US Footwear Survey for Fall 2024, New Strategies for Footwear Sellers

It is learned that recently, global consulting firm AlixPartners and the American Footwear Distributors and Retailers Association jointly released the 2024 Fall US Consumer Footwear Survey. The survey covered the shopping habits of 1,000 American parents, and the results showed that when buying back-to-school shoes for their children, parents paid significantly less attention to price than to product quality and overall value.

Consumer search habits

The survey found that about one-third of consumers began their footwear searches on Amazon, but 63% ultimately chose to buy in physical stores. This shows that despite Amazon's popularity as a popular shopping search platform, consumers still prefer to touch and try on shoes in stores. At the same time, consumers also make purchase decisions based on information such as pictures, reviews, and product availability, reflecting their in-depth understanding of various prices, qualities, and brands.

Factors that influence purchasing decisions

In the current economic environment, consumers are increasingly concerned about inflation and are more concerned about the overall value proposition of retailers and brands. The survey shows that nearly one-fifth of respondents in households with an annual income of less than $100,000 plan to spend less than $50 on each pair of shoes, further confirming the impact of economic factors on consumer purchasing decisions.

Sellers’ countermeasures

Faced with changes in consumer trends, shoe sellers must develop flexible response strategies, including optimizing product types, inventory management and pricing strategies to prevent customer loss.

① Pricing challenges: Due to the additional cost pressures created by the upcoming election and potential tariffs, sellers need to formulate pricing strategies more carefully.

②Loyalty Program: The footwear industry has encountered obstacles in implementing loyalty programs and needs to consider new ways to promote consumer engagement and reduce churn.

③ Inventory management: Inventory problems caused by excessive historical purchases, especially in countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia where production capacity costs are high, require the exploration of new production bases.

④ Supply chain: Consumers’ tolerance for supply chain disruptions has decreased after the epidemic, and sellers must ensure sufficient inventory, otherwise they will miss out on sales opportunities.

Author✎ Summer/
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