Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal

Women’s activewear trends and drivers: a systematic review

Grant Anthony O'Sullivan Clare Hanlon Ramon Spaaij Hans Westerbeek
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 Women’s activewear trends and drivers: a systematic review

Introduction

Women are a significant and partially untapped segment in the sport and activewear

marketplace. Quester et al. (2014) assert how important it is for marketers to identify the

motives that influence the behaviour of their target market. In the case of women’s

activewear, these motives are evolving. If marketers of activewear assume that women

identify with the ‘traditional’ idea of the female athlete, they may be missing out on the
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majority of women who do not connect with this identity (Glass, 2014). A prudent activewear

marketer would seek to understand the trends and future projections of how women are

physically active, and how their apparel might better meet their needs.

Female Physical Activity Patterns and Trends

Women’s activewear producers do themselves a disservice if the purpose of their

apparel design and marketing does not match the actual patterns of women’s physical

activity. Data on the types of sport females participate in show a shift from organised sport to

non-organised sport and other types of unstructured physical activity. This shift has been

noted in both the UK (Opinion Leader, 2011) and Australia where females are more likely to

choose non-organised sport over organised sport (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012b,

Eime et al., 2013). This review will use the Australian context to present a comprehensive

picture of female physical activity trends and forecasts, and to consider how these can inform

the design, marketing and branding of activewear to women. The Australian context was

selected because Australia is a market trend leader in the Asia-Pacific region, it has a global

reputation as a sporting nation (Australian Sport Commission, 2015), and there has been

increased funding to encourage more females to participate in sport (Australian Government,

 2012). Further, this review is part of a larger study that seeks to better understand the

Australian women’s activewear market.

In 2011-2012 the number of females participating in non-organised physical activity

was 4.7 million (or 51%), almost double the participation rate for organised activity (2.4

million or 27%) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012a). The top five non-organised

activities for females over 15 years were walking for exercise (30.4%), followed by

fitness/gym (19.1%), swimming (8%), and running (6.4%) (Australian Bureau of Statistics,

2012a). Among organised sport, the most popular choices were swimming and diving (19%)
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followed by netball (16%). Another study showed an increase of roughly 50% in Australian

women’s non-organised participation in jogging, bike riding and yoga over the 2010-14

period (Roy Morgan Research, 2014). Other data reveals that girls aged 4-15 report higher

participation in bike riding or rollerblading/skateboarding/riding a scooter than for any single

organised sport (Ministerial Advisory Committee on Women and Girls in Sport and

Recreation, 2013). Collectively, this data all points to a female migration from organised

sport to non-organised sport and other fitness activities.

This trend is reflective of broader shifts in sport participation in Australia. Over the

next 30 years it is predicted that Australians will increasingly favour flexible, non-organised

physical activity and pursue new lifestyle and adventure sports (Hajkowicz et al., 2013).

Further social and demographic changes that are likely to shape women’s physical activity

participation include the increase in health and fitness motivated individualised sport

activities (Hajkowicz et al., 2013), as well as Australia’s aging population, where women will

continue to live longer than men and where ‘65 years and over’ will be the fastest growing

age group (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013).

Australian sport policy is informed by these broad demographic and participation

trends, indicative of which is its focus on the migration of people from one type of physical
 activity to another and also on an aging population that seeks to remain active. At the same

time, it focusses policy attention on the other end of the age spectrum by seeking to address

the alarming drop out of youth in sport (Australian Sports Commission, 2015). Data shows

that girls often drop out of sport/physical activity by the time they enter secondary school

(e.g., 12 years of age), an age when they also make important decisions on what type of sport

or activity they will participate in (Institute of Youth Sport, 2011). This is supported by

research showing that by primary school years 6 and 7, girls are increasingly participating in

organised team sport and activities, but this drops off and is replaced by more non-organised,
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non-competitive sport and physical activities (walk, run dance, gym) by high school year 11

(Eime et al., 2013).

