Puma is a global leader in sportswear and is one of the key market players in the Indian sports apparel markets. It provides a wide range of products for sportswear for kids of all ages including shoes, clothing and accessories. The brand has been present in India for more than two decades and is at present, at the top within the sportswear market segment in the country.
The global children’s sports and swimwear market size was valued at US $21.59 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4% from 2021 to 2028, as per a report by Million Insights. This surge is considered mainly due to the growing popularity of knit football tracksuits in the USA and the growing need for functional sportswear in Europe.
The Indian market too is a big contributor in this category due to the rising popularity of sports and awareness among consumers. With over 400 million children in India between the ages of 0 and 14, the children’s clothing market is often regarded as one of the most lucrative in the country including sportswear for kids. The Indian kid’s apparel market encompasses a wide range of clothing for infants, toddlers, children, and teenagers. It includes various categories such as babywear, casual wear, formal wear, sportswear, ethnic wear, and more.
According to TechSci Research report, the Indian kid’s apparel market stood at US $22.2 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 2.8% in the forecast period, 2025-2029.
Among the various categories of apparel, the sports clothing market too has been around for several years in India. However in recent years, the phenomenal success of private cricket tournaments like IPL (Indian Premier League), medal wins in various sports in the Olympics and participation in fitness-related activities has driven the demand for sports jerseys and clothing, not only among adults but kids too.
Several well-known multinational sportswear brands have dominated the Indian market and have expanded by promoting their products by associating with cricket, basketball and other athletic events. Seventy-five-year-old German brand PUMA is one of them. The brand has relentlessly pushed sport and culture forward by creating fast products for the world’s fastest athletes.
Presence in India
PUMA is a global leader in sportswear and is one of the key market players in the Indian sports apparel markets. It provides a wide range of products for sportswear for kids of all ages including shoes, clothing and accessories. The brand has been present in India for more than two decades and claims to be at the top within the sportswear market segment in the country.
The brand has established itself as a pioneer in the realm of kids’ sportswear, providing high-quality athletic apparel that seamlessly blends comfort, style, and performance. With a deep understanding of kids’ needs and aspirations, Puma has crafted a range of sportswear that empowers young athletes to move freely, express their individuality, and develop a lifelong love for physical activity.
Engaging Young Consumers
In today’s tech-savvy era, children have more autonomy over decision-making due to increased access to gadgets and digital goods and services. Children’s affinity for a brand is determined by age and developmental stages. Due to these factors, big brands use social media to engage with their young customers who often influence their family shopping decisions, especially when buying for themselves.
On engagement with a young target audience, Gyan Tandon, Category Head, Kids & Bodywear, Puma Sports India says, “With kids being increasingly aware these days, they have their say and preferences, whether in fashion, sports or any hobbies. We try to reach out to them through various relevant celebrities, social media and various engagement activities. One such example would be us getting in touch with an NGO and conducting a drawing competition wherein the winners were rewarded and their designs were featured in our next season’s collection. Together we want to paint a better future.”
“We at Puma have a lot of relevant and kid-specific collaborations. Each season we strive to present kids with a relevant and exciting collaboration they can relate to. While we have our celeb collabs like One8, we also have collabs like Spongebob, Trolls, Playmobil, Playstation, etc,” he states.
Innovation & Popular Products
Puma tries to incorporate a lot of different technologies and innovations in their products be it footwear, apparel, or accessories.
“While we have our pinnacle running technology in footwear which is Nitro, we also have walking shoe innovations like softride and reflect lite. In the apparel segment, we have various technologies like dry cell technology, rain cell technology, wind cell technology, etc,” says Tandon.
He says that walking/comfort proposition footwear and running apparel work well for Puma and are among the most widely sold products in the kid’s sportswear segment.
“Softride footwear has been a consistent top seller amongst all age groups,” he says.
The Future
The sportswear brand has witnessed robust growth in the Indian market, with its revenue rising from Rs 2,044 crore in FY21 to Rs 2,980 crore in FY22, as per the recent ȃ lings with the Registrar of Companies (ROC). The brand is actively geared up for ȃ ve to ten years of growth in India.
“The sportswear segment contributes to around 40% of the total brand’s revenue. Our expansion plan includes leveraging untapped markets like infants, preschools, and girls. We see a lot of brands in the market focusing on sports but there are hardly any major players in the ‘run train’ segment. This is a segment we are working upon,” says Tandon. What we need to understand is that post-Covid, the sports scenario has changed drastically worldwide. Children and their parents are more health conscious than ever before and the sportswear segment has a lot of scope. We plan on expanding our sportswear share in kids and tapping all existing market opportunities,” he concludes.
