The market for motorcycle helmets - Italy

1.2 A global market that offers prospects for growth, yet slows down

In ****, the global motorcycle market was valued at $***.** billion. Motorcycle sales are expected to grow at a rate of *.* percent per year in value between **** and ****, reaching $***.* billion. This projected growth in the motorcycle market bodes well for the growth of the global motorcycle helmet market, which is highly related to motorcycle sales, and secondly, for the fact that motorcycle helmets need to be replaced quickly to remain effective in providing protection.

World motorcycle market size in **** and **** (***) World, ****/****, in billions USD Source: ****

In ****, the motorcycle market saw a decline in sales volume of *.* million units, corresponding to a loss of **.* million units sold worldwide. The market saw strong momentum in China (***)[***].

World motorcycle sales, by region World, ****, in billions of units Source: Freedonia Looking at engine displacements, the largest segment is ** to *** cmc (***). Looking at vehicle type, scooters are worth **.* million units, motorcycles **.* and mopeds *.* million[***]. In terms of equipment, the global motorcycle helmet market was estimated to be worth about *.* billion euros in ****. In Europe, annual demand was estimated at * million units [***].

1.3 The Italian Market

Finding specific data on the production and size of the specific market for motorcycle helmets is almost impossible, considering that few companies specialize exclusively in the production and trade of these products. In addition, many manufacturers (***) do not willingly release their data broken down by country.

Most Italian companies in this sector are engaged in "trade, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts and accessories," corresponding to ATECO code **.** . In the purpose of this study we will therefore often use data on these companies, first and foremost, to delimit the most accurate and close possible dimensions of the motorcycle helmet market.

As shown in the graph below, the turnover of Italian companies belonging to ATECO code **.** followed a growing trend in the period between **** and ****, increasing by **.* percent, giving the idea of a healthy sector.

Turnover of enterprises engaged in the trade, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts and accessories Italy, ****-****, in billions of euros Source: ****

In Italy, a total of **,*** vehicles (***) registered vehicles, respectively.

To date, there are a total of ***,*** two-wheeled vehicles registered in Italy, of which the majority (***). These data are relevant because each type of two-wheeled vehicle, as we will explain in Section ...

1.4 International Trade

To analyze imports and exports of motorcycle and motorcycle helmets, in the absence of specific data on the individual category, we used the numbers for UN Comtrade code HS ******, which includes motorcycle helmets and athletic and sports safety headgear.

The category is thus more generic, but can be considered significant to get an idea of the extent of international trade in these safety accessories.

Italy, as can be seen from the graph below, can be considered a net exporter of these products since exports, in the last * years, have always remained higher than imports as can also be seen from the coverage rate always above ***%.

More specifically, an upward trend in both imports and exports can be observed until ****, a year that as we mentioned, was marked by a sharp decline in sales of motorcycles and motorcycles, a key figure for the helmet market. **** was also a year of decrease, this time due to the COVID-** pandemic and its consequences on the two-wheeler market, which we will discuss in the following section.

Imports, exports and coverage rate for HS code ****** Italy, ****-****, in million USD and % Source: ****

Regarding the breakdown of imports among the main supplier countries, we can see from ...

1.5 Impact of COVID-19

In order to analyze the impact of COVID-** on the specific sector of motorcycle accessories and thus helmets used for these vehicles, as this market is closely linked to the sales performance of these vehicles, it is useful to take a look at the performance of the more general motorcycle and motorcycle sector and the losses due to the implementation of the harsh virus containment measures in Italy.

We mentioned that, in ****, the global motorcycle market slumped by *.* million units. According to, motospia, what is to be expected when looking at the results of the same market in **** is a collapse of about ten times more globally than in ****, thus amounting to almost ** million fewer motorcycles sold.