The life stage of women can influence their participation in sport and physical

activity. In the preschool to early high school years, girls’ participation is influenced by fun

and enjoyment (Craike et al., 2009), parental support (e.g. cost, transport) (Hanlon et al.,

2010), and friends who participate (Theriault et al., 2010). In later high school years girls are

more influenced by body image (Sebire et al., 2014, Wilson and Dollman, 2009), and fun

(Hanlon et al., 2010, Confederation of Australian Sport, 2013). For mothers, sport and

physical activity participation can be influenced by suitable and affordable childcare (O'Flynn

and Lee, 2010, Yungblut et al., 2012), and the capacity for group activities with their

children/family (Hanlon et al., 2010, Jones et al., 2013). In pre-retirement adulthood women’s

participation is influenced by safe, accessible and comfortable facilities (Craike et al., 2009),

culturally targeted activity information (Caperchoine et al., 2009), a flexible activity schedule

(Payne et al., 2003), and fitness (Halyk et al., 2010). Women of retirement age are influenced

by reduced cost of participation (Sebire et al., 2014), health reasons (Leone and Ward, 2013),

and having a scheduled routine (Cortis et al., 2007). Finally, factors that can influence female

sport and physical activity participation generally include having role models (Sawrikar and
 Muir, 2010), feeling confident (Cortis et al., 2007, Theriault et al., 2010), availability of

facilities (Australian Government, 2012), social interaction (Hanlon et al., 2010), focus on

reward/motivation/goals (Pal et al., 2009), welcoming and inclusive

attire/approaches/environments (O’Driscoll et al., 2014), and the right to exercise

(Confederation of Australian Sport, 2013).

This literature review aims to explore the degree to which trends and patterns in

female participation of sport and physical activity and related lifestyle factors are taken into

consideration when brands design and market activewear to women. It will also investigate
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the patterns of and influences on female activewear consumer behaviour. This will assist

activewear producers to better customise their marketing and brand positioning to consider

the unique lifestyle and physical activity needs of their female consumers.

Methods

Activewear has been defined quite narrowly as clothing designed for being active in sport or

exercise, and more broadly as clothing designed to transition from leisure to casual daytime

wear or evening wear. In the current literature search, a broad definition of activewear was

utilised in regard to the search terms. However, some link to being active in the design

purpose of the garments, such as sport, exercise, or being outdoors was important. This

helped differentiate the term ‘sportswear’, which in Asia and Europe refers to apparel for the

purpose of being active, from the US where it is a fashion term that defines casual day wear.

Data Sources and Searches

A systematic literature review methodology was selected. The value of a systematic process

is that it collates the available empirical evidence that meets pre-determined eligibility criteria

to help address particular research questions; this minimises bias and strengthens the
 reliability of the findings (Higgins and Green, 2011). An initial search of research literature

was conducted in March and April 2015. English language articles published between 2005

and 2015 were selected from the following sources: the EBSCO collection of databases, Web

of Science and Scopus. The EBSCO data base search looked for search terms in the titles and

abstracts of papers, sought only for certain article types (academic journals, trade

publications, reviews, journals, overviews, reports, books, and dissertations) and excluded

databases that were not relevant. The following Boolean phrase of search terms was used:

(Activewear OR "active wear" OR sportswear OR "sports wear" OR leisurewear OR "leisure

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wear" OR "lifestyle wear" OR "lifestyle fashion" OR "active apparel" OR "sports apparel"

OR "leisure apparel" OR "lifestyle apparel" OR “fitness wear” OR “fitness apparel” or

“Athletic Leisure”) AND (trend* OR forecast* OR female* OR women* OR girl* OR

future* OR influence* OR consumer*). The asterisk represents searching for every extension

of a word (e.g. trends, trended, trending). Grey literature in the form of apparel industry

reports was also sought and consulted. Industry reports were identified through the databases

IBIS World, MarketLine, and Google. They needed to address either activewear or

sportswear and be published in the period 2005-2015.

Study Inclusion Criteria

Articles were included if they contained female consumers/participants; and/or addressed

trends, influences, future forecasts or consumer related information; and focussed on sport,

leisure, lifestyle or active wear. Articles were excluded that focussed only on men, technical

aspects of fabric design or garment construction, or did not contain a strong connection to

consumer behaviour. Articles were also excluded if a full-text version could not be sourced.

The resultant sample ranged from scientific research utilising sophisticated methods such as

structural equation modelling and factor analysis, through to industry reports on sales data
 and consumer trends using descriptive statistics. Figure 1 shows that 41 articles were

included in the review.

[INSERT FIGURE 1 HERE]

Results and Discussion: What do we know about the influences on women’s activewear

consumption?
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The review identified six key themes in the literature: (1) activewear sales growth; (2) impact

on branding; (3) activewear as fashion; (4) consumer decision making; (5) generation and

age; and (6) marketing to women. The findings generally highlight the lack of focus

specifically on women in this area of research.

