Singapore: Golf shoe manufacturers selling into the Asian market are benefitting from a new series of reports released by SMS (Sports Marketing Surveys) Asia.

Sampling golfers in Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, the reports, which are available immediately, cover key topics including:

• Shoes owned – number of pairs and brands
• Spending habits
• Point of purchase
• Buying habits and factors
• Brand consideration
• Shoe styles – sneakers; spiked v spikeless; boa or laces;
• Aspirations for new pairs

The new findings unveil, among other things, that in six of the seven surveyed markets, more than half of golfers have at least two pairs of golf shoes.

As with golf ball purchases, supply chain disruption has led to golfers choosing different shoes that were more readily available. In four different markets, 19% of golfers have chosen different shoes.
 
“The design and marketing of golf shoes has shifted dramatically in recent years with the advent of sneaker type designs,” said Eric Lynge, Head of SMS Asia, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

He added: “These reports shine a light on what golfers across Asia prefer and what that means for brands trying to retain or grow market share in the region.

“SMS Asia is here to help businesses take evidence-led decisions, and we invite anyone interested in research in the region to challenge us and ask us how we can help.”
 
SMS Asia was launched in 2021 and registered in Singapore in 2022. The company is also available to work with buyers on bespoke studies in the region, for example to delve into follow up questions and concepts specific to future product or marketing campaigns.
 
The shoes study follows SMS Asia’s 2021 study of how the region’s golfers bounced back from Covid-19 lockdowns. That study can be downloaded free of charge via the SMS website.

The shoes reports are available for immediate purchase. A set of reports on balls is available, covering the same countries.