"Comfort and support continue to be the top influencers when women in the U.S. are choosing which bras to purchase for themselves," according to The Bra Evolution, a new report from The NPD Group. The perception that a bra 'is sexy' is much less important than the comfort bras can give, ranking eighth on the list of purchase influencers.

"The enduring athleisure movement clearly expresses that comfort is king for today's apparel consumer," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry advisor, The NPD Group. "The growing sports bra segment, combined with the comfort positioning of many digital native and national bra brands, reinforces this powerful trend."

The Research

According to NPD’s bra market research, U.S. consumers spent nearly $7.2 billion on women's bras in the 12 months ending May 2019. More than a quarter of that goes toward purchasing comfortable sports bras. 

The number of female consumers who shopped for or purchased a sports bra has grown over the past two years. That was from 38% in 2015 to 45% in 2018. Exercising is still the top-​wearing occasion for sports bras. 

However, wearing them is also common for everyday activities. The Bra Evolution reveals that beyond casual at-​home wear or running errands, nearly a quarter of women indicated wearing sports bras as their comfort bras for a typical workday.

“Sports bras have yet to really peak when it comes to replacing traditional casual bras,” added Cohen. “But the opportunity for growth exists for every bra brand — as long as they keep their eye on the benefits that matter most to the consumer.”

Lingerie Shoppers need to hear about bras that are not only sexy but also comfortable. According to AudienceSCAN, these shoppers are 78% more likely than others to find advertising on social networks useful. And 91% more likely to see ads on their mobile apps. 

These women looking for comfortable bras are active on social sites such as Facebook (82.5%) and YouTube (65.6%). Also on Instagram (57.6%) and Twitter (39.4%). 

Additionally, within the last year, they've taken action after following:

• Receiving direct mail ads and coupons (65.6%),
• Seeing TV commercials (63%),
• Receiving email ads (58.9%), 
• And finding ads on daily deals sites such as Groupon (57.1%).

About AdMall

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on women's apparel stores and lingerie stores, as well as lead lists at the local level. Media companies, sales reps, and agencies can access this data with a subscription to AdMall from SalesFuel.