Activewear Sales Growth

Several industry reports indicated a growth in activewear sales in recent years, suggesting it

is a segment of the apparel market that merits attention. In the US, in 2013-2014 activewear

accounted for one sixth of the overall apparel market, yet contributed significantly to the

three-year sales growth of apparel (5% growth without activewear, 9% growth with

activewear) (NPD Group, 2014). The activewear growth has been influenced by a shift from

activewear being worn for athletic, sport and exercise reason to it being worn for

casual/everyday use and school use (NPD Group, 2014). This finding is supported by other

reports from Canada (NPD Group, 2013b) and the US (Rugolo, 2013). In Canada, women

make 60% of activewear purchases with a third being used for casual wear and only a fifth

being used for sport or exercise. In the US, a quarter of Americans, and particularly women,
 dress more casually than they used to. Activewear is also increasingly becoming part of

streetwear and work/office wear (Cohen, 2014). Prudent brands should seek to design and

market to this shift in activewear purpose.

US data suggests that the product groups most responsible for activewear growth in

2013-2014 were women’s apparel (8% growth) and children’s athletic footwear (9% growth)

(NPD Group, 2015). Women’s spending also contributed to activewear sales growth in the

2012-2013 year, up 5% on the previous year on August year-to-date figures (NPD Group,

2013a). The literature also indicates that women account for 80% of children’s activewear
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purchases, and that girls activewear (up 8%) grew more than boys (up 4%) in 2013 (NPD

Group, 2013c). Thus, it can be seen that in the US, women are a key demographic in the

increased popularity in activewear.

International research provides further evidence of this trend. Korean research has

used fashion market forecasting which considers consumer expenditure on fashion items in

each of the four retail seasons to forecast the future growth of the Korean fashion industry

(Yusoon et al., 2011). They found that sportswear, along with other markets, except women’s

formal wear, would experience future growth in demand. This suggests that the activewear

sales growth trend seen in recent years may continue into the foreseeable future. In Australia,

an ongoing survey of sales data from selected large activewear brands, occurring through

wholesale and non-traditional retail avenues, is suggestive of growth in the broader

activewear industry (10 Thousand Feet, 2015). Their data from the 2012-2014 period saw a

gradual increase in their activewear sales of almost 50% (from around $60M in mid-2012 to

about $90M at the end of 2014). This growth is reflected in women’s sports apparel (from

around $20M mid-2012 to about $30M mid-2014) (10 Thousand Feet, 2015). During this

period, men accounted for the lion’s share of activewear sales for these brands via these sales

avenues, with women accounting for only 3.2% of licenced brand activewear, 13.6% of sport
 accessories, 38.2% of non-licenced brand activewear and 33.7% of lifestyle fashion

activewear purchases. Interestingly, womenswear accounts for more sales in non-licenced

brand items than lifestyle fashion items. This account could represent a missed opportunity

for the Australian activewear market. This is with respect to following sections of this review

that discuss the importance of both lifestyle factors and fashion in women’s activewear

consumption, suggesting that if branded and marketed properly, women could comprise a

larger segment of the lifestyle fashion market.

Considering the significant role women play in activewear sales, a targeted

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investigation of the unique activewear consumption practices and influences of women is

warranted. However, this should also investigate the connection between the evolution of the

use of activewear and the shift in women’s physical activity patterns. If women’s activewear

producers continue to focus on sport usage in their design and marketing, they may miss both

the trend of wearing activewear in other non-sport contexts and the shift in female physical

activity participation away from organised sport and into non-organised sport and fitness

activities (e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012a, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012b,

Eime et al., 2013, Opinion Leader, 2011).

Impact on Branding

The literature on activewear branding shows that marketing must consider broader consumer

needs and lifestyle factors. However, few studies specifically looked at females or conducted

a gender comparison.

