The discussion with Kevin Monahan, Founder and CEO at Amos Digital, explored recent trends & developments in the digital marketing of endurance sport brands.
Kevin explained how Amos Digital came about; and how it evolved out of the HackGrowth application & development business. Amos is a full service digital agency – specialising in Shopify – working in website development, alongside driving prospects to client websites. As Kevin noted, it’s about “Build it, and get them there.”
The discussion covered how brand direct consumer sales have evolved within the endurance sport space. Kevin noted that the running community has been comfortable buying online for a number of years, whereas cyclists may be less so – being more reliant on local bike stores.
The pandemic has shaken things up considerably. March to May 2020 saw a surge of interest online. There was then a lull over the summer, with consumers returning to traditional retail stores. Yet, interest online has now picked up again. Kevin cited year on year growth of around 18-20% in consumer search and purchasing online.
For those brands who are more strategically focused on retail relationships, Kevin noted that it’s good to have a mix of both – retail and direct online sales. He added that, by focusing attention on storytelling online, brands can see the benefit of growing their audience overall.
Most recently, Amos Digital has observed a return of the ‘enthusiasts’ back into the endurance sport market. In recent months, the company has seen spikes in transaction values for endurance sport gear – buoyed by vaccine news and the return of some events.
Unlike the earlier part of 2020, when new/casual users were entering the market and ‘gearing up’, sales of low-end items have been less common in late 2020. The indication is that the enthusiasts are preparing for 2021 to really happen.
Kevin said, “I see so much enthusiasm leading into 2021. We’re seeing pages per session increase. This shows interest. People are exploring and are researching. For higher priced items, these may be on 6-month to 12-month purchasing cycles. People need to know what they’re buying. We’re seeing that [research and interest] now, and that’s the big thing.”
