According to a survey carried out by the sports chain Sprinter among 6500 runners who signed up for the Santa Pola International Half Marathon, Adidas and Asics appear to have a special place in the hearts of runners when it comes to choosing trainers.
Adidas is the preferred brand of runners with 27.6% of the votes, followed closely by Asics. Nike and Saucony are found at a second level; while other brands such as Mizuno, Joma, Brooks and New Balance appear to be less popular.
Quality, comfort and a good previous experience with the product are the most decisive factors for runners when it comes to choosing one brand over another and are more important than emotional factors such as brand love.
In fact, 68% of respondents believe the most important factor when choosing sportswear is functionality, they look for good value for money, and the brand doesn’t really matter.
However, in terms of brand loyalty (13% of the respondents), Adidas and Asics come out on top as the most popular with Nike in third position. These consumers say the brands serve their purpose well and have no intention of changing.
And, of course, some runners state the want the best at a technical level, regardless of the price (12% of respondents), and again Adidas is the number one brand for this group of runners.
One brand for each type of runner
Although the consumer profile of a runner would appear to be practical, there are different reasons why some choose one brand over another and thanks to the findings from Sprinter’s survey we can see these different profiles and their relation with the sports brands.
Technical runners & Adidas. Those who prefer Adidas, choose the brand for the quality of its products and a good previous experience. When asked why they preferred Adidas, Boost technology appeared in 9% of the comments and the price was never mentioned by any of the runners who prefer this brand.
Functional runners & Asics. For those who opted for Asics, good value for money and the comfort of the brand’s clothing and footwear were the main reasons, and 18.4% of those who choose this brand do so for its footwear.
Fashion runners & Nike. Nike is the preferred brand for runners more interested in design and trends. 41% of the runners who are loyal to this brand follow fashion trends and change their sportswear every season.
Practical runners & Joma. Joma seems to be the favourite for those looking for a good price, 37% said their main reason for choosing this brand was price, while also mentioning that it is their favourite brand.
Sprinter survey
The study was carried out by Sprinter in conjunction with the Santa Pola Athletics Club through an online survey conducted among 6500+ runners registered in the Santa Pola International Half Marathon A simple random sampling of 455 valid answers ensures a confidence level of 95% and a 4.5% margin of error from the data collected.
The Sample. More than 80% of respondents were men, 50% of them were between 36 – 45 years of age and have been running for more than five years. 77% of the runners also combine running with other sports, including, from the highest to the lowest number of respondents: cycling, swimming, hiking, fitness and padel.
