Olympic Gear Boosting Sales for Retailers
The athletes aren’t the only ones winning gold this summer. Retailers selling Olympic merchandise are seeing higher-than-usual sales. Fanatics, an online sports apparel retailer, is seeing sales up 50 percent higher compared to the 2012 London Games. The most popular items include the Nike Team USA Snapback, the Nike Team USA Medal Stand Full-Zip Jacket and Nike’s Men’s USA Basketball Practice Dri-FIT T-Shirt. Old Navy is also selling a line of Olympics gear and has “been really pleased with the response.”
Total Retail’s Take: Nothing like seeing the red, white and blue flying high as an American athlete has the gold medal draped over him or her. Those who aren’t blessed with those athletic talents want to show support for their country, so buying Olympic apparel is the next best thing. It’s smart for retailers to sell Rio 2016 gear — it’s a timely sell, and shows unity and pride for an event when the whole word comes together.
