During in-season, athletes are at practice in their team uniform. They buy facility apparel for casual wear, weekends, and the occasional travel day. During off-season, the facility is the primary destination four to six days a week. The hoodie they wear in is the hoodie they wear out. That changes the buying pattern.
Three things spike in October through February:
Short-sleeve tees still sell, but they take a back seat. Stock accordingly.
Eight pieces cover the entire off-season demand curve. Pull these from the Bear Grips catalog and price them for the athlete audience:
| Piece | Brand | VIP base | Retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture-wicking long sleeve | Sport-Tek | $29.88 | $40 |
| Long sleeve cotton shirt | Bella+Canvas | $29.88 | $40 |
| Crewneck sweatshirt | Bear Grips | $34.88 | $48 |
| Quarter-zip pullover | Sport-Tek | $29.88 | $42 |
| Joggers (cotton blend) | Cotton Heritage | $48.88 | $62 |
| Open-bottom sweatpants | Jerzees | $40.88 | $55 |
| Performance fleece hoodie | Champion | $45.88 | $60 |
| Cuffed winter hat (embroidery) | Yupoong | $25.86 | $32 |
Total stock count: 8 pieces. Each piece sits in 3-5 colors. The whole drop takes about 90 minutes to set up.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.The window opens with the end of fall sport. Football wraps in mid-November, soccer wraps late October, volleyball wraps in October. For a multi-sport facility, the first wave of athletes hits heavy off-season the first week of November and pushes through Thanksgiving. The second wave shows up in January.
Launch the off-season drop in late October, run the first push the week before Thanksgiving, and run a second push the first week of January. Two short campaigns will clear most of the off-season volume.
Take a small to midsize facility with 150 active athletes through the off-season block:
| Variable | Conservative | Typical | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active off-season athletes | 150 | 150 | 150 |
| Off-season buy rate | 18% | 28% | 40% |
| Buyers | 27 | 42 | 60 |
| Pieces per buyer | 1.4 | 2.0 | 2.6 |
| Average margin per piece | $11 | $12 | $13 |
| Drop profit | $416 | $1,008 | $2,028 |
Run two seasonal pushes (November and January) and a 150-athlete facility can clear $1,000-$2,500 in profit on the off-season alone. That sits on top of any year-round sales the shop is generating.
The drop launch playbook for off-season:
Eight pieces, two seasonal pushes, no inventory risk. Set up the off-season drop in 90 minutes and let athletes order direct.
Start FreeYes, keep them listed but reduce their visibility in the navigation. Some athletes still train outdoors and a tank or short-sleeve tee will still sell. Just do not lead with them.
Black, charcoal, athletic heather grey, and the facility primary color cover roughly 80 percent of off-season sales. Forest green and burgundy run as occasional alternates.
Yes. Many facilities run a "Strength Block" or "Off-Season" design alongside the main logo as a limited drop. It creates urgency and athletes buy the limited piece even if they already own the regular hoodie.
Most orders are produced in 3-5 business days from US production partners and shipped free. End-to-end is about a week from order to door.
Bear Grips Pro Shops