In this blog, we’ve explored how the opinions of people taking part in market research have impacted the sports industry over the years – and how you can get paid to test stuff and share your opinions on your favourite sports brands, too!
Sports are popular for a great number of reasons – and in lots of different ways!
From live sports that you can watch on television to participating in sports clubs or going to the gym, sports make up a huge part of UK culture. Not only are they fun to follow or take part in, but for many, they provide a sense of community or support people’s general health and wellbeing.
And this popularity is only continuing to grow; studies have shown that women are more interested in sports than ever, and the UK sports market is predicted to reach a value of £10.6 billion in 2022 – a big jump from £9.0 billion in 2017!
What’s more, as we discovered in our own Lockdown Life: Sport project, sports remained an integral part of people’s lives during the COVID-19 pandemic; 35% of people surveyed watched sport re-runs during lockdown, and 35% got their “sporting fix” by watching sports documentaries during lockdown.
And the reasons behind this increase in popularity? Well, one of them is certainly due to brands and businesses in the sports industry carrying out market research – and people like you who take part in these projects!
Why do sports companies and brands do market research?
By conducting market research projects, sports companies and brands can discover what their target audiences think and feel about their products and services so that they can improve them.
Below, we’ve shared some examples of how market research has transformed the sports industry over the years!
4 ways sharing your opinions in market research impacts the sports industry:
1. Opportunities to consume sports-related media have increased
If we rewind a decade or so, the only real way to consume sports via the media was through television. Today though, with the continuing growth of technology and people’s lives becoming increasingly busy and on-the-go, the demand for different methods of sports media consumption has increased.
In fact, research such as online communities has found that most sports fans now consume sports content from their smartphones!
And it’s not just about watching sports, either; as such a huge part of our culture, market research has shown that people want ways to communicate and connect with fellow fans over their favourite sports via social media methods, too.
As a result, sports media broadcasters and companies have become more user-focused by making live and recorded sports available on more channels than just television; from podcasts to websites, mobile sports apps to social media apps and more.
2. Sportswear design has evolved to fit(!) people’s needs
Unlike most other forms of clothing, sports and activewear have a variety of functional properties to ensure that they help people perform at their best. At least, that’s how they started out!
Thanks to the opinions that people have shared over the years through market research methodologies such as focus groups, sportswear has now become more of a fashion trend.
For example, one study found that millennials and Gen Z-ers “value multi-purpose design and pleasure over performance” when it comes to choosing sportswear.
There are even quizzes out there that analyse things like “what your activewear style says about your personality type,” showing that sportswear has become increasingly about people’s unique feelings, experiences and desire for self-expression.
Sportswear companies have therefore adapted and evolved their designs over the years to suit this demand!
3. Sports retail is taking a new direction
People’s opinions (often sourced from accompanied shopping projects) have substantially changed the way that sportswear retailers sell their items; for example, research has found that 44% of activewear buyers prefer shopping in-store to online.
This preference has led retailers to make decisions about or changes to their stores to make them as appealing as possible to their target audiences; for example, by making store visits more experiential, interactive and immersive.
For those who do like shopping for sports gear online, however (now an estimated 40% of sports shoppers), more and more retailers are providing extensive information about their products so that consumers can buy with greater confidence, or are creating apps that enable them to search for products with ease and enjoy big discounts.
4. Sport/fitness apps and tech have become more user friendly
As well as altering how people consume sports media, technology has also changed the way people engage with their own sporting activities and fitness!
There are hundreds of different apps out there; from running guidance apps like Couch to 5K to gym assistance apps like Strong. And that’s before you consider the apps that integrate with physical gadgets, such as FitBit.
User experience testing and user research has given consumers the opportunity to get paid to test stuff in these sporting and fitness apps over the years in order to make them easier to use.
So, chances are, if you get an update on any of the sports or fitness apps and tech you use that makes your experience better, this is likely to be a result of people sharing their opinions in a market research project!
Want to get paid to test stuff and share your opinions for sporting brands?
Here at Angelfish Opinions, we’ve been recruiting participants for all sorts of sports-related market research over the years, just like the examples outlined above.
By taking part yourself, you’ll not only have the chance to influence your favourite sports brands and businesses with your opinions, but get paid for it, too!
If this is something you’d be interested in getting involved in, be sure to sign up to our community today and check out the paid sports market research opportunities on our Current Projects page.
