sportFACHHANDEL 3_2015 Leseprobe

44 | RETAIL | Strategy 3.2015
NEW SURVEY
What does sports mean
for women
The sports and purchase behaviour of women is quite different as of men. A new study “Women & Sports”
shows not only that women approach the topic sports differently, but reveals also other surprising results for
everyone who is working in the industry. Text: Astrid Schlüchter
The question is whether men are aware of that.
Women prefer to do sports together with the
best friend, with the clique or alone; this way,
they enjoy most a mountain trip, a bicycle tour or a
day on the slope. These are the results of an actual
survey with 3.200 athletic women. It was carried
out online and in cooperation with Intersport
Germany at the beginning of 2014. The surprising
results of the interviews are published in the new
SGI survey “Women & Sports”. The authors and
gender specialists Ulrike Luckmann and Karen
Laubach have picked up the topic and compiled the
most important results of the study.
“Men are from Mars, women from Venus”,
stated the author John Gray already 15 years
ago. How can we transfer this message to sports
According to Mrs. Luckmann, over the last 15 years,
more and more women have started practising
athletic activities formerly considered as typical
for men, such as climbing, mountaineering, soccer
or cycling. The sports brands try to adjust to the
gender-specific differences between women and
men. Women think differently, exercise sports in
different way, have other priorities regarding sport
equipment and they buy differently too. Sports
products for women have become better in the last
years, but thinking and market structures are still
dominated by men.
Marketing expert Karin Laubach, who worked for
big American sports brands herself, is familiar
with the male structures in the companies. “The
marketing communication of sports companies still
addresses primarily the male target group. There is
A work-out together with like-minded people
is still highly rated by women.
© MALOJA, KARI TRAA