JAKARTA \u2013 Growing public interest in sport and healthy lifestyles is\nhelping to drive demand for running shoes in Indonesia. This is creating\nopportunities for the sports equipment industry while also intensifying\ncompetition among manufacturers seeking to reach consumers with\nincreasingly diverse needs.<\/p>\n
New Balance Brand Marketing Manager Joshua Prakoso Wibowo said the\nhealthy-living trend was one factor influencing demand for sports shoes\nin Indonesia. More people are now taking part in physical activities,\nfrom running to court sports. \u201cIn terms of products, performance\nfootwear is growing in Indonesia,\u201d Joshua said.<\/p>\n
He said rising demand was also reflected in the development of New\nBalance\u2019s business in Indonesia. The company\u2019s sales were said to have\nincreased every year, although Joshua did not provide growth figures or\na breakdown by product category. \u201cLooking at the graph, we increase\nevery year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the increase in demand, competition in the sports-shoe market\nremains fierce. Joshua acknowledged that New Balance still has to\ncompete with various other brands offering products for similar\nneeds.<\/p>\n
Against this backdrop, high-performance sports shoes have become one\nof the company\u2019s areas of focus in Indonesia. Joshua said the category\nwas expanding as more people took up running.<\/p>\n
Consumers\u2019 needs are also becoming more varied, ranging from shoes\nfor daily training and speedwork to competition. These different\nrequirements have led manufacturers to offer models with distinct\ncharacteristics.<\/p>\n
New Balance, for example, has the SC Rebel line for speed training,\nthe SC Elite for competition and the 1080 for long-distance running. The\ncompany is also continuing to update the technology and materials used\nin a number of its shoe models.<\/p>\n
Joshua said product updates would continue next year. However, he did\nnot disclose details of forthcoming products or the company\u2019s sales\ntargets for 2027.<\/p>\n
The growth of running communities is also a consideration in planning\nmarketing activities. Joshua said Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali had been\nselected as locations for this year\u2019s events because they have\nrelatively large user bases.<\/p>\n
According to Joshua, the market for sports products is not\nconcentrated solely in those three areas. The company is considering\nreaching other cities through similar events in the coming years.<\/p>\n
Beyond running, New Balance offers products for basketball, football\nand court sports. Joshua said, however, that running remains one of the\ncompany\u2019s performance-product priorities in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Martina Harianda Mutis, Senior General Manager of Brand Marketing\n& Consumer Engagement SEA at PT MAP Aktif Adiperkasa Tbk, said\nrunners\u2019 differing needs were taken into account when introducing\nproducts. Consumers, she said, need to understand a shoe\u2019s\ncharacteristics before choosing one.<\/p>\n
On 23\u201324 October 2026, New Balance held its Run Your Way event in\nJakarta, involving around 300 runners in a five-kilometre group run. The\nevent also provided an opportunity to introduce five running-shoe models\nto the community and the general public.<\/p>\n
Similar events are scheduled to take place in Surabaya from 31\nOctober to 1 November 2026 and in Bali from 7\u20138 November 2026. The\nchoice of cities reflects the company\u2019s product user base in each\narea.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough these events, we want to bring the experience of trying New\nBalance shoes closer to the running community. We believe runners need\nto experience the shoes\u2019 features and technology directly so they can\nunderstand the character of each model and find footwear that suits\ntheir needs and running goals,\u201d Martina said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/growing-interest-in-sport-boosts-running-shoe-business-1793202685", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }