US Swimwear Market Insights Recap from Last Summer: Trends, Channels and Consumer Shifts

We recently sat down with Kristen Classi-Zummo, apparel industry analyst at Circana, to provide an overview of the U.S. swimwear market and her expectations for 2023.
Kristen, can you give us an overview of the swimwear sales trends in the United States for 2023?

Year-to-date (January through April 2023), total swimwear U.S. sales revenue declined by 1%, versus last year, with losses coming from men's and women's swim, while the kids market showed some growth, according to Circana's Consumer Tracking Service. However, demand faced steeper losses across the board, as total swimwear units sold were down by 8% so far this year. One factor of this decline is the continuation of high average selling prices in the category. The growth in average price is slowing down, but consumers continue to pay more than ever for their swimwear. During these months, we also witnessed a pullback in promotions for swimwear, as there were less items sold on sale and promotions were shallower compared to 2022.


I'd like to dig deeper into the pricing element, from a retailer perspective. Are you seeing price impact where consumers are shopping for swimwear? Which retail channels are performing best, and why?
Your first question is a tough one, because the answer is both yes and no. I say this because price is obviously important, but there are multiple factors at play. Let's start by looking at the channels that are standing out for their growth led by pricing: off-price and warehouse clubs. The off-price channel represents about 14% of sales and grew by 4% year-to-date, based on dollar sales. This channel has been receiving a lot of attention for offering high-end brands at a discount. However, the channel growing the fastest so far this year is warehouse clubs. Clubs have been a popular grocery destination for higher income consumers, who are now crossing over the aisle and shopping here for their swimwear, as well. Other channels are performing well, for different reasons. For example, pureplay retailers, like Amazon, continue to win for their quick delivery and convenience, as you can have a swimsuit at your door the next day. The athletic specialty and sporting goods channel is also performing well due to activewear-based retailers, like Lululemon, who are focusing on new trends, innovation, and fabric technology to entice consumers. Tying this whole channel story together, what's particularly interesting is that the channels performing well in swimwear are also performing well for the apparel industry overall.