We spent the last year tracking 4,000 health and fitness consumers across the US on a variety of topics, including spending, attitudes, and behaviors. We found some interesting differences between how men and women approach spending in the fitness industry.
Women spend less on fitness related expenses overall, but how they prioritize spending is worth a deeper look.
69%
Women
65%
Men
“If you look good then you’ll feel good then you’ll play good. If you feel like you look good, you’ll be more confident and succeed.”
Women are more likely than men to prioritize comfort when purchasing athletic clothing, but finding the perfect fit is a challenge. Once a perfect fit is found, women will stick to the same brand.
“I’m small so not everything fits as tight or as well as it could, and I want things to fit me well.”
“There are a couple brands that I know well enough to know what size I am, what fits, what the quality is, and the different features.”
26%
Women
23%
Men
Women are more likely to feel comfortable working out when they like their apparel and they will often prioritize style. How women define style varies, but each has her own criteria.
Women are more likely than men to prioritize comfort when purchasing athletic clothing, but finding the perfect fit is a challenge. Once a perfect fit is found, women will stick to the same brand.
“In terms of sports bras, I like the ones with a strappy back.”
“I like cute colors and cute patterns. I like bright colors - pinks, teals, blues, and purples.”
“I’d say it’s like 50/50 style and functionality.”
“It’s really helpful when something can take you from event to event and you don’t look like you just rolled out of bed.”
Women enjoy spending money on fitness apparel, but feel that finding comfortable clothing is challenging. Finding their comfort zone is all about balancing these 6 features.
“I want clothing that's going to serve its purpose. If I’m wearing leggings that leave all these sweat marks and aren’t comfortable, or they pill when I run, then it’s not a useful clothing item.”
“I want it to be cute. I want it to look good on me.”
“Oh this is cute, so I’ll buy it.”
“The pants literally feel like butter on your legs. They feel like you have nothing on, so it’s easy to work out in, and they feel really nice.”
“They need to be able to stay up and stay in place while I’m working out, because I like those high-intensity workouts, so I definitely don’t want it slipping off my shoulder.”
“I need it to do what it says that it’s going to do. If it’s breathable, I need it to be breathable. If it’s moisture-wicking, I need it to actually be moisture-wicking. A headband needs to stay tight and actually keep my hair back. I wouldn’t want to buy something and have it end up failing after a few uses. I want it to literally perform the job that it says it’s going to perform.”
“In my mind, I’m kind of like ‘oh you can’t be wearing these cute clothes and not do well in the class’ so I think it pushes me to work out a little harder.”
Women prioritize spending on fitness activities that offer a holistic workout to improve the condition of the body and the mind.
“I’d rather exercise more holistically than going and rocking it for the entire hour.”
1 Feel better
50% △
2 Lose weight
46% △
3 Prevent future medical issue(s)
31%△
4 Improve mood/reduce stress
30% △
5 Look better
28% △
“Fitness gives me a lot of mental stability. It’s a way to be away from any stressors and kind of focus on what I’m doing.”
“If I'm going to spend $30 on a class, I prefer well-rounded workout, like at Orange Theory or Barry’s Bootcamp or at an all-around weight and cardio fitness class.”
“I have some neck and back problems, so I feel like being more toned and having a stronger core would help me with that.”
“I would rather have it be where I get to be out in nature, but I’m also feeling good because I’m moving my body.”
Women prefer to find less expensive ways to achieve their fitness goals.
“I try not to spend too much on fitness because there are definitely ways I could workout without having to spend a lot of money.”
“I have been turned off of signing up for yoga classes, spin classes, CrossFit, or anything like that, because I feel like it is cost-prohibitive. I don’t want to spend that much money every month when I don’t know what my work hours are and how likely I am to be able to get to a class that starts at a certain time. I have the treadmill at home that's there for me at any time.”
“I’m more likely to spend money on classes or on a place to go if it’s like, ‘You can buy 10 passes that you can use over 3 months whenever you want.’ I’m much more likely to do that than a monthly fee.”
“All of the workout equipment like weights and things to work out at home that I never use. It’s just hard to work out at home. Anytime I’ve purchased workout equipment, I don’t really end up using it, so I stopped doing that in recent years.”
“Hiking and running shoes.”
“My sneakers are probably the most valuable just because I use them the most..”
“My most valuable purchase is the leggings I like that they’re high compression, they don’t fall apart when your legs are rubbing together, and they’re really cute.”
“A vest with lots of pockets and a new workout bra.”
Women spend less time and money on gym memberships and are opting for alternative fitness activities outside of the traditional gym setting, such as fitness classes, specialized studios, home studios, and multi-studio membership deals like ClassPass.
“I’m definitely willing to pay (for a studio gym) because I feel like it’s important and I believe I need to have a gym I can’t do it by myself.”
“I felt like I would be more likely to use a treadmill at my house than I would be to actually go to the gym.”
“I like classes. I like a coach or trainer who is there to put you through the workout since I’m not a professional trainer. I like being around people who are doing the same thing because I’m a bit competitive and it forces me a little bit more.”
“[ClassPass] has been a really fun way to go out, and meet new people, and try new things. The variety of ‘Oh I can take a barre class today or cycling tomorrow’ has been really helpful.”
Women have many obstacles that create challenges as they try to maintain their fitness routine.
Many women have developed several tricks and self-imposed incentives to stay motivated and stick to their fitness routines.
There are five overarching insights that are directly tied to fitness-related spending:
1 Mini Commitments | Use it or lose it financial commitments.
2 Additional Apparel Purchases | New gear that women want to wear and need to use.
3 Reminders & Measurements | Little nudges (trackers, apps, etc.) that reinforce good behavior.
4 Peer Pressure | A social gathering structured around fitness activity that keeps women accountable.
5 Variety | Keeping things changing to have fun and avoid boredom.
