SHOE STORE Marketing Strategies:  How to Survive the Competition

SHOE STORE Marketing Strategies:  How to Survive the Competition 

How to increase the sales of shoes? 

Footwear is one of those areas that has always had a significant place in people’s daily lives. People had been in motion since the dawn of humanity, whether discovering new places, seeking shelter or foraging for food or hunting. Two main groups of humans in the begining: Hunters Gatherers and Farmers both needed footwear for better results regardless of their place of origin. That is why such business could indeed be a fruitful one of the business owner receives professional advice from the experts. 

Thorough View of the Competition

 Being able to maintain an unbiased position regarding the market and the competition allows you to make better decisions helping your business, sometimes accepting the reality is not easy for some business owners and adamantly they keep going the same wrong path they used to which might lead to the same poor results or even bankruptcy. 

 Narrow down the niche: 

Providing products or services for a specific class or group of society is a wise choice if followed. Although you are depriving yourself of the business opportunities of other businesses or types; you will be considered specialized in that specific genre. 

1. Children 

Providing shoes for children can always be profitable due to one main reason which is they grow faster in size in comparison to other range groups. Therefore, the more children age, the more purchases parents have to make from your store. One can benefit from this situation to the most extent by offering convenient packages such as annual membership, membership clubs, return policy, etc, 

–Annual Membership  

It is just a suggestion but parents can opt for the whole-year package purchase at the beginning of the year regardless of the times they visit the store to purchase shoes for their child. Of course, some regulations have to be set such as the age of the customer, and the maximum number of their purchases since it cannot exceed the price they have paid for the whole year.

2. Women’s Footwear  + Complementary Products

Indeed, women do not age, nonetheless, when it comes to ladies the same frequency of children’s purchases might apply to ladies because they tend to see shopping as a hobby, maintaining an image in front of relatives and friends. Hence, by narrowing down the niche to only ladies and later on by adding some complementary products the whole condition could improve profoundly such as accessories, bags, etc. 

3. Formal Footwear 

Employees and the gentlemen or men in suits could occupy a huge portion of each community, mostly in cities, therefore, being able to provide their needs in trendy looks and of course the most comfortable way possible. A shoe store owner could easily dominate the market and guarantee a stable amount of income especially if a contract is signed with companies to provide the annual shoes given by the company to employees as their uniform such as hotels or hospitals.

4. Sneakers 

The other category of shoes which is so popular among all generations and classes of society would be sneakers (trainers UK) since not only it can be used for sport and comfort it provides but also the designs of such category of shoes have been so gripping and innovative that in the past decade’s many fashion models or even Hollywood celebrities have started wearing sneakers with their suit and such outfit has become a norm ever since. 

5. Medical Shoes 

Like me and my father, there are many people who seek a safe and medical shoe due to their priorities such as a medically designed insole inside the shoes that prevents foot ache and the side-effects of wearing the same form of shoes all the time. I remember once when we purchased such shoes for both of us me and my dad we spent I guess double the normal price of shoes. 

In this area, you can check the article Price Increase without Customer Loss in order to be fully aware if you decide to increase the prices of your medical products; 

If the medical category interests you as a business owner, there is a whole new market that is able to lift your business up and it is nothing but providing different insoles due to the different needs of the market. 

For instance, 

Heightened Insoles aid in making customers look taller than they are and it is not recognizable by others since the insole is heightened not the bottom of the shoe. 

Medical Insoles for those with blisters, backache, spine issues, etc. could be a major game changer if one could pull off signing a contract with the popular companies in this business.

Expand the Niche: 

1. All brands collection / all ages and genders 

The other strategy which might be the opposite of the previous one is including all brands, requirements, ages, and genders in the products to cover more and more customers in the market especially the neighborhood to ensure the proper sales needed to make the ends meet. 

2. All practices – Gardening / Farming / Military 

Going with the practice and function in the market need could be a nice idea as well. For instance, many soldiers in smaller towns might find it difficult to find the proper military shoes that are also medical and have to commute to other places or towns to get a pair, for the same reason a shoe shop owner could include shelves based on the need of the customers so that a gardener, a nurse or a soldier could easily go for the proper shoes needed in their profession. 

Special Services:

• Free Repair: 

Providing free repair is an excellent marketing idea, if I myself know that a shop is going to repair my expensive brand shoes and make it look like brand new for sure I will become a regular or loyal customer. Many perfectly looking pairs of shoes were tossed aside because of a minor tear and wear. 3

• Customized Shoes:

The other category that opens a new horizon in the business is the customized shoes category. Being unique or owning something that only you might have is one of those things that cannot be overlooked easily. 

There are two ways to look at this: 

1. Benefiting from the local young artists to customize the shoes at sight in front of the customer which could be done on new shoes purchased there or their old shoes that they do not use anymore which is a tempting offer. 
2. The other form will be online on different platforms which might need a bit of technical support or require you to be connected or representative of a bigger corporation to be able to support the production line of customized shoes.

Rental Exclusive Shoes 

There are many people who wish they had the chance to wear specific expensive shoes they see celebrities wear all the time. Alas, their excessively high price not only would not give them the chance but also if possible would not be a wise idea. 

