Sport 2000: Winter Sports Are Very Popular In Austria Despite Spring-like Conditions
Alpine skiing was the clear number one this winter, but snowboarding also experienced a revival. The rental of sporting equipment is very popular with tourists and locals alike.
The 2023/24 winter sports season started promisingly with optimal snow conditions in December and January. However, from February onwards, the wintry temperatures and the hoped-for fresh snow did not materialize in large parts of Austria. The spring-like conditions did not stop Austrians and tourists from winter sports. Alpine skiing was very popular throughout the 2023/24 winter sports season, both in rental and sales. “In addition to alpine skiing, helmets and goggles have never been more in demand. Safety is clearly the focus of winter sports enthusiasts,” says Dr. Holger Schwarting, board member of SPORT 2000 Austria, about winter business 2023/24. Demand for snowboards, which experienced a revival this season, also developed positively. Demand for ski touring and cross-country skiing, however, was at a lower level compared to the last two years. “Since Corona, many athletes have been equipped with equipment for ski touring and cross-country skiing. Accordingly, demand in stationary retail stagnated this year. However, individual sports are still among the most popular winter activities among Austrians,” says Schwarting and he continues: “We expect that winter sports at higher altitudes or in glacier areas will continue well until the end of April, which is has a positive impact on stationary specialist retailers and rental shops in these regions.”
SPORT 2000 rent impresses with its comfort and competence
With the SPORT 2000 rent platform, the sports retail community offers everyone, from beginners to professionals, the opportunity to test new sports and equipment. The aim of the numerous rent dealers in ski areas is to make rental as easy and convenient as possible for Austrians and tourists. Interested parties are contacted both through online services and in store with competent specialist advice. “Customers really appreciate the service of being able to borrow top-maintained, high-quality equipment for any period of time. “In addition, more and more people are using the 'test & buy' option: they test skis and, if they like them, buy them,” says Schwarting.
Innovative SPORT 2000 Ski Rent campaign
In order to make consumers aware of the SPORT 2000 rent platform, the sports retail community launches a new online campaign every season. In autumn 2023, one of these campaigns was awarded the iab webAD in Gold, the most important award in the Austrian digital economy. The award was given to the innovative SPORT 2000 Ski Rent campaign for the 2022/23 winter sports season, which was based on dynamic, personalized online videos. The DACH-wide campaign was just as well received by the webAD jury as it was by the dialogue groups themselves. “Deeply connected to winter sports, we know our relevant target groups,” emphasizes Schwarting, highlighting the core of the award-winning campaign and adding: “Together with At the agency e-dialog, we developed a personalized campaign with video variants that dynamically addresses different customer segments and takes demographic characteristics and specific interests into account based on user data.”
