Footwear Insight

4 • Footwear Insight ~ July/August 2024 footwearinsight.com As we head into the second half of 2024, comfort is on the minds of the consumers, brands and of course, retailers too. In light of today's political environment, maybe comfort is the one thing we can all agree on? Well, I wish it was that simple, as I have been in many business and customer service conversations that usually end in some form or another with the open-ended question…"so what are you comfortable with?" In this issue's Shop Talk feature 3 Retail Issues To Watch, we note that consumers in 17 states have a tax-free B-T-S shopping window — something that likely makes them more comfortable, in light of some of the inflationary concerns for the upcoming back-to-school season. Another issue, are retailers comfortable with their return policies in light of several federal laws that apply to returns? It's all about a clearly conspicuously posted return policy. To make the customer more comfortable, Will Nettleton, manager of Modern Shoe explains, "It is our promise that we will uphold it fully to benefit the customer, and other customers to know that they are being treated equally." And then of course there is the issue of how comfortable retailers are with embracing technology to improve their in-store experience. We are not talking Artificial Intelligence here. Comfort is also front and center when it comes to work boots using "sneaker-like" comfort and more fashionable sneaker styles. e workplace footwear evolution? Comfort also rules from the office to the healthcare world putting sneakers to work. You can see plenty of new styles in e Boot Book (page 22) and the Workplace Comfort feature (page 32). Our consumer survey on page 40 shows the range of footwear shoppers are looking to buy this Fall/Winter, with 38% saying their style choices shied to casual/athletic, which confirms the above. And 71% said they wear athletic shoes for casual wear, every day. What is their silhouette of choice? 50% said running shoes. In this issue, we also take a look at footwear designed for the court's hottest sport. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America for the third year in a row according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. What are the top traits that players should be looking for in a pickleball shoe? Stability, durability, maneuverability and yes, comfort too. Our consumer survey also showed that while 45% of our respondents have played pickleball, another 29% plan to play. But the survey also reveals that 59% were wearing the wrong types of shoes. On a personal note I have been on the pickleball court and saw first-hand the injuries that can happen as a result. What's most encouraging is that 77% said they would appreciate a store's sales associate recommending a pickleball brand of footwear. You should be comfortable with that. THE COMFORT FACTOR. LETTER Comfort is also front and center when it comes to work boots using "sneaker-like" comfort and more fashionable sneaker styles. The workplace footwear evolution? Comfort also rules from the office to the healthcare world putting sneakers to work.

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