Sporting Goods sales run on a flat road in 2022

Sales from the 81 sporting goods retailers in the Top 1000 remained essentially flat in 2022 at $22.46 billion. That’s just 0.04% — $100 million — more than 2021. 

And although those sporting goods retailers maintained a 2.3% median conversion rate both years, they increased the median AOV to $261 from $231. Those aged 25-34 bought the most from Top 1000 sporting goods retailers in 2022. No other age group accounted for 20% or more of the category’s sales, though those 35-44 came close at 19.3%.

Sporting Goods industry is walking on a high incline

The share of Top 1000 sales from sporting good retailers dipped slightly in 2022 — to 33.6% from 34% in 2021. At the same time, total sporting good sales in the U.S. (at physical stores and online) grew to $66.825 billion in 2022 from $65.723 billion in 2021 — that’s 1.7% growth in the category. So U.S. sporting goods sales grew both online and in physical stores in 2022.

The median monthly unique visitor count dropped among sporting goods retailers in the Top 1000, to about 504,000 from about 519,000. 

Online sales of sporting goods grow slowly

Sales hardly grew in the sporting goods category, and they grew even slower online (0.4% year over year) than they did at physical stores. Total sales (online and offline) grew just 1.7% for the category.