Throughout 2020, Sports Marketing Survey (SMS) has worked closely with Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) to monitor and generate support for the cycling industry in the wake of COVID-19.
One of the industry’s most powerful tools during the pandemic has been CIE’s series of Business Impact Surveys, operated by SMS.
The third edition of the survey now confirms that wider European trends are translating into new jobs and investments in the industry. 54% of the companies surveyed by CIE and SMS have seen their staff rosters increase compared to September 2019. 67% of companies have reinvested in marketing – spending more on this than last year. This response is encouraging but not surprising, given that 83% of the respondents showed higher overall revenues compared to October 2019.
These rich insights are allowing policy-makers and investors to take confidence in the importance and ability of cycling to support the COVID recovery. In the current climate, few, if any business sectors can boast such growth in Europe, let alone contribute so proactively to the cleaner, more liveable continent envisaged in the EU Green Deal.
CIE, its partners and companies in the Market Impact and Intelligence Expert Group of which SMS is a member, have provided a coordinated approach to coronavirus recovery across the continent. The resulting impact assessment has produced key figures to guide the sector as it progresses its commercial and advocacy aims. It confirms, robustly and independently, that the cycling sector is a viable recipient of investment, policy support and funding by European institutions, national governments and the private sector.
In July 2020, CIE again emphasised its commitment to finding market Intelligence. Key results from the first European Cargo Bike Industry Survey indicate that respondents enjoyed 60% growth from 2018 to 2019. Despite the pandemic, many are expecting similar growth in 2020 across Europe. While this anonymised sample of cargo bike brands cannot account for the total size of the European cargo bike market, it highlights the impressive growth and an overwhelmingly positive direction of travel.
The COVID-19 pandemic marks a potential watershed for the cycling Industry. European governments have already invested 1 billion euros on cycling infrastructure, creating over 2,300 km of new bike lanes since the pandemic reached the continent in March 2020. The unprecedented investment in cycling around Europe – from Bucharest to Brussels – reaffirms cycling’s position as a key contributor to the future of Europe, not solely in protecting public health, but in responding to ongoing challenges such as climate change and its effects.
CIE has thanked all the members of the Market Impact and Intelligence Expert Group, without whom this work would have not been possible. CIE runs the Expert Group to gather evidence and produce Intelligence that will allow accurate market forecasting, stronger promotion of the Industry, and better information for the Industry, NGOs, policy-makers and investors. All CIE members and other companies are invited to take part in this important initiative.
Join CIE by clicking here.
The Business Impact Surveys were carried out by CIE’s member Sports Marketing Surveys on behalf of the association.
