The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are now just 100 days away, and new polling data show roughly half of Americans say they plan to follow the games at least ‘somewhat’ closely. CivicScience has already explored how consumers plan to watch and which sports they’re interested in tuning in for. In addition, more than a quarter of Americans (28%) report they’re at least ‘somewhat’ likely to purchase products or merchandise from 2024 Olympic sponsors. Consumers under the age of 45 are far more likely to do so than their older counterparts.
Weigh In: Are you planning to watch the Paris Summer Olympics?
Among those likely to buy from Olympic sponsors, the most popular items are T-shirts (38%) and sweats/hoodies (34%). Should college basketball phenom and new number one overall pick in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark, qualify for the Team USA Women’s Basketball team, it would have the potential to give ‘jersey’ a big boost from its current spot as the third most popular choice at 33%. However, plans extend beyond just apparel; a noteworthy percentage also plan to purchase outdoor (23%) or indoor (20%) accessories.
Now that we have an idea of what consumers plan to buy for the Olympics, what are their motivations for doing so? Additional CivicScience data find the clear standout leading driver is to show off national pride for their country. Showing support for a specific athlete or team is the next most common purpose for Olympic merchandise purchasing. Beyond these, consumers are fairly evenly split between fashion (26%), gear to wear for their own sports competitions (25%), and collector’s items (24%).
Take Our Poll: Do you plan on purchasing any Team USA merchandise for the upcoming Paris Olympics?
The Olympics are primed for a bounce back from the rough ratings of the Tokyo Olympics, with several new sports making their debut – and its sponsors could stand to benefit from this renewed interest in a drive for merchandise. The potential for Caitlin Clark to represent Team USA alongside the likes of Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky only makes that case even stronger.
CivicScience will continue to track consumer insights as the Olympics draw closer, but if you want to go deeper and see how you can effectively target these Olympic viewers with high-performing advertising, let’s connect.