In particular, the European and North American markets were hit hard by the crisis. Asian markets, on the other hand, showed different trends. India, already long behind in this sector, continued its descent into the abyss partly because of disorganization in dealing with the health crisis. Malaysia and Taiwan, on the other hand, managed to limit the damage, and China, despite being the first major victim of the pandemic, has been able to restart at full speed for some time now.

In spite of ...

2.1 Demand characteristics

In Italy, in the post-COVID-** era, two-wheelers have returned to represent an agile and safe mobility that has always been appreciated in many Italian cities, especially those tedious with heavy traffic.

Gazzetta.it has compiled a ranking of the ten best-selling motorcycles and scooters from January to May ****, and the charts below show the results.

Top ** best-selling motorcycles Italy, January-May ****, in number of motorcycles sold Source: ****

Top ** best-selling scooters Italy, January-May ****, in number of scooters sold Source: ****

On average, an Italian family spends *.** euros monthly on motorcycles and mopeds, a figure that includes purchase, maintenance and spare parts. Since ****, this expenditure has decreased by almost ** percent. However, we have to consider that both **** and **** cannot be taken as extremely significant years for this market since the former, as already mentioned, was the year of the collapse and the latter the year of the COVID-** pandemic.

Monthly household spending on motorcycles and mopeds Italy, ****-****, in euros Source: ISTAT Although, as mentioned, it is extremely difficult to delimit and describe the specific market for motorcycle helmets, as far as the latest demand trends are concerned, we can use the data released by Nolangroup, a leading Italian motorcycle helmet manufacturer in Europe (***). Looking ...

2.2 Preferences and profile of Italian motorcyclists

Referring to Nolangroup results, the preference of Italian motorcyclists for flip-up helmets has emerged. According to company CEO Enzo Pinacci, "this is a figure that reflects the change in motorcyclists, who are increasingly mature and arrive on two wheels later than in the past."

For Italian motorcyclists, therefore, the comfort and versatility of the flip-up helmet, which combines the best of the jet and full-face helmets, wins.

These preferences are also reflected in the types of two-wheeled vehicles that Italian users registered in ****. The vast majority are scooters (***), or a type of motorcycle without superstructures.

Registrations by type Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

As for the characteristics of Italian motorcyclists, or at least of Italian motorcycle owners, we have a breakdown by age group collected by ACI that can give us an idea of their profile.

Breakdown of motorcycles, by age of the owner subject Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

As can be seen from the graph above, the majority (***).

2.3 Geographical distribution of Italian motorcycles

Another important feature to analyze of the motorcycle helmet market is definitely the geographic distribution of motorcycles registered in Italy. Having in fact a clearer idea of this distribution, we can also identify the areas of the country where the demand for motorcycle helmets could potentially be higher.

As the map below shows, regions in northern/central Italy certainly have more motorcycles per *** inhabitants than southern regions. In particular, Liguria has **.** motorcycles per *** inhabitants, the highest number in the entire country.

Geographical distribution of Italian motorcycles, by region

Italy, ****, in number of motorcycles per *** inhabitants

Source: ****

2.4 Trend in Demand

To get a clear and comprehensive idea of the numbers of the motorcycle helmet market we must, once again, turn to the data collected by ACI regarding the Italian vehicle fleet.

In particular, looking at the evolution of the latter over the years with special attention to motorcycles, we can trace a general trend regarding the demand for motorcycle helmets. We know that the size of the Italian vehicle fleet over ten years (***), once again giving us the idea of a sector in full health.

The graph below shows, the evolution of the number of motorcycles registered in the Italian vehicle fleet from **** to ****.

Evolution of the number of motorcycles in the Italian vehicle fleet Italy, ****-****, in millions of motorcycles Source: ****

As can be seen, the growth in the number of motorcycles has been rather constant in the ** years between **** and ****, with an increase in speed in the last * years of the period, which is certainly a positive factor for the demand for motorcycle helmets that, by legal obligation, must be worn for every type of motorcycle.

3.1 Market structure and dynamics

The number of enterprises engaged in trade, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts and accessories has followed a fluctuating trend in recent years, peaking at **** in **** and then falling again.

