Estimated $4 Billion Women’s Sports Merchandise Market Faces Unmet Demand

A recent report by Sports Innovation Lab has revealed the unmet demand for women’s sportswear, despite the market being valued at $4 billion per year.

The report’s findings are entirely predictable. Over the last decade, viewership and attendance in women’s sports have reached historic highs, yet manufacturers have failed to keep up with these increasing demands.

Despite their enthusiasm for watching favorite teams and players, many fans encounter frustration due to the unavailability of team and athlete-specific merchandise.

According to Forbes, Angela Ruggiero, 4x Olympian, gold medalist, and co-founder of the Sports Innovation Lab, said, “Women’s sports are the best value investment a brand can make right now. Fans are starved for options and are willing and able to spend with the companies that show up authentically as part of the community. Fans sniff out bad actors that shrink and pink their offerings from men’s to women’s. To be successful, truly invest and you’ll be rewarded by the community.”

The report was prompted by the noticeable scarcity of merchandise options, aiming to emphasize the voices of women’s sports fans seeking more consistent purchasing opportunities. While previous studies have highlighted the economic potential of women’s sports in terms of viewership, this new report shines a light on the crucial role of merchandise as the next frontier for brands, leagues, and teams. Significant revenue opportunities remain untapped, with women’s sports fans eager to support their teams through merchandise purchases.

Megan Gokey, Klarna’s head of B2C marketing and brand partnerships in North America and the UK, said, “It’s exciting to see all the recent attention around women’s sports — from the skyrocketing of viewership and ticket sales to sell out jerseys. And, the fans behind women’s sports are very loud and proud, which we expect will only continue to fuel the momentum and most importantly, the investment and recognition women’s sports deserves.”

Key Findings

The study focused on investigating the women’s sports merchandise industry, highlighting discrepancies in fan shopping experiences and exploring potential opportunities once supply meets demand. Key data sources included Klarna payment trends, a qualitative survey of 1,000 sports fans, transactional data analysis, Google trend insights, and custom SKU evaluations. Key findings revealed:

• Buyers of women’s sports merchandise encounter style availability issues 60% more often than buyers of men’s sports merchandise.
• 79% of women’s sports fans expressed a desire to buy more merchandise if additional options were available.
• Women’s sports fans are 58% more likely than men’s sports fans to face inventory shortages when trying to purchase desired items.
• Women’s sports fans make more purchases annually compared to men’s sports fans.
• They spend as much per transaction as men’s sports fans and more annually.
• While the NBA experiences seasonal peaks in merchandise searches, especially during playoffs, the WNBA shows steady demand throughout the season, particularly for jerseys.
• Most women’s sports fans purchase merchandise two to four times per year, with 67% buying items even without attending live games.