Future consumer trends will impact sports participation. Play, performative leisure, and the quantified self trends may influence how sports are played and marketed to incorporate fun and social sharing elements. The perfection of the body trend means sports must communicate health and appearance benefits. New technologies from wearables to 3D printing will change sports, while short attention spans require novelty and incentives to motivate participation. The future of sports depends on adapting to these shifting consumer trends.

1. The sport of tomorrow
Future consumer trends impacting sports participation
Prepared for Sports and Recreation Alliance
Chair’s Network Meeting | October 2013
Nick Chiarelli, Key Account Director

2. What we’ll cover today
1
About Future Foundation
2
Levels of sports participation
3
Consumer trends impacting on future sports
participation
4
Summing up

3. The sport of tomorrow
1
About Future
Foundation

4. Who are the Future Foundation
We specialise in generating
actionable insights about the future
A diverse collection of individuals united by our incisive view of
the world, our rigorous but creative thinking, our openness to
new ideas and our dedication to the highest quality work.
Our mission is to provide
clarity to our clients, reduce
their risk and inspire creativity

5. nVision | A cross-category view of consumers
Localism
Affluence & Luxury
Leisure Behaviours
Consumer Confidence
Health and Wellbeing
Personal Finances
Values & Attitudes
Technology Behaviours
Advertising
Aspirations
Social Media
Family & Home
Shopping
Media Usage
Environment and Sustainability

6. nVision | Perspectives on the changing consumer
Sources & Methodology
Regularly published content
Proprietary Quantitative Research
 Original online research exclusive to
subscribers.
 5 waves per year in the UK
 2 waves per year 24 markets globally
Established
Trends
Other proprietary research
 Trend spotters in 60 global markets
 Additional qualitative research
 nVoys: expert panels
Category
reports
Beyond
2020
reports
Individual
data charts
Third party resources
 Access to a wide variety of third party
reputable data sources to expand our
research reach.
Emerging
trends
nVision
Forecasts
Brand
manifestation
database
Special
analyses
Consultancy
hours
Stimulus!

7. The sport of tomorrow
2
Levels of sports
participation

8. Sport participation
% who have done sport/physical activity (excluding utility cycling) in the last 4 weeks | 2012
100%
2009
36%
2012
of adults participate in
moderate intensity sport
at least once a week
80%
60%
40%
20%
Source: Taking Part Survey, Department for Culture, Media and Sport/nVision | Base: 9,188 face-to-face respondents aged 16+, England, 2012
75+
65-74
45-64
25-44
16-24
Female
Male
Total
0%

9. Household expenditure on recreational services
In millions, at current and constant* prices | Data for 2013 based on Q1 and Q2
Current
£8,000
Constant
£7,000
£6,000
£5,000
£4,000
£3,000
£2,000
£1,000
Source: Consumer Trends, National Statistics/nVision | Base: UK, 2013
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
£0

10. E-commerce, clothes or sports goods
% who have ordered clothes or sports goods online in the
past 12 months | May 2013 nVision forecast based on latest
available data
100%
Observed
Forecast
80%
60%
40%
20%
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
0%
This forecast is based on the
assumption that the appeal of
using e-commerce platforms
will continue to grow as they
become still more
established, accepted and
comprehensive in terms of
coverage - as well as
offering prices that very often
cannot be matched by highstreet retailers.
In the next five years, we can
also expect to see a more
diverse demographic profile
for e-commerce shoppers as
well as the rise of online tools
which promise to locate the
best deals on our behalf.
Source: Eurostat Survey on ICT Usage/nVision | Base: All individuals aged 16-74, UK, 2012

11. Children’s views on sport and exercise
“How important do you think it is to do these things in order to be healthy?
Do lots of exercise/play lots of sport” | nVision Kids Research, 2012
100%
Not at all
important to do to
be healthy
80%
Not very
important to do
this to be healthy
60%
Quite important
to do this to be
healthy
40%
20%
42%
55%
54%
35%
23%
0%
Total
Boys 7-11
Boys 12-15
Girls 7-11
Girls 12-15
Source: nVision Research | Base: 1,018 online respondents aged 7-15, GB, 2012
Very important to
do this to be
healthy

12. The sport of tomorrow
3
Consumer trends
impacting on future
sports participation

13. Many trends have potential impacts on future
participation in sport

14. Many trends have potential impacts on future
participation in sport, continued

15. Play
nVision UK Key Trend
While the act of being at play may once
have been considered niche behaviour, it
has long since been transformed into a
mainstream activity with appeal across all
consumer segments.
In turn, ever more products and services
feature playful and game-like mechanics,
ever more brands seek to engage us by
extending invitations to play.