Number of enterprises engaged in trade, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts and accessories Italy, ****-****, in number of enterprises Source: ****

In terms of the legal form of the aforementioned businesses, as is often the case in Italy, the vast majority (***) are sole proprietors, freelancers and the self-employed. This actually makes the market extremely fragmented among different small entities. Breakdown of businesses in the trade, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts and accessories, by legal form Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

3.2 Production

Sicherheit ist ein Schlüsselelement im Herstellungsprozess eines Motorradhelms, und seine Herstellung umfasst eine Reihe komplexer Schritte von der Herstellung bis hin zu mehreren Qualitätsprüfungen zur Validierung seiner Konformität und Wirksamkeit:

Wie AMW Motorcycles erklärt , besteht der erste Schritt in der Formung des Helms, gefolgt von einem *D-Scan, um den korrekten Zusammenbau der verschiedenen Teile des Helms zu überprüfen. Nach dieser ersten Prüfung wird der Stoßdämpfer, eine im Inneren des Helms angebrachte Styroporschale, angebracht. Vor dem Inverkehrbringen wird der so zusammengesetzte Helm einer Reihe von Sicherheitstests unterzogen: Sichtfeld, Schlagfestigkeit usw.

3.3 Main Players in the motorcycle helmet market

Das Fachmagazin Ilcascomigliore.it hat eine Liste der besten und beliebtesten Motorradhelmmarken in Italien zusammengestellt. Es ist zu beachten, dass in dieser Rangliste die Marken berücksichtigt werden, die von Experten der Motorradbranche als Spitzenreiter angesehen werden. Offensichtlich sind einige Marken, die als eher „kommerziell“ gelten, zahlenmäßig dennoch von Bedeutung, obwohl sie nicht in der nachstehenden Rangliste enthalten sind: Guzzi, Ducati, Blauer, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda, BMW usw.

Ranking von Premium-Marken

Arai: Japanische Marke für High-End-Helme mit Preisen zwischen *** und **** €; Shoei: Japanische Marke für Helme der mittleren bis oberen Preisklasse mit Preisen zwischen *** und *** €, bekannt für den Komfort, den ihre Polsterung bietet; Suomy: Italienische Marke, jünger als die anderen, spezialisiert auf die Herstellung sehr leichter Helme, auch wegen der günstigeren Preisklasse (***) geschätzt; AGV: Italienische Marke, international bekannt für die absolute Qualität der von ihr hergestellten Helme. Die Preisspanne dieses Unternehmens ist definitiv breiter als bei anderen, liegt aber immer noch im mittleren bis hohen Bereich (***); Shark: eine französische Marke, die von ehemaligen Profifahrern gegründet wurde und Helme der Mittelklasse zu Preisen zwischen *** und *** Euro herstellt; Schuberth: Deutsche Marke von höchster Qualität, die Helme der mittleren bis oberen Preisklasse zu ...

4.1 Type of Offering

Moto Sécurité gibt an, dass ein Motorradhelm aus einer Außenschale und einer Innenkappe besteht. Der Hauptzweck der Schale besteht darin, das Eindringen eines stumpfen Gegenstands in das Innere des Helms zu verhindern; Es ist der erste Stoßdämpfer.

Bezüglich der Materialien gibt es:

Helme aus Polycarbonat: Das Kunststoffmaterial wird in eine Form eingespritzt. Im Allgemeinen sind Polycarbonathelme auf eine Größe beschränkt. Verbundhelme: Es werden mehrere Fasern verwendet, jede mit ihren eigenen Eigenschaften. Fiberglas ist stark, aber schwer, Carbon ist sehr leicht, aber bei extremen Stößen spröde, Kevlar ist leicht und beständig gegen Dehnung, aber nicht gegen Kompression. Es kann mit anderen Fasern gemischt werden.

