Outdoor Sporting Goods Brands Are Facing Crossroads.

According to the world clothing and footwear net, for the general public, sports have many forms of expression, which can be played in sports fields, in gymnasiums, and in any outdoor sports venues.

To a certain extent, only when we get rid of the restrictions of sports scenes, will the potential of sports consumption be fully mobilized.

No matter what kind of scene it plays, equipment is always an unavoidable topic.

However, from the perspective of the development of the global sporting goods industry in recent years, if sports equipment is restricted by sports venues, their development will inevitably encounter bottlenecks.

Conventional

All the ups and downs have finally led us to a path of life. If we emphasize the functionality, we will encounter the problems we mentioned before.

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It is by such a way of thinking that we can reverse the decline.

Outdoor industry is also known as sunrise industry, but outdoor sports products are facing problems that traditional sports goods brands once encountered or are facing.

As a big sports industry, the development of outdoor sports industry in the United States has certain industry guidance.

It is reported that more than 140 million of the population in the United States participate in outdoor sports every year. Golf, ice and snow and camping in the wild are more popular among Americans.

According to NPD, a market research firm, the number of outdoor sporting goods in the United States increased by 6.7% in the year to October 2015, with a total value of US $18 billion 800 million.

Moreover, compared with traditional sporting goods retailers, outdoor brands react more sensitively to market changes.

More and more young people start to go outside, which gives outdoor sports brand more opportunities.

But in the final analysis, the traditional sports goods and outdoor sporting goods are grabbing the same market. It can be said that the two do not have a particularly clear boundary, so they are likely to encounter similar problems.

According to traditional thinking, the main part of outdoor sports is some specific crowd. However, such an old yellow calendar has already been turned over.

People who wear professional outdoor sports shoes do not necessarily have to take part in a field activity, or they may go to work or attend a friend's party.

Steve Barker Barker (OIA Steve) has said that more and more consumers are starting to change their mindset and begin to reduce the purchase of high-quality outdoor equipment and turn to outdoor lifestyle products.

People in the US magazine have also expressed similar views. "Outdoor recreation will be more and more away from the outdoor outdoors of remote wilderness, instead of an experience that everyone can participate in. Even in the city, people can easily connect with the outside world."

This is a trend, and it is also a new challenge to outdoor sports producers.

The outdoor industry in North America is the most developed and therefore more representative.

Perhaps influenced by the American sports environment, the outdoor sports brand in the United States is also more inclined to some traditional sports practices.

Like Columbia, it has sponsored the Columbia Blanc endurance race for three years in a row. In addition, Columbia signed a contract with Premier League champion Manchester United at the beginning of 2016 to become the outdoor sports costumes partner of the club.

Throughout the world football industry, it is rare to have sponsors of this category, because this is inconsistent with the characteristics of the outdoor industry, but Columbia has taken the courage to take this step.

In 2016, Columbia's revenue grew by 3% over the same period last year, and net profit rose by 10% to $192 million.

In the fourth quarter of last year, Europe, the Middle East and Africa became the most eye-catching overseas markets. Net sales increased by 20% over the same period last year. On the contrary, the Canadian market did not perform well, while Latin America and the Asia Pacific market remained the main force in Columbia's overseas market.

In North America, the competitive pressure of outdoor sports products is not small. Besides the United States, Canada's local brands also have considerable competitiveness.

As Columbia's biggest rival in the United States, the momentum of The North Face is relatively stable.

Over the past five years, sales of The North Face increased by US $400 million to US $2 billion 300 million.

In the next five years, The North Face hopes to increase this figure to $3 billion, which means that the brand will continue to increase sales growth.

It is not easy to achieve this goal. Because of the impact of the US retail crisis, The North Face's annual performance has dropped by 2%, especially in the fourth quarter.

It can be said that The North Face is going through a difficult period, and the company needs to respond to the current situation in order to regain its growth track.

Recently, The North Face has made minor adjustments to the company's top management team, and has also reorganized the business sector to adjust the company's business into four categories: mountaineering products, mountaineering and leisure products, urban exploration products and fitness products.

This shows that The North Face has begun to strengthen the development of leisure fitness products while playing its own outdoor characteristics, so as to reach consumers in a wider range.

According to the company's estimate, except for mountaineering products, the average sales growth of the other three categories in the next five years will reach about 10%, especially the fitness products will be more prominent.

These three categories will undoubtedly become the main determinants of the growth of The North Face.

On the contrary, the average sales growth rate of traditional mountaineering products can only reach 4%-6%, but this will still be the main category of brands.

The parent company VF group is going to continue to strengthen its sports department, so that The North Face's motion attributes are more concentrated.

The group has incorporated the original fitness brand Lucy into The North Face, thereby strengthening the fitness products category of The North Face.

In addition, the urban exploration product line will become the main line in the Asia Pacific region. In the next five years, 100 new stores will be opened in Greater China and Singapore.

On the whole, The North Face wants to achieve its target or to rely on overseas markets, especially in the Asia Pacific and European markets.

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North American outdoor brands are making themselves more athletic, more casual and deeply involved in the Eurasian market, making some local brands more stressful.

Not long ago, domestic outdoor brand Pathfinder announced the first quarter earnings this year, net profit fell by about 29% over the same period.

According to the 2016 China outdoor products Market Research Report, despite the rapid development of outdoor sports in China, the market competition has been aggravated due to the decline in the physical retail industry and the slowdown in the whole industry.

The outdoor sporting goods market is in the period of adjustment of product pformation and consumption pformation.

Lin Haiyun, senior marketing director of The North Face Asia Pacific, said that there are so many similar products in the outdoor market, so the competition in equipment supplies is becoming more and more intense.

If a brand needs to stand out, it must have the core value that cannot be duplicated.

That is to say, in addition to enriching product categories, we must conform to the general trend of experiential consumption.

Similarly, the European Outdoor Leadership brand Jack Wolfskin is also in trouble. It is revealed that Blackstone Group of its parent company is ready to pfer the brand control to the creditors, thereby reducing the debt of 80 million euros.

In 2011, Blackstone bought Jack Wolfskin at a price of 700 million euros.

In March 2015, Jack Wolfskin reclaimed the power of China's market. Since then, the brand has also gone downhill in the Chinese market.

Jack Wolfskin's high debt almost determines that no one will pay for it. Therefore, equity debt replacement is a more feasible way.

If Blackstone really accepts this, it shows that the group has completely lost confidence in the outdoor brand.

Jack Wolfskin has been doing poorly in the past two years. The European base is being invaded by the North American brand, and the overseas market has also suffered a major setback.

The outdoor sporting goods brand has gone to the time of pformation. The outdoor card obviously has lost the function of labeling, and the rest is homogenization.

The key to the so-called consumption pformation is to enrich product attributes and get rid of the restrictions of consumer scenarios. American brands have taken the lead in this regard.

Of course, the outdoor sports market still has great potential for development. For brands, making personality is particularly important.

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