16. Play: some of the evidence
% who play computer/video games at least once a week
100%
80%
2010
60%
2011
40%
20%
0%
Total
16-24
25-34
% who have a games console in
their home
Those interested in a device which
alerted them at the instant the online
price of a product they wanted had
decreased
35-44
45-54
55-64
65-74
2012: 57%
35%
16-24s: 78%
Own a handheld game
device
2012: 69%
16-24s: 84%
23%
Use gaming apps at least
once a month
$1 million
Revenue from Angry birds
each month
Source: nVision Research | Base: 1,000 – 5,000 online respondents aged 16+, GB, 2012

17. Play: trend in action
May 2012 saw Wagon Wheels launching a
digital treasure hunt as part of its alien-themed
“The Truth is in There” campaign.
As part of Corona’s
6-pack board game
campaign,
consumers had the
chance to transform
cardboard beer
carriers into game
boards - using beer
bottle caps as game
pieces.
March 2012 saw Tesco launching its first
Facebook game - styled as Delivery
Dash.
March 2012 saw Domestos
launch a “Flush of Fortune”
roulette game hosted on a
dedicated mini-site.
Carlsberg’s campaign which ran in early 2012
saw drinkers in Israel being challenged to pour
as many virtual pints as they could in a period
of just 60 seconds - using an app which was
only accessible on 20 iPads located across
participating bars in Tel Aviv.

18. Play
Implications for sport
Sports can no longer rely solely on their
intrinsic playful nature to satisfy the
needs of their participants.
Instead they should look for possibilities
to add fun and engaging elements to
how their sports are played and
marketed.
Participants should be encouraged to
interact with billboards or scan certain
codes to unlock game-like offers and
elements, in the name of adding fun and
building loyalty.

19. 19
Performative
Leisure
nVision UK Key Trend
In our increasingly mobile-enriched lives,
broadcasting real-time records of our
leisure activities as a way to earn status
becomes ever easier.

20. Performative Leisure: some of the evidence
“Please tell us which types of information you
like to share details about”
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Holidays I've been on
Places I've been to
(e.g. restaurants,
concerts, sporting…
Films/music I have
recently
watched/listened to
My day-to-day life
Clothes I have bought
With
friends
With
family
With
contacts
on social
networks
“I like it when people
acknowledge my
posts/photos/comments
on social networking
sites”
59%
Women
25-34
16-24
Source: nVision Research | Base: 2,000 online respondents aged 16+, GB, 2012
63%
67%
75%

21. Performative Leisure: trend in action
Walibi
Connect
Mexican football team los Jaguares de Chiapas
Socialcam
Squawka

22. 22
Performative
Leisure
Implications for sport
It’s not enough to play a great game or
smash your personal best anymore –
everything has to be shareable.
Brands can merely sit back while their
users share their experiences of the
brand, or they can proactively
encourage and facilitate the sharing
process.
Will we simply spectate when we can
use real-time services to facilitate a
more pro-active form of participation

23. 23
The Quantified
Self
nVision UK Key Trend
Smart technology is empowering
consumers to collect and interpret realtime information about ever more aspects
of their daily lives.
In turn, the results are being harnessed to
find new efficiencies, reduce spend, adopt
a more professional approach to lifestyle
management...

