Being at one with promotional apparel

Yoga is now more of a full-fledged industry than it is a fad. It continues to grow in popularity as in the U.S. as more Americans tuck a mat under their arms and don their workout pants to head to the gym. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health released a lengthy study in 2015 showing just how many people adopted the ancient practice in a 10-year stretch of time. Almost 10 percent of all adult Americans in 2012 – 21 million to be exact – used yoga as a form of exercise and mediation, the study found.

There are a number of marketing and promotional opportunities for businesses in the yoga world, from branded apparel and mats to promotional water bottles. It’ll pay to create impressions with this area as it continues to grow and more Americans try it out either at a studio or at home.

The yoga industry is growing and is a great market for promotional items.

Stretching for impressions
There are more than 30,000 yoga studios in the nation, The Advertising Specialty Institute wrote, and even more practitioners learning about this form of mediation and exercise. In fact, the $27 billion industry continues to expand in the U.S. as Americans spend an average of $2.5 billion on yoga instruction classes.

It’s even common to find many people donning yoga pants wherever they go. Chain Store Age noted the trend of women substituting yoga pants for leggings in the past few years. Yoga studios and fitness apparel companies such as Lululemon and others market not only pants but shell jackets, tops and other clothing designed with the yogi in mind.

This offshoot of traditional gym wear is a great avenue for any company seeking to make impressions with new customers. Businesses have a chance to put their brand, logo or slogan on promotional duffel bags, gym pants or even the yoga mats themselves.

Flattering your customers
As more people sign up for classes, you can beat them to punch by handing out free promotional yoga gear. Not only will your message come across loud and clear, you may also give them a favorable impression of your brand since you saved these future yogis from spending money at a sporting goods store.

Remember, there are many different types of workout items you can provide. Think light zip-up jackets, towels, head and wristbands and spray bottles to sanitize yoga mats and surroundings. Water bottles from the standard kind to specialty ones that allow customers to infuse fruit, are also hot items.

One thing that sets yoga apparel apart from other gym wearables is the fit. While some runners or weight lifters are satisfied wearing loose-fitting tank tops or T-shirts, yogis crave a sleeker, more flattering look. So, ensure that the branded apparel you offer has some stretch and neither hugs too tight or hangs too loose. You want your customers happy and looking good if they’re sporting your message across their backs or chests.

Targeting your market
The ASI noted the biggest yoga markets in the country include San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C. If your company wants to stretch its impressions, it should start near those cities and their surrounding communities.

Businesses trying to tap the yoga marketplace must approach not only new students but also independent yoga studios with their offerings. Some yoga apparel brands such as Lululemon offer in-store seminars while studios try to sell their own wares outside of class. See if your enterprise can pair up with a gym or studio.

If your company wants to make an impression with the yoga community, it pays to do your market research first. Not all yogis are the same. In fact, many different people from all walks of life, including baby boomers to millennials, take part in the ancient practice of keeping both mind and body healthy.

Perform some added due diligence by studying the roots and history yoga as well as the different types and the names of each position. While there are a number of distinctive types of yoga and yogis, remember that no matter how dissimilar they and their practitioners may be, they all seek better health.