Evidence suggests that activewear brand loyalty (return business) for males and

females is most affected by perceived product quality (size, fit, material, colour, function etc.)

followed by style (how fashionable), and brand name (how famous the brand is) (Yee and

Sidek, 2009). Thus, garment function is important, but fashion and brand name are also
 influences on activewear brand loyalty. Activewear brand personality (the type of human

personality traits the brand attracts) is another element that contributes to brand loyalty

(Suddin et al., 2014). Male and female consumers who have high involvement with

activewear (i.e., have more interest in these products and spend more time researching and

shopping for them) will exhibit increased loyalty to a brand personality that matches their

own self-image. Brand personalities can also be identified that increase loyalty in low

involvement consumers. Thus, understanding how high and low involved consumers perceive

the personality of a brand can inform marketing attempts to aid loyalty. No study looked at
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the specific brand loyalty influences of women.

Brand loyalty and brand personality are major contributors to overall activewear

brand equity (and to a lesser degree perceived quality, perceived price, and brand awareness)

(Tong and Hawley, 2009, Ko and Zhang, 2009, Ko et al., 2009) which can positively

influence purchase intentions. Although this relationship can vary across different countries

and market segments, consumer lifestyle-based profiles exist across countries that can also

impact on the relationship between activewear brand equity and purchase intent. For

example, one study into cross-national activewear consumer profiles revealed that a

connection to fashion has become a trait that highly influences some activewear consumers,

particularly women (Ko et al., 2012). The identified activewear consumer profiles transcend

country-specific characteristics. This reinforces the idea that activewear marketers should

consider consumer lifestyle profiles when seeking to develop a global marketing strategy.

Another evidence-based strategy for brand marketing across international market

segments is the use of emotion-based marketing - aligning the emotions projected by a brand

with the emotional needs of the market (Rynarzewska and McClung, 2012). Activewear

brands can benefit from emotionally targeting both competitive and non-competitive sport

participants in their marketing. However caution has been expressed not to perpetuate
 stereotypes by assuming that women equals non-competitive, and men equals competitive.

Effective emotion-based marketing can influence brand attitudes and purchase intention. For

example, non-competitive sports participants find that participation and enjoyment based

advertisements are closer to their own experience and therefore connect to them more

(Rynarzewska and McClung, 2012). Once again, a male dominated sample means the

effectiveness of emotion based marketing of activewear to women requires further attention.

To date, little is known about the role of gender in determining activewear cross-

national consumer lifestyle profiles and emotion and brand personality based marketing
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factors. An important trend to consider here is the increasing popularity among women of

physical activity focussed on health, fitness, participation and enjoyment rather than

competition and performance. Marketers should look to the data emphasising the increasing

popularity of informal sport amongst women (Opinion Leader, 2011), the emerging

popularity of fitness/gym and walking for girls (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012a), and

the marked increase in women’s participation in non-organised sports such as jogging, bike

riding and yoga (Roy Morgan Research, 2014).

Activewear as Fashion

There is a fading line between sport and casual daywear and there are a large number of

luxury high-end brands developing active sportswear using novel design orientations for

performance clothing. As a result these sport-inspired garments are part of everyday wear

especially among the younger generation who tend to define what consumers will be wearing

in the future (Bramel, 2005). The interaction and blurred boundaries of sport and fashion

impact on both sport and fashion wear markets. Companies that sell after-sport garments to

their core clientele can seek to attract a broader customer base who desire a sporty image but

who do not necessarily engage in sport-based activities (Bramel, 2005). An equal measure of
 style and performance has now been developed for activewear as female trends indicate the

demand for multiple uses of garments (Bramel, 2005).

The incorporation of fashion into activewear is certainly not without precedence.

Activewear has the purpose of aiding performance and absorbing sweat, yet it is also a tool to

express oneself which is a function of fashion (Asian Textile Journal, 2005). While fabric

technology is the main feature of garments, fashion adds value and helps activewear gain

mass appeal (Asian Textile Journal, 2005). This last point was embraced by golf wear label

Lija (Ross, 2005). Started by a female golfer, Lija sought to fill a gap in the conservative golf
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wear market by being inspired by catwalk trends and focusing on femininity. This strategy

payed off as this label moved beyond the golf course and became a successful brand. In this

context, it should be noted that the role of femininity in women’s sport based apparel has a

complex history. For example, the running skirt emerged as a response to the notion that

women do not need to dress like men to participate in the masculinised world of sport

(Williams, 2011). The feminisation of women’s attire in sport was initially seen as trivialising

women’s participation and almost apologising for being part of historically masculine

sporting world. However, contemporary feminism now rejects this view and thus athletic

women increasingly desire to look feminine and fashionable while still taking their sport

seriously. (Williams, 2011)

The literature emphasises the role of fashion in activewear design, production and

branding. The main message to consider is that for those women engaged in competitive

sport fashion is still valued, and for the increasing number of women involved in non-

organised sport and physical activity, activewear producers need to meet both their recreation

and fashion needs.

