The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) conducted a nationwide shoe sales survey from November 5 – 8, 2017 on behalf of its footwear retail members.

Tbe full report is here.

“FDRA’s 2017 Holiday Shoe Sales Survey shows that consumers are looking to buy shoes earlier this holiday season than last year, with 51 percent of respondents saying they would make their purchase between Thanksgiving and December 1st,” said FDRA President and CEO Matt Priest. “This is important for retailers to note so their inventory is ready in-store for Black Friday and in their warehouses for Cyber Monday, as sales during this period may be more robust than expected. The report also showed that 61 percent plan to spend over $100 on shoes this holiday season, up from 2016. Casual sneakers are the most sought after item again at 34 percent, especially in the western part of the country where nearly every other shoe purchase will be a sneaker, while 26 percent of all females across the country plan to purchase fashion boots.”

Other noteworthy highlights in this survey:

  • 61 percent of respondents said they plan to purchase footwear in a physical store, with 39 percent reporting they will shop and purchase online.
  • Online Shoppers are going to Amazon 48 percent of the time for their footwear purchases, up slightly from last year when 44 percent reported using Amazon.
  • Males are more likely to go to Amazon (58 percent) than females (42 percent). Females are more likely to shop at retailers’ sites (18 percent) than males (8 percent).
  • A plurality of shoppers (45 percent) are conducting their shoe research while shopping in stores, 32 percent are using retailer websites and only 3 percent are currently using social media like Facebook.
  • Males were most likely to purchase casual sneakers (35 percent) and performance sneakers (30 percent) while females were also most likely to purchase casual sneakers (34 percent) and fashion boots (26 percent).
  • Casual sneakers are the most popular in the western part of the country (42 percent) followed by the South (38 percent), the Northeast (29 percent) and the Midwest at 25 percent.