When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, consumers were forced indoors but found that they had more time to focus on themselves. As boredom grew and the walls of homes closed us in, many took respite in the outdoors with activities like running, walking, hiking, biking, and golfing. As many now return to offices and schedules become packed again, are people still prioritizing their fitness like they were during the peak of the pandemic? Who is still exercising and buying fitness gear, and how are they making these purchases? Provoke Insights’ designed our fourth wave of in-house research to track consumer mindsets, purchasing trends, and brand loyalty in several industries, including fitness.

Americans are Active

Americans choose to get moving in their free time. Over half (51%) of Americans report that they exercise as a hobby. Additionally, outdoor activities remain popular, as many Americans continue to enjoy activities like camping/hiking (31%) biking, and golfing (13%.) 

Despite being active, fitness gear tends to be a more infrequent purchase. Few Americans have bought these types of items in the past month (12%). This is slightly down from 2021. The fitness purchaser remains to be a coveted consumer target. They are likely affluent, employed full-time, and parents with children in the household. While they report being optimistic about their future, they remain concerned about the impact of COVID on their health.

Where are Fitness Shoppers Shopping?

Although in-store shopping for fitness gear is strong, online purchasing continues to grow more popular among this target audience. Over half (55%) prefer buying from e-Commerce sites or the brand’s website, compared to 44% who would rather purchase in-stores. While many consumers are confident to shop in person again, the convenience and ease of shopping online is a growing trend that many fitness brands should consider when targeting this audience.

Brand Loyalty is Low

Brand loyalty for fitness gear has room to improve. Out of 15 industries that were scored by brand loyalty, fitness gear ranked 11th with a score of -8.39. However, fitness gear ranked higher for loyalty compared to outdoor gear (-11.89) and general apparel (-15.99). 

Among those who purchased fitness gear in the past month, one-third say that they only or mostly purchase one brand. Since the remaining two-thirds (68%) are open to purchasing new brands, there is an opportunity for these brands to win over this audience in the early stages of the consumer journey. 

Download the full report for free here.

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey in the spring of 2022 among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. A random stratified sample methodology was used to ensure a high degree of representation of the U.S. population (household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children in the household). Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.

Travel suffered immensely during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is it halted vacations, holidays, and business trips indefinitely. However, as social plans and business trips begin to re-emerge, consumers are (very) slowly beginning to increase their travel again. Who are these travelers? Where are they headed? What are their perceptions of the airlines, cruises, and hotel brands they book? In Provoke Insights’ fourth wave of in-house research, we aimed to gain insights into consumer mindsets, purchasing trends, and brand loyalty in several industries, including travel.

Domestic Travel

So what is the current consumer sentiment over travel? While over one-third (37%) of Americans are still concerned about vacationing due to COVID, Americans are increasing their domestic travel. In fact, in the last 3 months, almost one-fifth (21%) of Americans took a domestic vacation. Looking ahead, more than one-third of Americans (34%)  have domestic travel plans in the next three months. 

Americans who are planning on domestic travel are significantly more likely to be married. When it comes to values, they will pay more for sustainably sourced items. 

While we all know traveling often comes with a hefty price tag, these travelers are also purchasing other high-ticket items like cars and investing in their homes.

International Travel

While domestic is ramping up, International travel is far less popular. Only 4% of Americans vacationed internationally in the last 3 months. However, a larger pool of travelers (7%) are planning to break out their passports in the next few months. 

So who are the world travelers? They tend to be affluent families. While they are likely optimistic about the future, they still harbor concerns about the pandemic’s effect on the economy. 

Loyalty to Travel Brands

Americans are traveling, and this necessitates purchasing various products such as airplane tickets, cruise trips, and hotel stays. In the last month, 21% of Americans booked a hotel stay, 15% of Americans purchased an airplane ticket, and 2% of Americans bought a cruise trip. The question is: are American consumers of these products loyal to a specific brand?

For airlines and cruise lines, the answer is YES! Consumers are loyal, meaning they tend to stick to one brand when purchasing these products. However, consumers are not very loyal to a specific hotel and are more open to sampling multiple brands. Hotels certainly have their work cut out, to gain travelers’ trust and repeat business!

Download the full report for free here.

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey in the spring of 2022 among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. A random stratified sample methodology was used to ensure a high degree of representation of the U.S. population (household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children in the household). Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.

While the pandemic may have halted some areas of life, many consumers have returned to treating themselves to the finer things. Even as most Americans continue to work remotely, some still purchase luxury products, such as jewelry and watches, despite these products not being a necessity. Who is still buying these products, and what motivates them to shop for luxury? How have their shopping habits changed due to the pandemic? In Provoke Insights’ fourth wave of in-house research, we set out to track consumer mindsets, purchasing trends, and brand loyalty in several industries, including jewelry/watches.

Who is Buying Jewelry/Watches?

Although luxury shoppers are more optimistic about the future than non-luxury shoppers, they still harbor some concerns. Interestingly, they tend to worry more about their health and jobs because of COVID. 

Cost does not seem to be a large concern for these luxury shoppers. Many are purchasing other big-ticket items like electronics, skincare products, and subscription services. These shoppers are also environmentally conscious, as more than half (55%) are willing to pay more for sustainably sourced products.

Supporting local shops is also important to this group, as half (49%) prefer to purchase from small businesses.

Luxury Shopping Shifts to the Web

Despite rating the in-person shopping experience very positively, luxury shoppers are moving toward online purchases. Compared to those who didn’t make luxury purchases, jewelry/watch purchasers are more satisfied with the cleanliness of stores, customer service, and product availability. Although they are significantly happier with product availability in person, they still tend to head online to purchase these luxury items. 

These kinds of purchases were once made predominantly in-store, but things are changing. Over half of luxury buys (53%) are now made online using e-commerce sites and brand websites. Jewelry and watch brands must account for this technological shift when targeting their average consumer.

Customer Loyalty to Luxury Brands

Brand loyalty is quite mixed in the fine jewelry/watch industry. Less than half (44%) of these luxury consumers are loyal to a specific brand; however, half (49%) are open to purchasing many different brands in this category. 

While consumers are most loyal to autos, there is room for luxury brands to become more top of mind. Consumers are three times more loyal to other retail categories like electronics and skincare. 

Download the full report for free here.

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey in the spring of 2022 among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. A random stratified sample methodology was used to ensure a high degree of representation of the U.S. population (household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children in the household). Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.