Dive Brief:
- DTC brands Alo Yoga and Vuori are gaining share with activewear shoppers, according to a recent report from Earnest Analytics.
- In the last 12 months, both brands have gained 1% market share, while Under Armour lost share, according to the report. Athleta, Adidas and Fabletics all either held steady on market share year over year or grew share.
- Vuori is gaining more wallet share of its existing shoppers as well, Earnest said. Vuori shoppers increased their spending at the brand to 27.4% of their overall active and athleisure wallet, up from 21.6% last year. Alo Yoga’s wallet share held steady.
Dive Insight:
In a competitive activewear landscape that has gained the attention of many direct-to-consumer brands in recent years, Vuori and Alo Yoga are gaining on competitors.
Both brands share significant shopper overlap with activewear powerhouses like Lululemon (52% for Vuori, 63% for Alo Yoga) and Nike (30% and 34%, respectively). In Vuori’s case, its growing customer base is also becoming more loyal. Earnest noted that Vuori shoppers spent 17% less through Nike’s DTC channels this April than the same timeframe last year.
The Earnest report comes after a Piper Sandler survey earlier this year also found that Vuori and Alo Yoga were growing share with shoppers, particularly teens. In the athletic apparel market, while Lululemon remained the No. 2 choice among upper-income teens, Alo Yoga and Vuori came in 11th and 15th, respectively. That was a significant jump from the fall, when the two brands registered at 35th and 24th.
While Alo Yoga and Vuori could be taking share from larger rivals in the space, they’re also up against younger companies like running brand On — and each other. Twelve percent of Vuori shoppers also buy from Alo Yoga, while 21% of Alo Yoga shoppers also buy from Vuori, according to Earnest. Alo Yoga and Vuori shoppers also buy from On, though that figure is less than 10% in both cases.
The growing influence of Vuori and Alo Yoga is visible in a number of ways, including through executive ranks in the industry. Gap Inc. last year tapped Alo Yoga’s president to lead its own Athleta label and Vuori recruited one of its most recent executives from Levi Strauss. Both brands also are expanding noticeably: Vuori has plans to open 100 stores by 2026, 40 of which were already open last summer. The brand also has a robust wholesale network, thanks in part to founder Joe Kudla prioritizing the channel from the outset.
Alo Yoga, for its part, launched a ready-to-wear collection a couple of years ago and has been building out a store network that now amounts to 66 in the U.S. alone, according to its website. The brand opened its first store in Canada in 2022 and has since expanded in the region, and also has stores in select locations globally. Alo Yoga has also gone deep into virtual experiences, including digital wearables, virtual stores and in February, a shopping experience for the Apple Vision Pro.
