- Total sales for sporting goods in 1994 was approximately JPN Yen 1.9 trillion (US$ 19 billion). The top five(5) items sold in 1994 were as follows:
- Golf Equipment 18%
- Ski Equipment 16%
- Outdoor Equipment 13%
- Casual Sportswear
- Training Equipment
- On the surface, the percentage of tennis, baseball/softball, and soccer goods seems high, but they are in fact 4%, 4.2%, and 3.4% respectively. Even fishing equipment is 4.9%. The reason for this is because baseball/softball and soccer are generally mens' sports with the exception of tennis.
- Mainly ski equipment and sportwear seems to be imported a lot, whereas the forementioned goods produced overseas by Japanese companies and imported to Japan account for 30-35%. Ski equipment is imported from France and Austria, and golf equipment from the U.S.A.
- The sporting goods are mostly sold through sports shop (12,000 throughout Japan). The top 30 companies account for 70-75% of the entire market share.
- The Japanese market is highly brand-oriented. Elementary school children (even first and second grade school children) are familiar with the famous brands, such as NIKE, REEBOK, ADIDAS, PUMA, and MIZUNO. They ask their parents to buy well-known brands even if they are more expensive than others.
- Balls without official approval by Japanese sports associations cannot be accepted at school. Therefore, unofficially approved and no-brand balls are sold only as toys. As a result, the outlets for such balls are home centers and supermarkets here in Japan.
- As for design and finish, only sporting goods reflecting modern trends wiil do well.
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