British men aged 16-24 have stepped into pole position when it comes to purchasing shoes, with new research showing they are now Britain’s number one footwear buyers.
The latest research from Mintel reveals that 95% of British males aged 16-24 bought shoes last year, with casual and athleisure trends driving demand.
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While women (86%) are still more likely to purchase footwear than men (78%), females aged 16-24 (10%) are twice as likely to have not purchased footwear in the last year compared to their male counterparts (5%).
The report ‘Footwear Retailing UK 2018’ reveals men’s footwear accounted for 37% of all footwear sales in 2017, up from 34% in 2015. While women’s footwear accounted for the greatest market share, sector sales have slipped from a 50% share in 2015 to 46% in 2017.
Valued at GBP4.38bn (US$5.56bn) in 2017, sales of men’s shoes increased an impressive 31% between 2015 and 2017. Meanwhile, sales of women’s shoes grew by 10% over the same period to reach GBP5.48bn in 2017.
“Men’s footwear, particularly among younger age groups, is really fuelling growth in the footwear sector,” explains Chana Baram, retail analyst at Mintel. “In fact, our research shows that men aged 16-24 are more likely to be swayed by big brand names than women of the same age.
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By GlobalData“With trainers such a popular category for men as a whole, young men in particular are likely to respond positively to advertising campaigns by the big sports brands that feature their favourite male sports personalities.”
Casual footwear is a runaway success
Casual shoes and trainers are now the most popular shoe styles purchased by men, women and children. While there was once stigma attached to children wearing trainers, today they are the most purchased style of footwear for children (56%) proving more popular than even school shoes (48%).
Meanwhile, the popularity of heeled shoes has gone flat: around one in five (22%) women purchased heels in 2018, down from 29% in 2017. In direct correlation, other more casual shoes have also increased in popularity, with flat sandals (22%) now as popular as heeled shoes.
Strong interest in vegan footwear
The research also reveals that concern for animal welfare trend has trickled down to the footwear sector. Over one-fifth (22%) of footwear buyers like the idea of vegan (non-leather) footwear and this figure rises to a third (32%) of consumers aged 16-34. Overall, one in ten (10%) footwear purchasers look for shoes made from eco-friendly materials when shoe shopping.
Wider range of sizes
As the nation’s feet continue to increase in size almost half (46%) of Brits agree it is important for retailers to stock a wide range of sizes; this rises to (57%) of shoppers aged 55 and over.
In 1970, men’s feet were on average size eight and women had size four feet, by 2014 the average male wore a size 10 and the average female wore a size six, sccording to the College of Podiatry 2014.
