The National Sporting Goods Association’s just-released Shopper Playbook report found a sharp increase in pre-purchase research among sporting goods shoppers to 73% in 2025, up from 64% in 2020, along with other insights into retail preferences. All three major product categories followed the trend, with equipment the highest at 76% vs. 69%, footwear growing to 62% from 52%, and apparel to 48% from 46%. Service considerations are also high on shoppers’ priority list, especially for technical categories like hockey skates (58% mentioned) and skis/snowboards (42%).

Shoppers turn to recommendations from others (36%) ... Log in to view full article.