This is where a shoe store owner can enter and offer the ESR – Program or the Exclusive shoe Rental Program in which people can easily rent their favorite brand of expensive shoes for just a night or whatever time they desire. This has the potential to cover all your expenses plus probable revenues.

Drop Shipping Rare Models 

By becoming a tech-attentive business owner, sometimes you can spot opportunities. For instance, just by becoming the intermediary between the customer and the manufacturer. You can find the customer and arrange the product to be shipped from the manufacturer to the customer. This could involve rare models that cannot be found or arranged conveniently. 

Prices & Relevant Areas 

Use the MSRP – This is the price, the manufacturer recommends for the retailer or shop to apply on products. 

Keystone pricing – This price is concluded for the shop owner by doubling the wholesale price. 

Competitive pricing – By observing the market, one strategy for individual brands or businesses is to offer a price that is roughly a bit below the competitors’ price in order to lure more customers in. 

Corporate Pricing (Franchize)- In this form, you are the representative of a corporation or famous brand, hence, you might not have a say in the matter and have to follow the protocols which include prices as well. Franchising has many merits in its own way since you get to use the reputation of a bigger corporation and operate in its support. The shop owner can always apply for grants as well in the US about which you can find a lot of information in this article: What is Business Grant and How to Get it in the US

Social Media Festivals / Special Seasonal Offers – 

Local shops or in general business owners are freer to offer seasonal sales and do not have to wait for the headquarters’ approval. This could be an opportunity since there are multiple festivals and celebrations they can take advantage of. Such events could always involve rewards, prizes, referrals (bringing other customers), and also some special plans such as naming three winners each year that receive for instance two pairs of customized shoes and one year of free repairing service. 

Installment Payment – 

There is another form of payment that could have a percentage added to the final price as interest or not, depending on the store owner and the way they operate things. In any case, the customer can pay the price in different parts at different times which can be more user-friendly for parents and employees that receive salary at a certain time of the month. 

There are some factors essential for every shoe store owner or retailer to take into consideration when willing to establish their store. 

Location & Weather,

These are two crucial factors in opening your shoe store. Actually, it is for the better if you consider these matters before opening your shop, the weather of the region you are going to open your shop in dictates many things about the products and form of shop you will have there. Imagine opening a shop in Boston where everything is grey, cloudy, and cold. In such weather, likely, sandals, white light sneakers, and products as such might not see a proper welcoming from the community. So, limited products are the options in such conditions that could refrain you from joining big corps

Culture, Community 

Every decision must be made wisely and based on the conditions. For instance, if you are located in a coastal town that consists of 2000 people and two-thirds of them are seniors more than 70 or 60 years old. Some formal decorative shoes or high-heeled ones will never get sold that much. On the contrary, if you are surrounded by primary schools and kindergarten, then it goes without saying that even the colors and the decorations should differ, let alone the products size, model, and materials.       

Virtual Shop: How to Sell Shoes from Home?

With the development of technology, especially after the pandemic many physical businesses had to stop their operation. Online potentials and capabilities allowed business owners to survive and thrive more than ever. By going through such a mandatory phase business owners realized the never-ending potential of online platforms because they could reach the other side of the country with just a button being pressed. Many businesses stopped their physical activity and continued in the virtual mode.  

How to sell shoes on Amazon? 

 – A wise online presence 

Being present in the market and social media is in fact a daunting task but like prescription, meaning that it must be followed no matter what. Because all the other rivals are constantly producing content and advertising their products and services; that is why if one is willing not to fall behind has to keep up with the technology. This leads to the wide ocean of social media and website criteria that is not easy and sometimes needs an expert to be by your side. 

Website & Social Media

Maintaining an online powerful online presence is no longer a luxury but a necessity in the current digital landscape. This speaks to a robust website and socially active channels as major vessels through which the firm is able to reach the customer, realize value, influence purchase decisions, and shape brand perception.

A Bold Online Presence Pros: 

With an optimized website and engaging social media, a shoe store can understandably increase visibility on search results and feeds, thereby drawing in a wider reach of customers. 

One reflects a memorable brand image through consistent branding across all digital platforms, establishing brand loyalty and customer trust.

Social media enables direct interaction between the customer and the retailer, thereby helping retailers garner very valuable feedback, address customer grievances in a timely manner, and foster closer relationships. There are unparalleled opportunities in online channels to execute ad campaigns and promotions, using customized messages.

A user-friendly website can serve as an effective e-commerce platform, enhancing the reach of a retailer beyond its physical locations. An online presence separates the shoe retailer from the competition and exhibits the company in a professional business leader role.

Ignoring the potential of online presence

A strong online presence is vital in the modern age. The business will lose customers and, in turn, sales to other competitors. Negative feedback or nonresponse to customer queries on social media damages the reputation of a shoe retailer.

With no online channels to promote and market themselves, they are giving away money and opportunities for growth.

An unchanged or outdated website conveys that customers’ needs do not matter, and they might as well forget about those potential customers.

One is unable to compete with other businesses that are digitally savvy without an online presence.

A shoe store that invests in its online presence, making it dynamic and exciting, reaps huge dividends concerning customer outreach, brand building, and sales. This can be detrimental to the success of any business if not taken seriously.