Key Market Trends
In the UK footwear market, online channel spend growth of 54.6% forecast over the next five years Online, click-and-collect, availability, choice of delivery time and location are all critical to attracting and keeping customers, as well as meeting their growing expectations. We still need to catch up with the wider fashion sector.”
In the UK, the men’s footwear subsector will be the fastest growing out to 2022, with spend rising by 15.0%, driven by males’ greater interest in fashion and style, and more investment from retailers to satisfy the shift in demand for more trend-led product ranges.
men are choosing to expand their shoe collections and are becoming more adventurous with their footwear choices. More than one in ten (12 per cent) men have bought more than three pairs of shoes in the past year alone, Young men were more likely than young women to have bought footwear in the last quarter (47 per cent of male 16-24s versus 45 per cent of female 16-24s), down to the rising popularity of trainers and bolder shoe styles men aged 25-44 are now more likely than women of the same age to be motivated to update their footwear because of a new fashion trend, and are most likely to have bought three or more different types of footwear in the last 12 months.”
“Personalisation has become a big trend in the footwear sector, with consumers increasingly interested in being able to customise their shoes. Giving customers the option to create their own bespoke product provides an opportunity for retailers to drive sales of full-priced items.”
Quality is the biggest purchase motivator with 90.3% of footwear shoppers citing it as important.
consumer preference for athletic and sports shoes, and “athleisure” generally, continues to erode the market for more traditional styles Comfort can often be found in a range of lightweight trainers, in more or less sporty styles, canvas and moulded casual shoes – the clunky but practical and distinctive Crocs were a success story a few years ago. Comfort can still sell as well, as evidenced by Ugg boot sales – where a good marketing position, press comment and photo exposure propelled a fairly shapeless sheepskin boot into the limelight.
Growth driven mainly by • Ongoing polarisation of UK market both in terms of price and fashion • Shift to more casual attire, both at work, but also at more formal ‘dress up’ events • Consumes desires for brands to provide a sense of identity and belonging (JDs note – a need for belonging is a growing need amongst millenials who feel at drift and disenfranchised) • Growth of online shopping and social media • New international entrants as well as smaller UK scaling
the drop in the value of the pound is problem for importers. devaluation of the pound by some 20 per cent following the Brexit referendum will contribute to pressure on profit margins and prices
It is evident that for a small start-up business to compete against the larger brands, they need to 1. Have an internet presence on a global scale 2. Presence in niche markets 3. Invest into skilled labour to market the business successfully 4. Create cash flow
Example Smaller / newer brands
Walktall, the Europe wide online shoe retailer specialising in sizes 12 to 19, increased by 54% last year
Dress shoes: While Jack Erwin targets the affordable end of the shoe spectrum, Wolf & Shepherd seeks to draw guys in with comfort first, and Awl & Sundry goes after more fashion-forward consumers, Paul Evans competes on the luxury end of the market, www.jackerwin.com www.wolfandshepherd.com www.awlandsundry.com https://www.paulevansny.com/
Lesser known trainers brands www.karhu.com https://www.facebook.com/gourmetfootwear/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shoes-Bags-Ransom/s?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Ransom&page=1&rh=n%3A355005011
UK footwear market is forecast to grow by 13.7% over the next five years to reach £9.5bn in 2022. The market will be driven by higher retail prices, with inflation peaking at 2.0% in 2017 and staying above 1.0% until 2021. As a consequence volumes will remain muted, and not exceed 2.0% out to 2022.
Women’s footwear subsector remains the largest, forecast at £4.1bn in 2017; however the men’s footwear subsector will be the fastest growing out to 2022, with spend rising by 15.0%. Growth in men’s footwear will be driven by males’ greater interest in fashion and style, and more investment from retailers to satisfy the shift in demand for more trend-led product ranges.
Despite 39.2% of footwear shoppers buying from footwear specialists in the past year, with this figure rising to 43.2% among 16-24s, footwear specialists are forecast to lose the most share out of all channels in the next five years, as players remain under pressure from clothing and sports specialists. However, premium players such as Kurt Geiger will still prosper.
The online channel is forecast to account for 22.2% of total footwear spends in 2017; with spend growth of 54.6% forecast over the next five years. Home delivery remains the dominant fulfilment method for online orders, with just 16.7% of online footwear shoppers using click & collect – compared to 27.4% of online clothing shoppers. Quality is the biggest purchase motivator with 90.3% of footwear shoppers citing it as important. Quality holds more importance among mature shoppers making it imperative that the likes of Clarks, Hotter and Pavers showcase their quality credentials.
The report “The UK Footwear Market 2017-2022” offers comprehensive insight and analysis of the market (including forecasts up to 2022), the major players, the main trends, and consumer attitudes. It provides in-depth analysis of the following: the hot issues impacting the market, strategies for success, market sizes and forecasts, retailer profiles, retailer market shares, consumer data and future outlook.
