According to global information company The NPD Group, the US retail sales of fashion footwear, which includes all footwear except athletic footwear, generated revenue of $41.52 billion, a 4 percent increase over the flat growth experienced in 2012. Among the fashion footwear categories tracked by The NPD Group, outdoor and casual experienced the largest dollar sales growth, at 10 percent, and 7 percent, respectively.
“It’s not surprising to see casual continuing to outperform dress,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc. “The evolution of style from business and dress attire to an ‘anything goes’ look with work attire including a mix of casual and dress, has paid off for the casual category.” With sales topping $23.8 billion in 2013 (a 2 percent increase over 2012), the women’s wearer segment maintained its position as the largest revenue driver in the fashion footwear industry, representing 57 percent of the total market. The men’s and children’s wearer segments experienced sales of $12.5 billion (+7 percent) and $5.22 billion (+2 percent), respectively.
Total unit sales within the wearer segments were up 4 percent, with men’s fashion footwear realizing the largest gain in total units sold (9 percent), followed by children’s fashion footwear at 3 percent and women’s fashion footwear at 2 percent.
“Men’s fashion footwear styles have hit the mainstream. They aren’t just for fashion-forward shoppers anymore,” said Cohen. “This type of momentum means we will continue to see new styles and colors for men that are both versatile and trendy.”
Looking at the methods of purchase, website purchases, which represented 19 percent of fashion footwear sales in 2013, saw some of the highest growth for the year, increasing 16 percent over 2012. Also noteworthy is the fact that the average price of an online purchase of fashion footwear is higher than an in-store purchase.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, luxury, mobile, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, and video games. For more information, visit npd.com and npdgroupblog.com.