How have e-bikes and scooters disrupted retail and created new markets for bicycle gear and apparel?
Process
Desk Research:
• Review reports on e-bike and e-scooter market growth and adoption forecasts. Review media coverage or social listening reports on cultural adoption of micro-mobility.
Survey Validation:
• We surveyed current e-bike and scooter users about their preferences for gear and apparel, their purchasing motivations, willingness to pay for premium features, and how these products fit into their riding routines.
Ethnography:
• Interviews with diverse user groups: urban commuters relying on micro-mobility for daily transport, recreational riders integrating e-bikes into leisure or fitness routines, and delivery workers using scooters or e-bikes as tools for income. Questions focused on the rituals, habits, and micro-cultures that have developed around e-bike and scooter usage.
Results
There was strong potential for growth in bicycle gear and apparel marketed to e-bike and scooter users. From 2021 to 2022, the number of e-bike systems grew by 71%, and e-scooter systems rose by 28% in the U.S. About 15% of the population owned at least one e-bike, and 17% of city dwellers planned to buy one within a year.
[ADD A FEW POINTS GATHERED THROUGH ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH]
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