As World Cup hits fever pitch in India, brands see merchandise sales spike

Sportswear brand Puma India said it has witnessed 37% increase in sales over last month in football merchandise.

“Young consumers are buying football related merchandise across our stores as well as through e-commerce platforms," said Abhishek Ganguly, managing director, Puma India.

Football shoes, jerseys and equipment are the top three selling products. Puma has witnessed a 40% growth from the football category over last year.

Adidas, the official Fifa sponsor, also claimed a significant increase in sales of football merchandise.

“We are experiencing an upturn in football sales during the 2018 edition of the World Cup versus the 2014 tournament," said Sean Van Wyk, senior marketing director, Adidas India.

The most popular jerseys being sold by Adidas are those of Germany, Argentina and Spain.

“We have also seen an uptick in boot sales, as the World Cup inspires many to play football, and we find them buying the Predator, Nemeziz and X boots, as worn by their favourite football stars at the World Cup," added Wyk.

Alcis Sports, an Indian performance wear brand, which has been selling official Fifa merchandise through large format stores such as Shoppers Stop and e-tailer Flipkart, said that it has seen a 50% spike in the sales of football merchandise.

“We have products for both boys and girls in the age group of 4 to 14 years. Zabivaka, the official Fifa World Cup mascot is most popular in this age group," said Roshan Baid, managing director, Alcis Sports.

Not just brands, the football fever has also gripped the online shopping platforms.

Amazon India, for instance, is selling football related merchandise (shoes, jerseys), training equipment (football nets, goalkeeper gloves and shin guards) video games and books as well as collectibles.

“In line with the football season, team jerseys and footballs have become the most popular products in this category. Argentina is the most popular country in terms of fan jerseys purchased on Amazon followed by Germany and Brazil," said a spokesperson from Amazon in an emailed response.

Shopclues, another e-commerce platform, claims that the football world cup fever has taken over its sales and the e-tailer has been selling 4,000 footballs and about 300 to 350 fan jerseys everyday.

Up to 60% of its sales are coming from metros and top cities such as Kolkata, Siliguri, Bengaluru, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

The sales spike in football merchandise can be attributed to increasing popularity of football in schools, “especially among people who can afford the brands. Leagues such as the Premier League and the Champions League are also being heavily marketed in India," said Rajat Wahi, partner (management consulting) at consulting firm Deloitte India.