Warm Up for the Winter Months: What to know before this seasonal sports market hits

We tend to clump fall and winter sports together, so for us, we consider football, soccer, cheer, hockey, basketball, cross country, and wrestling as the major sports during this season.

Football, basketball, and cheer are always strong for us each year with soccer close behind during the winter months.

There are year-round leagues for many sports, however, and we see a need to stock most sports year-round. Year-round leagues have helped increase awareness and participation in many of the sports. It allows participants who play other sports the opportunity to play winter sports when their main sport is not in season.

Retailers should offer a wide selection of awards to give their customers a choice of price ranges. Many times, a retailer will need to suggest products to their customers to help them make a decision and can nudge them towards a higher margin product. And always offer additional products to maximize sales with that account such as gift items for sponsors, team moms, coaches, and parents.

In the winter months, it’s not only important for retailers to complete their orders early in anticipation of bad weather, they also need to remember to order from their suppliers early to allow for weather delays.

-Bill Vitto, PDU CAT