The Online Shoe Business—the way ahead

The shoe business is a very tricky business as styles may go out of fashion soon and people may switch loyalty from one brand to another pretty soon. If we consider online shoe business then the fickle nature of the shoe business gets multiplied many times over.  An online shoe seller such as Skechers UK can never sit back and relax. If one has experienced a good return during one quarter it does not signify that he will get equally god returns in the next quarter. One can never take the customer for guaranteed. The online customer has all the time in the world to search for the best bargains and get them. Unlike real world shopping experience he does not get tired roaming from one shop to another and therefore settles for whatever he gets due to sheer tiredness. The online shopper is extremely picky and choosy and they are very hard to please.

The question that poses challenge for companies like Skechers UK , is therefore what is the game plan? The only game plan that can help online shoe stores is “innovation”. One has to constantly innovate, keeping the basics such as quality and service intact. One has to innovate with products, with advertisement, with product promotions, with after sales service, with delivery and with uncanny business strategies.

For online players like Skechers UK, the challenge is to constantly be one step ahead of the competition without compromising on quality. Online shoe retailers and shoe manufacturers have to offer products suitable for the weather, that are comfortable to wear, that are in sync with the latest fashion statements and that are durable. They have to keep in mind the various budgetary constraints. One cannot expect shoes targeting the students to be too expensive. Relatively smaller occasions such as “Valentine’s Day” must also be cashed in to gain maximum sale. The companies need to keep a close eye on the evolving trends and sense the direction in which the market is heading to take out of the box decisions such as partnering with sports institutes to provide sports shoes at a reduced price or to sponsor a local dance competition to gain visibility.

Companies such as Skechers UK should try to maintain a good balance between the general sales and the sales generated via the internet as this helps keep things in perspective and does not let one be a dominant and deciding factor while taking major initiatives. Treating each as separate entities but having the same vision is the best way to treat on line and offline models of business. One has to be clever with product promotion so that there is no cannibalism between the online and the offline models.