 Consumer Decision Making

A number of articles investigated the variables that influenced activewear purchase decision

making, from product selection to store selection. Table 1 summarises the findings. Results

included that women tend to consider more variables when purchasing activewear, and that

gender, fashion consciousness and an activewear focus can impact the range and types of

stores accessed. Evidence confirms that multiple influences are at play when people make

decisions about activewear purchases. Prudent activewear marketers will find multiple angles

to improve consumer engagement. However, in regard to store selection, it is worth noting

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that during an economic down turn consumers are less likely to purchase from apparel and

leisure stores unless apparel or leisure is important to them (Pentecost and Andrews, 2013).

[INSERT TABLE 1 HERE]

Women consider a range of variables when selecting activewear stores, they are more

influenced by activewear fashion, and they are more likely to purchase activewear if they

participate in physical activity. This suggests that to break through the clutter of shopping

information, a brand or retailer would be advised to combine an appeal to fashion with

meeting the real physical activity needs of women. This reinforces a major finding from this

literature review: it is crucial for the activewear market to meet the current and future

physical activity needs of female consumers in order to remain relevant. In other words,

observe the shift from organised sport to non-competitive and non-organised physical

activity, and meet those needs in apparel design and incorporate fashion.
 Generation and Age

A woman’s age or the generation she was born into can influence her activewear consumer

behaviour. When comparing women from the gen Y and baby boomer generations regarding

activewear (compression garments) consumption, researchers found several generational

differences (Rahulan et al., 2015). Table 2 summarises key findings from this research.

[INSERT TABLE 2 HERE]

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Another study focussed specifically on female activewear consumers from the baby boomer

generation (Wray and Hodges, 2008). It found that many women from this generation

associate more with an activewear advertising model that best represents their cognitive age

(being younger in how they looked, felt, the activities they did and their interests) as opposed

to their actual age. However, this did not necessarily translate into purchase intent as many

factors including seeing, feeling and trying on an item contributed to purchasing behaviour.

This suggests that marketers need to consider diverse strategies when targeting women of

varying generations.

Young consumers are a key apparel market segment and research has emphasised the

importance of attracting young people to an activewear brand (Frank, 2014). This research

asserts that clothing is an important part of self-expression and identity for young people.

With activewear being the most branded segment of the apparel market, young people present

an opportunity for strong activewear growth. This is particularly evident when considering

the trend among young people toward a more active life that has both physical and social

value. The social element in particular has impacted upon the fashion-oriented nature of

activewear. Companies that can tap into the youth market tend to have greater longevity by

creating an earlier consumer relationship (Frank, 2014). It is also worth noting that youth tend
 to prefer global over local brands as they convey more social prestige, thus prompting

companies to pursue more global marketing strategies in order to better capture this market

segment. Yet, like other themes addressed in this review, there is a lack of research regarding

the consumer needs and experiences of girls and women.

The life stage of a woman is an important variable for activewear producers and

marketers to consider. This is not only from the perspective of their consumer behaviour but

also their changing physical activity patterns across the lifespan (Hajkowicz et al., 2013).

When appealing to the youth market, consider that girls beginning high school are at an age
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where they are deciding if and what sport or physical activity is right for them (Eime et al.,

2013, Institute of Youth Sport, 2011). In many cases that choice is non-organised sport and

physical activity (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012a, Australian Bureau of Statistics,

2012b, Eime et al., 2013, Opinion Leader, 2011, Roy Morgan Research, 2014). At the other

end of the lifespan, the growing market for the mature-age woman should not be

underestimated because with an aging population come more older women who seek

healthier and more active lives (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013, Hajkowicz et al.,

2013).

Marketing to Women

The literature exploring activewear consumer variables largely fails to take gender into

consideration. However, an industry report found that companies who wish to target female

consumers need to understand the lived context of the modern woman (Jack Morton, 2012).

