Switzerland’s consumers most likely in Europe to leave home fitness equipment untouched
You’d be hard-pressed to find a country with as much home fitness equipment as Switzerland. However, as a representative survey commissioned by Galaxus reveals, Swiss consumers are more likely than their counterparts elsewhere in Europe to leave their yoga mats, dumbbells and skipping ropes untouched.
Yoga mats propped up behind doors since Easter. Skipping ropes stashed under beds. Foam rollers lying somewhere next to them. People may buy plenty of fitness equipment, but they certainly don’t use all of their purchases. A representative survey conducted by YouGov on Galaxus’s behalf reveals a mixed picture when it comes to home workout habits in Europe. It also highlights which pieces of exercise equipment lose their appeal the quickest.
The ubiquitous yoga mat
In all five countries surveyed, yoga mats are the most-purchased piece of home fitness gear. Nearly half the Swiss population – and a third of the French population – has one. The next most popular pieces of equipment are weights and resistance bands. Large fitness machines, such as multi-gyms or rowing machines, aren’t purchased much in any of the countries surveyed.
Households in Austria are kitted out with the most sports equipment. There, every person surveyed has nearly three pieces of sports equipment. In France, the figure drops to less than two. With just over two pieces of fitness gear per head, Switzerland falls somewhere in the middle. In Austria, only one in six people don’t have any home fitness equipment. In France, it’s one in three.
One thing that stands out about the German-speaking world is its fascination with foam rollers. In Switzerland and Austria, a quarter of households have one, while in Germany, a fifth do. Meanwhile, in France and Italy, only one in 20 people own a foam roller.
People who have fitness equipment don’t necessarily use it
In Italian and French homes, more than half of all fitness equipment is used at least once a week. In Switzerland, only one in three pieces of equipment are used weekly. Basically, Swiss consumers are more likely than their European counterparts to let their fitness equipment gather dust. Nearly half of their sports gear is used less than once a month – or not at all. That seems to be the case regardless of equipment type. From yoga mats to dumbbells to exercise bikes, Switzerland ranks lowest on usage of every product.
This phenomenon is especially apparent when it comes to skipping ropes. Although one in five people in Switzerland have one, only one in seven of use their rope regularly. In Italy, people are more consistent with their skipping routines. Nearly half of respondents who said they owned a rope use it at least once a week.
Incidentally, people’s reluctance to use their home fitness equipment is rarely down to the products themselves. Very few survey respondents, regardless of country, said their equipment didn’t live up to its promises. Across all countries surveyed, the most common reason for leaving fitness equipment unused was a lack of motivation.
In cupboards, under beds – and in the way
People rarely put their unused fitness equipment away – and they give it away even less frequently. About a quarter of unused exercise gear ends up in a cupboard, while another quarter is kept in visible spots around the home. In every country, less than 10 per cent of unused fitness equipment is sold or given away. On the bright side, a quarter of respondents in Switzerland said someone else in their household used their exercise gear.
Respondents in Switzerland prefer exercising outdoors
Many people don’t have fitness equipment at home for the simple reason that they don’t exercise full stop. In Germany and Italy, more than 40 per cent of respondents said as much. Switzerland is an outlier in this regard, with less than 20 per cent of respondents stating that this was why they didn’t have any home exercise equipment. About 40 per cent of Swiss respondents said they preferred to exercise outdoors – by far the highest figure across all five countries.
To sum up, Switzerland’s consumers aren’t ditching their home fitness equipment for their sofas. They’re ditching it for forest jogging paths, gym memberships and the notion that they’ll surely get around to using that low-cost skipping rope one day. Until then, they’ll keep it at home, somewhere visible so that it won’t be forgotten.
Got any fitness equipment gathering dust in your home? Let us know in the comments.
As a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.
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