Ein Motorradhelm wiegt in der Regel je nach Produktart zwischen weniger als einem Kilogramm und *,* Kilogramm. Wie im Idealo Mag auf dem italienischen und europäischen Markt erläutert , gibt es verschiedene Arten von Motorradhelmen :

- The jet (***): is an urban helmet, more reserved for scooters and mopeds. This type of helmet is generally an entry-level product and is not recommended for road use because its shield does not protect the lower part of the face. There are "full face" models with a longer shield that protects against ...

4.2 Prices

The types highlighted in the previous paragraph also correspond to different price ranges based on the level of protection each type of helmet offers. In the table below, we will highlight these differences by reporting the level of protection and a base price identified by the analysis of a magazine specializing in motorcycle helmets, Cascomigliore.it.

Base price according to type and level of protection

the table presents the basic prices by protection category and type. Obviously, the price of different helmets will vary depending on the material of construction, technology (***) and also aesthetics.

Price depending on type and material of construction

price depending on type, material, technology and aesthetics

4.3 Geographical distribution of enterprises

In the peninsula, the largest number of companies trading, maintaining and repairing motorcycles and related parts and accessories is concentrated in the northwestern regions. In fact, it is no coincidence that the leading Italian company, NolanGroup, also internationally, has its headquarters in one of these regions, Lombardy. Moreover, as highlighted in section *.*, the region with the most motorcycles per inhabitant, Liguria, is also located in this area of the country.

Central Italy, on the other hand, is the second macro region with the largest presence of companies registered under ATECO code **.**. Again, we can highlight the fact that the second (***) regions by number of motorcycles per inhabitant are part of the center macro area.

Geographical distribution of businesses in the trade, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts and accessories, by macro region

Italy, ****, in %

Source: ****

5.1 Regulatory Framework: approval

The approval of a helmet certifies its protective validity and confirms that it has passed certain tests. Each country has its own code, so you know in which country a helmet has been homologated.

Helmets found on the market must be approved by the Ministry of Transport or according to European specification ECE/UN **-**. To check for homologation problems, there must be a label inside the helmet (***) indicating the type of helmet, as well as the degree of chin guard protection:

/J for jet helmet: open, hence without chin guard /P for full-face helmet: fully closed therefore with protective chin guard /P-J for modular helmet: in the case of both closed and open protective chin guard /NP for the modular helmet: in the case of a non-protective chin guard

An unapproved helmet will be seized for subsequent confiscation. And if two violations are contested within the two-year period for failure to use a non-homologated or unfastened protective helmet, the accessory penalty of administrative detention will not be ** days, but ** days. In addition, severe penalties are also provided for those who import, manufacture or market unapproved protective helmets. According toArticle *** of the Highway Code, they will be punished with a ...

5.2 Article 171: Use of protective helmet for users of two-wheeled vehicles.

Article *** of the Highway Code is the article responsible for regulating the use of helmets for protective use. That Article states that:

*.while driving, drivers and any passengers of mopeds and motorcycles shall be obliged to wear and keep regularly fastened a protective helmet conforming to the approved types, in accordance' with the regulations issued by the European Office for the United Nations-Economic Commission for Europe and with the Community legislation. (***)

*-bis. Drivers and passengers are exempt from the obligation set forth in paragraph *:

(***) of mopeds and motorcycles with three or four wheels equipped with closed bodywork;

(***) of two- or three-wheeled mopeds and motorcycles equipped with a crash-proof safety cell, as well as restraint systems and devices to ensure the safe use of the vehicle, in accordance with the provisions of the regulations.

*.anyone who violates these regulations shall be subject to an administrative penalty of paying a sum (***). When the failure to wear a helmet concerns a transported minor, the driver is liable for the violation.

6.1 Market segmentation

• Arai Helmet
• Shoei Italia
• Suomy
• Schuberth
• Moto Guzzi
• Ducati
• BMW
• Yamaha Motor
• Shark Helmets (2R Holdong)
• AGV