This means marketers need to let go of old gender stereotypes and understand the realities of

women’s lives who want to engage with brands on their own terms. The report calls this

‘women’s new realities’. Marketers need to consider that women are highly involved in

technology and social media, use it to research and purchase products and to spread word-of-
 mouth about products they like. An important factor here is that women are gaining purchase

power. For example, a review of the Australian womenswear market found that women have

moderate overall buyer power (MarketLine, 2014). This means that women’s consumer

behaviour has some power to shape the market and as such women’s decision-making power

should not be ignored. Consequently, the literature offers some recommendations for good

practice in marketing to women. One recommendation involves building a relationship with

female consumers (Jack Morton, 2012). This relationship can be aided by determining what

women actually want rather than assuming to know what they want. To achieve this, a
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marketing experience that is tailored to women (via media, content type, or the type of

experience) is required that does not patronise women but appeals to both genders. In

addition, brand experiences should communicate how a brand can fit into women’s lives.

Some research has sought to explore the question of what women consumers actually

want, specifically in relation to activewear. One study proposed the importance of including

social and emotional value when exploring what women value in activewear (consumer

perceived value) (Chi and Kilduff, 2011). Thus, considering messages about how a product

could make female consumers feel good, provide pleasure or social approval, is as important

as messages about product price and quality. Another study suggested that marketing to what

women want can be a balancing act (Heinecken, 2013). It found that the posters on a large

online forum for women’s activewear consumers valued the use of ‘real’ women with real

lives balancing many of life’s responsibilities in marketing imagery. Yet, they also liked

seeing the ‘real’ woman as being an amazing athlete. Thus, while they rejected idealised

images of women in advertising they replaced it with an idealised notion of the super woman

who can balance all her responsibilities and still be ultra-fit. This suggests that despite the

replacement of one unrealistic aspirational image with another, marketers of activewear may

benefit from appealing to this balance between ‘real women’ and ‘aspirational women’.
 Thus, some evidence has sanctioned the need to determine what women really want

when marketing to them. However, any attempt to do so in regard to activewear consumption

should consider the types of physical and leisure activities that women actually pursue. If

clothing design, branding and marketing can appeal to not only the contexts in which women

will wear their garments but also where they may wear them into the future, they could

maximise their appeal to the female market.

Conclusion
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This review is the first to identify what knowledge exists and more importantly what gaps are

evident in understanding the drivers and industry trends that pertain to female consumers of

activewear. Very few studies have sought to identify the specific consumer context of women

and many missed the opportunity to make meaningful and reliable gender comparisons. This

review is also the first to link marketing and design of women’s activewear to the needs of

female consumers based on their actual patterns and trends in physical activity.

There is a clear knowledge gap regarding female consumers of activewear. This gap

limits the industry’s ability to effectively market to and cater for the activewear consumption

needs of females. This review begins to partially fill this gap. What emerges strongly from

the review is the relationship between the context in which people wear activewear, including

consumer profiles, and their purchasing decision-making. As such, understanding the patterns

and trends in female participation in sport and physical activity becomes an important

element in understanding and catering for women’s activewear needs.

The female participation trend towards unstructured physical activity and a healthy

lifestyle needs to be reflected in the products and marketing of activewear brands to

demonstrate that they understand the lived context of their female consumers. Trends,

particularly in Australia, predict that over the next 30 years non-organised physical activity
 and new adventure and lifestyle sports will be increasingly favoured. This trend will continue

to influence women’s activewear needs and consumer behaviour.

Another trend in the activewear industry is the consumer led incorporation of fashion

into the marketing and consumption of activewear brands. This needs to be seen in light of

the use of activewear as casual daywear, work-wear, sleepwear and evening wear. There also

needs to be an acknowledgement of the desire for the incorporation of more fashion into the

design of apparel for women who are more serious about their sport participation.

Experts have recommended that brands build a relationship with female consumers in
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order to effectively market to them. This is made difficult if activewear brands do not

understand the needs of females, the key influences on what encourages females to purchase

activewear, or failing to recognise some of the emerging or predicted trends that were

described in this report.

In light of the current review, the important message for researchers is to consider

gender, and attendant needs and influences, when examining activewear consumer behaviour

and devising consumer lifestyle profiles. They should also consider how they are informed by

data on the ways women are physically active, now and in the future. The current review is

the first stage of a larger project funded by the Australian Sporting Goods Association.

Subsequent stages will complement and extend this review by gathering focus group and

survey data from Australian women to further investigate their current and future activewear

consumption. While this review has focused on the Australian context, it also investigated

international academic and industry literature. Future research should look to explore and

compare the interaction of female physical activity patterns and their consumer profiles in

other markets and countries.

