The US Athletic Shoe Market

The US athletic shoe market is a $13 billion-per-year industry that sells more than 350 million pairs of sports shoes annually. Sports shoes have penetrated into all facets of mainstream America, covering the feet of both the high-level competitor and the fund-raising marathoner. They have also become a fashion statement and even assist in the everyday task of conveying the rest of us to work. The driving force of new athletic-shoe design is not merely performance. The use of athletic shoes for casual wear and fashion play a large role in shaping their appearance and features. Since the youth market is frequently targeted by advertisers, field surveys have been done to study young people’s behavior in selecting shoes. High school students have even been brought into the offices of manufacturers to get a handle on “how cool” contemplated models look. Colors, styles, fashions, and what is likely to be “hot” are important factors in the design of athletic shoes. A few manufacturers have discovered the extensive role that athletic shoes play in the workplace. It has also been noted that the aging boomer population is a good potential market. The influence of youth culture on athletic shoes has been around for a long time. The 1981 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, with Sean Penn wearing Vans checkboard-print slip-ons, created considerable demand for these high-selling skateboard shoes. As a result, Vans became a leader in extreme-sports footwear. Indeed, Vans has inspired such brand loyalty that when Nike attempted to enter the market for skateboard shoes, it found skateboarders wearing buttons proclaiming “Don’t Do It.”