24. Quantified Self: some of the evidence
% online individuals using
personal health tracking apps
2010: 4%
Interest in an app
that allows you to
track the number
of calories/
nutritional value of
the food you eat
27%
16-24s:
42%
2012: 7%
16-24s: 13%
“All individuals will be given a 'personal health
rating' in the future”
40%
If there were a non-intrusive device which
automatically registered the following
information, would you be interested in
monitoring:
Weight/BMI
Calorie/fat intake
Calories burnt while exercising
Sources: see notes page
57%
54%
47%

25. Quantified Self: trend in action
Nike’s Hyperdunk+ iD Basketball Shoe
Under Armour’s E39 shirt

26. 26
The Quantified
Self
Implications for sport
The first step to performance
improvement is performance monitoring
and this is becoming available to casual
sportsmen and women.
Technology is enabling at-a-distance
competition with friends and the broader
networked world.
Will we see the emergence of Opta-style
stats and data-based performance
consultancy for the ordinary participant?

27. 27
Perfection of the
Body
nVision Key Trend
In our appearance-conscious society,
individuals are being invited to use all
means at their disposal to banish defects,
remove blemishes and adopt an optimised
approach to aesthetics.

28. Perfection of the body: some of the evidence
“I would rather
look good than
feel good”
“I feel under pressure to look as good as I can”
60%
2010
.thng
2012
Total:
9%
16-24s:
21%
40%
20%
DE
C2
C1
AB
65+
55-64
45-54
35-44
25-34
16-24
Female
Male
Total
0%
“I would consider having some
form of cosmetic surgery”
All: 17%
Females: 19%
25-34s: 28%
“I would consider non-invasive
forms of cosmetic surgery”
All: 28%
Females: 33%
25-34s: 48%
Source: nVision Research | Base: 1000-2000 online respondents aged 16+, GB, 2012

29. Perfection of the body: the trend in action
Neuro Drinks:
Claiming to aid sleep/sexual performance/weight
loss/concentration levels
BuildMyBod:
Plastic surgery app calculates the cost of your
perfect body
.thng

30. 30
Perfection of the
Body
Implications for sport
Today, the motivations for pursuing sport and
exercise are more and more likely to include
some element of vanity and body styling.
Sports bodies may wish to consider
communicating the health and appearance
benefits of their sports.
Innovations in surgery and quick-fix beauty
products have lessened the need for
consumers to invest considerable time and
energy in spending hours on the treadmill and
the sports world needs to have a response in
place.

31. The sport of tomorrow
4
Some open questions to
think about

32. New Materials will revolutionise our lives (and sport)
Graphene – the new wonder material
Cooling technologies
Wearable
technology
Thermal-vision technology
3D printing

33. .thng: an ever more connected ”internet of things”
50 billion
connected devices
500 million
connected
devices
2003
6.3 billion
people
2010
2015
By 2008, the number of connected
devices outgrew the number of people.
By 2020, there will be roughly 6 and a
half connected devices per person.
2020
7.6 billion
people
Source: Cisco 2012 The Internet of Things

34. The Power of Novelty
 Short attention spans are endemic for today’s easily distracted, grass-is-alwaysgreener and hard to motivate wannabe sports participant
Bartitsu
Battle Badminton
is an eclectic martial art and self-defence
takes social badminton to the next level,
method originally developed in England during
letting users find new players (aged 18+) to
the years 1898–1902. Although dormant
play and issue and accept challenges to
throughout most of the 20th century, bartitsu has ‘battle’ it out for pride on court in singles or
been experiencing a revival since 2002,
doubles matches.
especially since the Guy Richie Sherlock
Holmes films.
http://www.badmintonengland.co.uk/show_news.asp?section=13&sectionTitle=News&itemid=5702#.UoDFh9BFCM8

35. Be wary of asking for long-term commitments
 Many of today’s consumers don’t want to be tied in to long-term contracts and
commitments, in their personal lives or in their relationships with brands

36. The Need for Motivation and Reward
 It’s so easy to not participate. Find ways to incentivise and reward consumers to
resist the call of the sofa/pub
Nike Fuelband SE
LA Fitness
Zamzee
Drinking Mirror

37. The sport of tomorrow
Future consumer trends impacting sports participation
Nick Chiarelli, Key Account Director
nickc@futurefoundation.net | 0203 008 5747
Futurefoundation.net | 0203 008 4889
@nickchiarelli
@futurethoughts