9 Sporting Goods Industry Trends for 2025

The global sporting goods market is expected to nearly double, growing from about $671 billion in 2024 to almost $1.3 trillion by 2033.

Yet consumer behaviors evolve faster than the sneaker release cycle. Last season’s tactics won’t keep pace with shoppers who now demand seamless omnichannel checkout, eco-friendly materials, and community-driven experiences.

This guide breaks down the pivotal sporting goods industry trends shaping 2025, highlighting the major trends transforming the industry and its foreseeable future. Brands can align digital, wholesale, and operational strategies with consumer expectations—and capture both in-store and online growth.

1. Capitalize on accelerated digital commerce and omnichannel dominance

One of the most important sporting goods industry trends is the accelerated shift online. Global sporting brands like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Allbirds are leaning into unified commerce to meet the younger generation of consumers.

Nearly one-third of global sports and recreation purchases already happen online (30% versus 70% in-store), as reported by RetailX. North America is pacing this shift. US ecommerce already accounts for 16.3% of total retail sales as of Q2 2025, and analysts expect it to top 20% by 2027, more than double the 9% recorded in 2018. 

Shoppers now expect a seamless handoff between channels—discover on social, buy on mobile, collect curbside, return in-store. Retailers that deliver can reap tangible rewards: Toby’s Sports unified their 67 outlets with an online storefront and saw sales climb 13.5x and profitability jump 101%.

Ways enterprise retailers are taking advantage of this omnichannel retail trend are:

• Sync inventory and customer data in real time across POS, web, and app to avoid “sold-out” surprises and create personalized offers.
• Offer click-and-collect and ship-from-store to turn retail footprints into micro-fulfillment hubs and cut last-mile delivery costs.
• Embed social commerce and livestream demos, like shoppable TikTok Lives for new trail-running shoes, to meet younger audiences where they discover gear.
• Provide flexible payments and returns everywhere, like offering buy now, pay later (BNPL) online and easy in-store drop-offs for mailed orders.
• Leverage retail stores for experiential add-ons that create branded experiences online-only competitors can’t replicate.
• Unify loyalty programs so points earned on a smartwatch purchase online can fund new cleats in-store.

“Our culture of innovation has meant we’ve always been first movers. Switching to Shopify kept us ahead of the curve,” says Toby Claudio, president of Toby’s Sports. "The flexibility and ease of use helped us capitalize on the ecommerce boom. With less time spent on the tech, we can focus on demand creation, merchandising, product curation and fulfillment.”

Because consumer habits evolve quickly, unified commerce has become a C-suite priority.

2. Navigate the wholesale resurgence and market share reshuffle

Sports apparel market giants that once chased direct-to-consumer (DTC) are now renewing their focus on wholesale to expand reach and strengthen brand presence. 

Nike has rebuilt relationships with Foot Locker, Macy’s, DSW, and even Amazon, marking a full pivot back to wholesale in 2025. Adidas also posted a 14% increase in wholesale revenue for 2024 as it won extra shelf space with key partners, a higher jump than its own DTC growth. 

These moves are a response to challenger brands grabbing the same shelf space:

• On Holding generated $1.74 billion of its $2.92 billion full-year 2024 sales through wholesale, about 58% of its revenue.
• Hoka’s parent Deckers recorded $2.86 billion in wholesale sales in full-year 2025, up 17% year over year. 

Sporting goods companies looking to expand into wholesale are leveraging Shopify B2B. With auto-updating company profiles, custom price lists, and self-serve ordering, you can capture the new wave of buyers who want easy, personalized shopping experiences.

On the retail side, they can replenish 24/7 without reps or spreadsheets. And on your side, consolidating DTC and wholesale into one back end can reduce your tech debt and speed up new account onboarding. 

Going wholesale also lets you:

• Offer retailer-exclusive colorways or capsule packs timed to seasonal resets.
• Negotiate sell-through data-sharing to enable weekly automated replenishment and reduce stockouts.
• Align launch calendars across DTC and wholesale to avoid early leaks that ruin hype pricing.
• Bundle product education and community activations like in-store run clubs and popup events.

For brands, the lesson is clear: A distribution strategy must flex as consumer expectations and retail partnerships shift. Sporting goods companies that diversify business models gain a competitive advantage in securing shelf space.

3. Build strong communities and drive loyalty

A purchase is no longer the finish line for sporting goods brands. Consumers are gravitating towards companies that celebrate their sport and create real-world connections. 

