The Activewear Boom Isn’t Over, But Lazy Marketing Is

While most industries were struggling during the pandemic, certain areas of the fashion world flourished. Most notably, loungewear and activewear sales were on the up as workers swapped office suits for snug tracksuits. But while the pandemic has come and gone, the trend for activewear has not. It’s now reached a point where the sector is even accused of being saturated. But is saturation a sign to avoid entering an industry? Or is it simply a reminder that you must differentiate from what’s already out there?

The state of the market

The sportswear market has long been led by gigantic legacy brands. The likes of Adidas and Nike have dominated just about every intersection of sports and fashion for the last 30-40 years. More recently, an influx of microbrands has arrived, and the sheer quantity of these startups has proved to cause quite a disruption in the activewear market.

In just 10 years, UK-born Gymshark went from being an unknown startup to a genuine competitor to the legacy brands mentioned above. This success has paved the way for many others to attempt to follow suit, which has led us to where we are today: a competitive, if not saturated, market made up of innovative startups and household names.

Competition breeds variety

When a market starts to become saturated, new niches emerge. Where all sports used to be covered by activewear brands, the space has seen the emergence of activity-specific brands. Gymshark gained a foothold with gym goers and strength trainers. More recently, Alo has experienced phenomenal success by positioning their brand as yogawear. 

A more competitive market tends to bring about a broader price spectrum too, and this would explain why we’re now seeing luxury activewear versus fast-fashion-type alternatives. Castore is a great example of another brand whose success can be attributed to positioning, with customers perceiving it as a more premium option within a highly competitive space. 

More recently, A-Game is a great example of an upcoming activewear brand that has understood the need to niche down, offering technical activewear that’s designed for consumers who are concerned with peak performance rather than simply staying in shape.

Wherever your brand sits in terms of price and positioning, it should ultimately determine your content, partnership, and wider marketing efforts.

Marketing Strategies That Work in Saturated Niches

Target a subculture

The likes of Alo and A-Game didn’t try to beat Nike and Adidas at their own game; instead, they targeted a smaller group of people and catered more specifically for them. This strategy now explains why we have clothing brands for climbing, weightlifting, and yoga as opposed to simply having brands for sport and fitness in general.   

Authentic partnerships

In terms of influencer marketing, activewear brands once simply tried to work with the biggest names possible. But now, partnerships must be authentic, with brand and influencer being aligned in values. 

Build a community

Brands are starting to move away from building customer bases and moving more towards building strong communities. Communities are made up more of brand ambassadors rather than consumers. Brand loyalty tends to be far higher, and repeat purchases drive success. To build ambassadors rather than consumers, brands should focus on content marketing, storytelling, and customer service.