart phones and access rich sources of information simply by scanning these digital triggers.
Large scale sporting events present an ideal opportunity for sports marketing and fan base-building in this way. It’s an interesting proposition for teams, their fans, replica shirt manufacturers and print providers alike.
The aim is to enhance people’s experiences while offering teams new ways to tailor experiences and target specific consumers. Even at a grassroots level – local football teams and athletics clubs – smart technology attached to
textiles can help build engagement by providing online information and incentives to participants through the physical kits they buy and wear. Smart shirts can enable fans to access online competitions for tickets, video content, social media fan base discussions, and much more.
Fighting the football kit fakes Digital triggers, which effectively give the shirt owner access to a ‘digital twin’ of their garment, can also help to eliminate fakes, as authenticity is proven through the tech which can link fans to legitimate URLs of kit producing brands and teams. Counterfeit garments are a major challenge for the global football apparel market, so this is a big plus for consumers and retailers alike. Digital twin technology is also helping manufacturers and retailers manage their supply chains more efficiently and introduce sustainable models to prolong the life of garments. I believe harnessing Digital ID technology will provide a better experience for these fans and will provide a doorway into a new world of sports marketing where fans are brought ever closer to the teams, players and tournaments they love. Best of all, they can be anywhere in the world to benefit.
A high-tech future for sports kits Sportswear has evolved to become more than just apparel, building social bridges between global sports fans and creating a worldwide ecosystem of loyal supporters. The latest embellishment technology has helped to make this journey easier by facilitating the production capabilities needed to meet high demands. Digital innovations in heat transfer technology have formed the cherry on top for team sports apparel by enhancing fan experiences. As technology continues to evolve, we could see more exciting digital experiences and greater customisation and personalisation capabilities emerge, further strengthening the undying connection between sports fans and teams.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
