United Kingdom: UK Activewear Apparel Consumer Survey for Textile Companies
The
activewear market is booming at present. The momentum it is currently gathering
is facilitated by the rising number of health and fitness options. Growing
popularity of exercise classes, along with a rising number of boutique fitness
studios and low-cost chain gyms, support the market growth. Also, athleisure,
which is now believed to be more than a trend but instead a change of people''s
life values, accelerates the market expansion. Today, many people who enjoy
exercising and live an active lifestyle prefer to be casually dressed in
activewear, keeping them comfortable, functional and stylish.
Growing consumer interest in activewear garments results in a rising number of
entrants into the marketplace. Besides, in the digital age of information,
there are many information sources available that help to compare different
options. This enables consumers to easily and quickly view different offerings
and prices as well as share and access product reviews. All these factors
result in buying decisions being more complex, making it more vital than ever
that companies understand what consumers pay attention to when buying
activewear products.
In fact, understanding consumer behaviour is not only critical to brands but
also to their vendors as, very often, they need to assist their customers with
decisions about end-use products and production processes.This report presents
the results of a consumer survey. The findings are based on the responses of
274 activewear garment shoppers who live in the UK. The paper is focused on
aspects which are of primarily interest to textile companies operating in the
activewear garment sector.
The report is divided into three main sections. In the first section of the
report, findings from the section of the survey which asked participants to
rate the importance of price, high quality, fashionable appealing design,
sustainability and clearly labelled textile technology are presented. The
report also shows results indicating how different environmental sustainability
aspects are important (usage of hazardous chemicals, usage of organic
materials, usage of recycled materials, CO2 emission, water pollution and
recyclability or degradation after use), how different eco and social labels
are recognised (EU Ecolabel, Confidence in Textiles, bluesign, Global Organic
Textile Standard) and whether they influence the choice to buy activewear. It
investigates whether consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable
activewear garments.
The second section shows the results of the average importance of several
functional, comfort and durability properties that were listed in the survey.
The research focused on the following properties: odour control, ''stay dry'',
''keep cool'', stretch, lightweight, UV protection, feeling of softness and
smoothness to the skin, and high washing durability. The report also presents
findings on how often consumers wash their activewear garments and how long
they expect them to last. The last section looks at what fibres they like their
activewear garments to be made of.
Source: News Times, United Kingdom
Saturday, 06 January 2018