D. Tighe
Research expert covering consumer behavior, sporting goods retail, and the global toy industry.
Fitness equipment is used by many athletes and workout enthusiasts across the globe. Although such tools are not essential for exercising and building strength, fitness equipment can certainly make the process easier and more customizable. Treadmills and weight machines, for example, are perfect for focusing on conditioning and building up a specific muscle group or precisely tracking one’s progress and calorie expenditure. In the United States, the entire sports equipment market was valued at an estimated 18.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. The specific exercise equipment segment generated about five and half billion U.S. dollars that year.
Revenue generated from the sale of exercise equipment has grown on a yearly basis and is projected to continue this upward trajectory, from about five and a half billion U.S. dollars in 2023 to an estimated 6.8 billion by 2028.
Fitness equipment wholesale trade
In 2023, U.S. wholesale sales of fitness equipment for home use came to a total of about six and a half billion U.S. dollars. This was a slight increase compared to the previous year. Wholesale sales of consumer fitness equipment have been noticeably higher in the last few years, compared to 2019 and earlier. The sudden spike seen in 2020 may have been an indirect result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: due to the numerous lockdowns, most people were required to stay at home as much as possible, which may have led to this sustained increase in consumer demand for home fitness products. The boost in wholesale sales was recorded for all kinds of home fitness products, from exercise cycles to free weights. In direct contrast, fitness center equipment wholesale sales in the United States dropped by over 260 million U.S. dollars in 2020, but returned to pre-pandemic heights over the years since.Fitness consumer habits
Fitness equipment is often sold to gyms and similar health and fitness institutions, but as mentioned previously, many American consumers also buy and own exercise equipment for home use. When asked in 2023 if they had purchased any fitness gear in the past month, close to 15 percent responded positively, while a slightly higher percentage said they intended to buy such equipment in the coming three months. About half of the respondents from the same survey also said they had bought their fitness equipment necessities in phyiscal outlets.Revenue generated from the sale of exercise equipment has grown on a yearly basis and is projected to continue this upward trajectory, from about five and a half billion U.S. dollars in 2023 to an estimated 6.8 billion by 2028.
