sportstyle

Making ecommerce work is not easy. "With the onset of the pandemic, a lot of businesses were scrambling to set-up a website. It's taken us six years, and it's still nowhere near perfect. It takes years to get it right, the processes. What works and what doesn't. You really have to treat it as its own business. Why would anyone go to ChiappettaShoes.com versus Zappos? It's what we do in-house that is special. Our new mission is we want ChiappettaShoes.com and our brick-and- mortar operation to be the customer's first stop when trying to resolve foot-related problems. We're focusing on over-the-counter inserts, to be a marketplace for them, but also a resource for the customer if they need to add something to it like an extra metatarsal pad or arch piece. We will do that for them for free. We have plans for that exponential growth by June 2021 with a marketing plan in place by March." When it comes to trends, dress is not selling, athleisure is, but supply is an issue in 2021. "Dress is dead. That isn't going anywhere. It's a sad fact. New Balance, On and Saucony, plus athleisure products are selling well. A lot of the $150-plus European product has been tough to sell. People are still looking for the cheaper products. A majority of our customers are women ages 45 to 65, and [in normal times] they would purchase all of our comfort/fashion- type stuff like Pikolinos, Gabor and number of other higher-quality comfort, fashion brands. These are the people who are most afraid of COVID-19, I think. And we're not seeing that customer base out shopping. And a lot of these people would spend $1,000 a season buying a couple of pairs of new shoes and new colors. Once the vaccine releases widely, I think we will be in pretty good shape. But going forward for the first 6-8 months of 2021, it's still going to be athletic, at-home type wear like slippers and sandals [that will sell]. The tricky thing is we are in supply shock right now. A lot of the higher-end companies based out of Europe, it's hard to get product. We're looking at Fall/Winter 2021 merchandise and I'm pretty bullish about a return to normalcy by Fall/Winter 2021. I'm buying normally for that season but will still be a little guarded on certain things. I do expect that customers will be out shopping by then with their normal buying behaviors." n DIGITAL PRODUCT CATALOGS, E-COMMERCE, AND E-ORDERING Footwear Retailers Rely on Connected Systems Staying competitive in today's business environment requires efficiencies like we have never experienced before. RICS Software directly integrates your product data, E-Commerce, and E-Ordering into the most robust Inventory Management and POS ecosystem available to footwear retailers. And, the efficiencies you gain from a truly connected technology stack will help you thrive as the retail environment continues to evolve. In addition, the RICS Mobile POS Apps facilitate real-time contactless checkout for a fast and safe customer experience. • BOPIS • Curbside service • Delivery • On the shop floor • Sit-n-fit New customers receive 50% Off by using code FI-EFFICIENCY. • 50% Off Setup. • 50% Off 1st Year of Monthly Service. • 50% Off 1st Year of Integrated Unified E-Commerce. Expires April 15th, 2021. Receive 50% Off Setup, 1st Year Service, and 1st Year E-Comm! sportstylemag.com March 2021 ~ sportstyle 49

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