Retail sales come home as football fever boosts revenue by 35 percent

New data from eCommerce provider Visualsoft shows just how big the influence of Euro 2024 and football fever has been on the nation’s spending.

When looking at sales in the sports, outdoors and recreation sector year-on-year, average revenue per domain increased by 35 percent, driven by a 40 percent rise in orders year-on-year. Average order value (AOV) increased at a smaller rate of five percent in June, before dropping to -10 percent in July (resulting in an average decline of -3.5 percent), suggesting that consumers were spending more, purchasing more frequently, and retailers were attracting shoppers with deeper discounts.

Looking at the first half of July, once knockout rounds began, retailers experienced a 49 percent surge in average revenue compared to 2023 and a 63 percent rise in average order numbers.

Data indicates that the day England won the Quarter-Final (6th July) sites took the most revenue, with average revenue per domain almost tripling YoY (194 percent). This was closely followed by the day after England won its first match (16th June), with a rise of 107 percent, and the day England won the Round of 16 (up 97 percent).

On the 17th of June, the day following the first win, and on the 8th of July, the day before the semi-finals, sites saw a significant increase in average order value (AoV), with an increase of 58 percent YoY. In addition, the 6th of July, the day of the quarter-final victory, recorded the highest number of orders, 137 percent higher than the same period in 2023, contributing a boost to overall revenue. Apart from these peak days, retailers found success by selling a higher volume of smaller items to maintain their revenue levels.

England games also saw a significant impact on conversion for sports, outdoors and recreation retailers. The day England won the quarter finals shows the biggest impact on conversion. Jumping from a typical 1.5 percent to five percent, demonstrating the impact of sporting events on consumer spending.

Early on in the Euros, mobile spending remained relatively unaffected. However, as the tournament progressed into July there was a notable increase in mobile spending, rising from 47 percent in 2023 to 55 percent in 2024, suggesting that people became more susceptible to impulse purchases. This could possibly be linked to sponsorship advertising, people wanting to show more support as the tournament progressed or social media campaigns centred around the Euros to promote products .

Antony Hoyland, VP of Business Development at Visualsoft says: “Retailers in the sports sector have seen a huge growth in sales as a result of the Euros – despite the final result – with more orders than we would see in an ‘off year.’ As we head into the Paris Olympics and as the summer of sport continues, we expect to see interest maintained -although not at the same scale. Retailers should look to harness this surge in orders and target consumers with loyalty marketing, personalised newsletters, and targeted discounts to entice them back again.”

Image courtesy of Pexels. Photo credit: Cottonbro.