The importance of this review for producers and marketers of activewear is to highlight the

range of variables to consider when designing and marketing activewear to women.

 Additionally, there is the importance of targeted market research that takes into consideration

women’s real-life contexts. However, this can be seen as a two-way relationship where

physical activity trends of females can inform producers of what the market wants, but also

where market driven trends in female activewear consumption can influence the direction of

the physical activity market.

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Aknowledgements
This project was funded by the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA), an
association that is committed to being a leading advocate in the industry on female active
wear. The role of ASGA was to establish a sub-committee including the researchers of this
project to identify the research questions, discuss the findings, and activate a number of the
recommendations.
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References identified References identified from

through data base searches business report data bases
and screened (n = 447 and Google (n = 12)
including duplicates)

Records screened (n = 459 including duplicates)

Records excluded (n = 399 including duplicates)

Full text articles sought for appraisal (n = 60)

Full text documents unable to be sourced from reference (n =19)

Studies included in the review (n = 41)

Figure 1: Results of literature search

 Table 1: Influences on Activewear Purchasing Decisions
Decision Influences
Making
Activewear When compared to men, women are more likely influenced by;
Product • Quality (not compromising on a product just being ‘good enough’)
Selection • Brand (price relates to quality, and prefer well-known brands)
• Recreation (shopping is enjoyable and stimulating)
• confusion (overloaded by too much choice and information and feel
unconfident to make choices)
• Impulse (unplanned shopping and spending possibly followed by
regret)
and equally likely to be influenced by;
• Price (price aware and looking for a good deal)
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• Fashion (looking for new innovative brands and fashion)

(Bae and Miller, 2009)
Store Selection • Overall, women tend to use a bigger range of purchase locations
(choices being, department stores, independent franchise stores,
discount stores, mega shopping marts, fashion speciality malls,
online shopping malls, and TV home shopping) as compared to men
• Shoppers with a higher fashion innovativeness (readiness to adopt
new fashion trends) shop in a bigger range of location types
• Hierarchy of store selection criteria in order from highest to lowest
rank:
o ‘sales assistance’ (their appearance and service)
o ‘in-store induced appeals’ (gift vouchers, in-store
advertising, and mark-downs)
o ‘promotional/brand availability’ (availability of special
offers, exclusive brands and branded labels)
o ‘store accessibility’ (layout, mall location, aisle location, and
operating hours)
o ‘store appeal’ (variety of brands; and the appeal of in-store
displays, the store entrance/exit, and the exterior design)
o ‘store atmospherics’ (attractive, fashionable, stylish
decorations, lightings, temperature)
(Ihn Hee, 2012, Dhurup et al., 2013)
Activewear • Those who, participate in, or watch sport (96.6%) are almost twice
purchaser as likely to purchase sports apparel as those who don’t participate or
profiling watch (54.5%). Although, still half of the non-participants/watchers
buy sports apparel
• People who participate more in sport, like sporting goods, and have
a higher education are more likely to buy and spend higher amounts
of money on sports apparel
• People who watch a lot of sport on TV prefer to spend lesser
amounts on sports apparel

Sport active women, aged 41 to 45 years, with a university degree, has a

sport active partner and friends, lives in a small family, has a highly
favourable attitude towards sporting goods and rarely watches sports on
 TV are twice as a likely as any other group to purchase sport apparel.
(Scheerder et al., 2011)
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 Table 2: The Activewear Purchase Behaviour of Baby Boomer and Generation Y

Women (Rahulan et al., 2015)

Dimension Generation
Baby Boomers Generation Y
General product Look for durability and size Look more for comfort and style
orientation range
Material/design Odour resistance and sun Impact on sport performance by the
protection is important garment is important
Spend more time testing the Prefer to look for visual information
construction quality of a garment about the garment on the tags and
other printed material
Production Take less time to make a Are more inquisitive and want to
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information purchasing decision know more about a product

needs and When reviewing marketing, do In marketing, the technical aspects
decision making not take much time to read and price of the product are
advertising product detail important, they are tech savvy and
knowledge hungry
Store selection Prefer a physical sports store, Prefer a physical sports store, but
and to try the garment on for fit online shopping is much more
preferred
Price Price is less important Price is more important
consideration