Consumers will have more power in 2016, says ISPO organiser
Changes in the digital world will keep the industry on its toes in 2016, and with competition online and offline increasing, according to Messe München CEO Klaus Dittrich at the opening of Germany-based trade show ISPO Munich.
“There is no question about it, competition within the sports industry has become tougher,” he said. “Markets are undergoing extremely rapid changes. Traditional borders are becoming blurred: retailers sell their own brands, brands open their own stores. The interplay of online and stationary retail is undergoing reorganization. Don’t expect these two areas to experience parallel development, they will increasingly mesh with each other.
“The actual beneficiary of these changes is the consumer. Consumers want to use every single purchasing channel available – buy where and when they want; they want to be part of product development and share their experiences and know-how.
“The spotlight is on the consumer, setting the rhythm for the changes throughout the industry. Suppliers wishing to stay at the top have to take this into account. They have to find ways to distinguish their business from the competition, and cleverly interface a variety of channels with each other.”
Exhibitor for this event (January 24 to 27), exhibitor numbers have risen from 2,585 last year to 2,645 this year, 88% of which are from outside Germany.
WSA will be attending ISPO and will report on the latest developments in the next issue.