Strava’s 2024 Year in Sport report found a 58% surge in running club participation, showing how fitness is becoming more of a social pursuit than a solo grind.

Brands are responding with gamified experiences that reward involvement. Adidas adiClub, for example, lets members unlock perks like early product drops, event invites, and discounts as athletes level up.

Outdoor adventure gear brand BattlBox also focuses on community building. The brand hosts a members-only Facebook group and a mobile app where subscribers swap field-test stories, watch videos, and explore upcoming box contents.

Shift how you think about brand loyalty and community-driven brand engagement. Sure, consumers love a good discount, but that’s not always the way to keep them around long term. Rewards, participation, and community go a long way to make customers feel like they belong. 

Provide digital and in-person gathering spots where customers can connect with each other. Then offer insider perks for their engagement, like early gear access, limited edition drops, and expert Q&A’s to build camaraderie with fans. 

👉Read how BattBox increased GMV by 95% with Shopify. 

4. Deliver product customization and personalization

Choice is part of the thrill of shopping for sporting goods. Even small touches, like personalized engravings or unique colorways, increase perceived value and build brand affinity. 

Verified Market Research projects personalized sporting equipment and apparel will grow at a 6.72% annual growth rate through 2031, pushing the category from roughly $182 billion to $305 billion. Shoppers clearly want their gear to reflect their identity. 

Personalization and customization will look different for each brand. For example, a retailer on Shopify could use first-party data in its app and email flows to tailor product suggestions and training content. These tailored experiences can reduce customer acquisition costs and lift revenue anywhere between 5% and 15%, according to the latest personalization trends.

Hockey gear retailer Bauer’s MyBauer program illustrates this at scale. Athletes can add a simple name and number to their gear or build products from scratch with hundreds of specs and color options. 

To capitalize on this trend retailers can: 

• Embed interactive builders on high-velocity SKUs
• Upsell premium touches like engravings or colors 
• Use an app like Custom Product Options to expand product variant fields and drive incremental sales 

👉Read how Bauer achieved a 60% revenue increase after switching to Shopify. 

5. Create experiential retail and blend live sports and entertainment

Consumers' appetite for live experiences is roaring back. McKinsey projects the global live events ticketing market will climb past $150 billion by 2030, boosted by sports meets, fitness festivals, and hybrid competitions that stream online while packing stadium seats.

That momentum is fueling investments in experiential retail. For example, Dick’s Sporting Goods plans to expand its House of Sport concept from 20 locations today to 100 by 2027. The project draws shoppers in with rock climbing, indoor tracks, and turf zones that even host youth leagues and skills clinics. 

Even without a full-scale buildout, sports retailers can still blend sports, entertainment, and commerce to tap into this trend:

• Build interactive zones inside your flagship stores that act as attractions and product-testing labs.
• Host community events like 5K runs, athlete meetups, and esports tournaments. 
• Offer live event options for events and give an in-store voucher to entice viewers away from their phones. 
• Partner with local venues to create popup stores at races, stadiums, or festivals. 

This shift reflects consumer demand for experiences, not just products—a trend that’s redefining the role of retail in the sporting goods industry. For sporting goods executives, experiential strategies ensure brands remain well positioned to capture market growth.

6. Optimize supply chains and navigate regulatory challenges

Tariffs are on every US retailer's mind this year. Chances are, your buyers have spent more time working with vendors to shift production to countries unaffected by the new duties. 

A tariff-related price increase on a core item doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a massive cross-functional effort to rework pricing and distribution at scale—coordinating new costs, updating systems, and deploying countless labor hours across warehouses and store fleets. 

A McKinsey pulse check shows that 60%–70% of some footwear brands’ orders still sit in Vietnam. This has caused a rapid pivot toward India and Indonesia to hedge tariff exposure and rising labor costs. Sporting goods executives interviewed for the same report cite automation and digitalization as the top levers for cutting lead times and protecting margins. 

Some strategies you can use to protect margins in these headwinds are:

• Diversify supply chains: Pivot manufacturing to new regions to hedge against geopolitical risks. For example, a performance apparel manufacturer might move the production of its core line of moisture-wicking fabrics and activewear from China to Indonesia.
• Reengineer product composition: A more subtle approach is changing the makeup of your product to lower the cost of goods sold. Maybe you swap the proprietary TPU overlays on a running shoe’s upper for a more cost-effective, heat-press synthetic material. These measures could help offset new tariffs and maintain the integrity of your product. 
• Sync inventory and product data with a unified commerce platform: A single price change propagates automatically across ecommerce, wholesale, partner vendors, and even your in-store point of sale. 

