Wiggle and Halfords among ‘fastest growing online cycle brands’

A marketing report has judged Halfords and Wiggle among the fastest growing online cycling brands for 2023.

Halfords came out top, using 11 performance indicators, including year-on-year visibility, search volume trends and brand awareness, according to Salience Search Marketing.

Wiggle’s high placing in 2023 does, of course, coincide with a calamitous year for the online retailer, which has seen it fall into administration – owing millions to industry suppliers – and with accordingly large numbers of redundancies at the web retailing giant. That level of interest might prove a factor for those businesses weighing up a potential buy out of Wiggle – a list that reportedly includes Halfords.

Halfords – itself seeing cycling sales contribute a smaller proportion of its overall revenue – has over 2.2 million brand searches per month and a 22% increase in searches over the past three months. However, it’s unclear if these are purely cycle related searches or whether a percentage of those are attributable to its motoring and servicing arms.

In comparison, Wiggle had over 246,000 brand searches per month and an 8% increase in interest.

Overall, the fastest growing online cycle brands report found there to be a 3% decrease in overall organic growth within the industry, with the press statement giving a nod to the consumer cost of living crisis curbing growth.

Brett Janes, managing director at Salience Search Marketing, said: “Whilst demand for cycling brands has seen a slight decline, brands need a more precise and targetted strategy to ensure growth for 2024.

“With Halfords named as the top emerging cycling brand and the brand to see the biggest growth in online visibility, it’s crucial for other brands within the sector to focus on strategy and boost their social media presence.

“Overall, building a strong following and online presence across multiple channels becomes crucial in driving sales and capitalising on the expanding market demand.”

The top five fastest growing online cycle brands of 2023 saw Saracen, Merlin Cycles and Frog Bikes make up the rest of the bunch.