The representative survey of more than 1,800 participants from eleven European countries, aged between 14 and 65, shows how closely sport and health are linked and what opportunities this connection offers for the sports industry and the retail sector. “With this survey, we want to show how sport and health are increasingly growing together and where we as the sport and health industry should pay particular attention. This creates new growth potential for our industries, including fresh offers, business models and cross-industry collaboration”, says Tobias Gröber, Executive Director Consumer Goods and Director ISPO Group.
CONSUMERS ARE SETTING NEW STANDARDS
Personal health management permeates all aspects of everyday life. The whitepaper published by ISPO shows that sport is one of the most important factors in staying healthy, with health clearly encompassing mental as well as physical health. Over 80 per cent of the surveyed individuals believe that they will need to take greater care of their own health in the future because they believe that their country’s healthcare system is reaching its limits.
Respondents in Great Britain have the least confidence, followed by queried people in Italy and Scandinavia. This opens up revolutionary opportunities for the sports and health industry because consumers want greater interaction and more responsibility from both sectors, and cross-industry standards could be the key to success. Active dialogue between industry and politics is essential here.
“Consumers have long since recognised that most healthcare systems only work well in the event of illness or injury. But good health is more than merely the absence of illness. Well-being and mental and physical fitness are the goals. This topic impacts daily life – and this is where sports and health brands accompany people”, explains Christoph Beaufils, Brand Strategist at ISPO Group. “We can and should utilise these potential synergies between health and sport to a far greater extent, right down to the medical sector”, adds Tobias Gröber.
RETAIL AND INDUSTRY: THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
Customers trust the sports industry and its innovative strength – and this also gives sports retailers a new role to play. Nearly 90 per cent of respondents would visit over-the-counter retailers more often if they offered more comprehensive, personalised and holistic health advice.
In particular, counselling services on physical and mental health, preventative medicine and nutrition offer new opportunities to attract customers. This is because there is a high level of trust in advisory expertise. The whitepaper also shows that over-the-counter retail is alive and well and could soon experience a revolutionary increase in importance. Consumers want more products and services from sports retailers in the sense of a “holistic health centre”. Supermarkets, pharmacies and drugstores are already leading the way and are focusing on sports-orientated health trends, for
example with nutritional supplements and orthoses. “The findings of the ISPO whitepaper show that the boundaries are increasingly merging between the healthcare system, the sports industry, technology and even the food industry. Innovations from the sports industry, especially in the areas of nutrition, sleep and recreation/recovery as well as corporate health, are very popular. Interest in home fitness and the digital tracking of bodily and vital data likewise continues to grow. These developments offer sports and health brands authentic ways to tap into new markets and utilise huge growth potential. The retail touchpoint is also gaining a new significance in this way”, says Tobias Gröber, Executive Director Consumer Goods and Director ISPO Group.
CORPORATE HEALTH: THE ULTIMATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
As people are increasingly taking personal responsibility for their own health, the topic of corporate health is also gaining in importance. 86 per cent of those surveyed are of the opinion that too little is done for the health of employees in their country. This is also reflected in the reasons they gave for resignation: approximately half of those surveyed have already resigned from a job due to health concerns, and about two thirds of those resignations could have been avoided if the employee’s company had offered a better health and wellness programme.
Individual counselling sessions for mental health (so-called “mental health days”) and regularly scheduled sports and fitness programmes are at the top of consumers’ wish lists. Companies that offer such programmes can not only prevent resignations and promote the health of their employees, but also gain a competitive advantage in the labour market.
Christoph Rapp, responsible for the start-up platform ISPO Brandnew, knows that start-ups from the sports and health sector in particular have discovered this topic: “In the area of corporate health, the Talent & Culture Hub will offer many exciting ideas for recruiters and HR managers who are looking for new ways to score points in the ‘Fight for Talents’.”
NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND A HOLISTIC APPROACH
Health and sport are growing together like never before at ISPO Munich 2024. Nearly 60,000 participants from around 120 countries and 2,400 exhibitors came together in Munich in 2023 – that is unrivalled anywhere else. The globally significant meeting of industry professionals will take place again from 3 to 5 December 2024. The participants will be looking for exciting solutions and innovations, presenting the latest trends and premieres from the fields of sport, health and fashion to each other, and discussing the urgent issues and challenges of our time.
The topic of health will have a special focus this year. Visitors in Hall B3 “Performance & Health” will find products, service providers and services that focus on health/fitness as well as body and soul. The Talent & Culture Hub in the Future Lab (Hall B2) is dedicated to the topics of occupational health management (OHM) and corporate health. In cooperation with Messe Leipzig, therapie MÜNCHEN will also take place with the latest trends in the field of sports health. The trade fair for therapy and medical rehabilitation with associated congress is aimed at physiotherapists, occupational therapists, sports therapists and masseurs.
Click here to read the whitepaper: THE FUTURE OF SPORT, HEALTH & RETAIL
Press and image material incl. whitepaper and graphics: Presskit
For further information please visit: www.ispo.com/munich