Adjusting your trade blocs won’t happen overnight, and the tighter regulations are making business as usual a liability. If you disperse sourcing and digitize planning, you can outmaneuver supply chain shocks and retain your speed to market. 

7. Leverage subscription models while addressing fatigue

Subscriptions remain a foundation for recurring revenue and customer retention in the sporting goods industry. But as consumers grow choosier about which monthly charges stay on the credit card bills, brands must prove ongoing value. 

Deloitte’s 2025 media and commerce survey shows 39% of US adults, and more than half of Gen Z and millennials, cancelled at least one paid subscription in the past six months. Retailers that rely on subscriptions need to adapt to this reality. 

BattlBox is a great example here. The gear company drives around 90% of its revenue from monthly mission boxes. Yet, they keep churn low by offering perks like members-only groups and collaborations with survival influencers, making the subscription more than a recurring purchase. 

Strategies to keep subscribers engaged include:

• Offer skip-or-swap flexibility so budget-conscious customers can pause or swap items in their boxes. 
• Drop limited-edition collabs to create anticipation for the next shipment. 
• Gamify milestones with badges, store credit, and charitable donations at 6- and 12-month marks. 

💡 Want to offer subscriptions in your sporting goods business? Use the Shopify Subscriptions app or the Subscriptions API if you have a development team and want deeper customization. 

This model reflects a larger consumer trend—loyalty is earned continuously, not guaranteed.

8. Digitalize your B2B processes

If you’re planning to open up wholesale for your business, going digital is the only option. A Sana Commerce survey found 75% of B2B buyers would switch suppliers if another vendor’s web store delivered a smoother experience.

The new generation of buyers grew up with easy, personalized B2C shopping experiences, and they expect the same from B2B brands. For many organizations, the main hurdle is technology. 

Modern B2B ecommerce platforms like Shopify are built to solve that challenge by integrating wholesale and DTC sales into a single system. They provide buyers with self-service portals so they can shop just like they do any other consumer website. 

With Shopify B2B, you can:

• Offer custom pricing and catalogs at scale: B2B buyers expect to see their negotiated rates, volume discounts, and net payment terms the moment they log in. With a unified platform, you can attach specific price lists and product catalogs to company profiles, so each buyer sees a storefront tailored specifically to them.
• Sync data across a centralized tech stack: B2B buyers demand instant answers on stock levels, order status, and contract pricing. When this data lives in separate silos like your enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), and a disconnected storefront, sales cycles drag on and errors are common. Shopify creates a single source for truth for all your business data with native integrations, so your information is always accurate. 
• Empower sales reps to speed up deals: Shopify’s B2B platform makes sales reps more effective. When your sales team has access to the same real-time data as your customers, they can provide faster service that shortens the sales cycle. 

9. Understand the impact of private equity

Investor interest is reshaping the sporting goods industry fueling consolidation and growth in emerging categories. Global sports asset deal volume jumped 44% in 2024, with total private equity (PE) capital deployed in North America more than doubling year over year.

Brands with a target niche are seeing large capital inflows. Investors are betting that product innovation and evolving business models will sustain growth across the sporting goods industry.

• Family office investor Thirty-5 Capital merged three paddle-makers in January 2024 to form United Pickleball Paddles, part of a funding wave that steered more than $250 million into the sport last year.
• In July 2025, consumer-focused giant L Catterton took a majority stake in Oregon putter-maker L.A.B. Golf, valuing the brand at $200 million and funding global expansion and custom fitting labs.

If you want to get funding for your sporting goods brand, now could be the time. You’ll want to develop a competitive edge by:

• Locking in a community element to build fandom early on
• Building recurring revenue streams like apps, data dashboards, or subscription refills
• Documenting environment, social, and governance (ESG) for funds with sustainability mandates 
• Keeping DTC and wholesale on one platform to deliver omnichannel reach with lower operational costs 

The future of sporting goods industry trends goes beyond product innovation alone. Brands poised to win in this new era are those that sell experiences alongside their equipment. Whether it’s through omnichannel strategies, personalized gear, or experiential retail that turns shoppers into fans, the brands that adapt fastest to consumer driven change will define the next decade of growth.