More Than A Shoe: What Footwear Shoppers Really Want
What do footwear shoppers really want when they come into a store or go online searching for that perfect shoe? The wide variety of answers to that question complicate the challenge of footwear retailing. Fortunately, software for footwear retailers is not limited to handling the complexities of intelligent size analysis.
Footwear Retailers Plug In to Customer Hopes
Shoes have always been about more than covering feet. Here are some of the most popular hopes a shopper has:
- finding shoes that don’t hurt
- finding shoes that are responsibly sourced
- finding shoes that are fashionable
- finding shoes that complete an outfit
- finding shoes that are easy to put on or take off
- finding shoes that mimic a famous personality or lifestyle
- finding shoes that represent a status symbol to the peer group
- finding shoes that meet particular requirements for a sport or event
- finding shoes that are affordable
Just as there is not a single pair of shoes that will fit every customer, there is not a single pair of shoes that plug in to every customer hope. But there are definite buyer personas who represent each item on the above list. Marketing is really the process of identifying the hopes of the buyer and presenting the possibility of providing that hope.Â
Social media has proven to be a great way to connect with the various customer groups. Shoe manufacturers have already invested in identifying the hopes of the shopper and targeting those hopes in their brand. The retailer simply identifies which hopes their target market has and uses the manufacturer’s efforts to enhance their own social outreach. But the secret to plugging into customer hopes is in keeping track of customer preferences.
Keep Track of Customer Preferences
ChainDrive’s software for footwear retailers is part of a comprehensive integrated retail management solution that provides the tools to collect customer data, store it in a secure, centralized database, and access the data needed to analyze and act appropriately. Not only can retailers keep track of customer preferences, they can transform stock-to-sale ratios by having the right inventory.
By utilizing an integrated software solution, the sales associate can check inventory in other stores or online, order a desired item, and have it shipped where the customer prefers. Inventory can be updated in real time. The result is a happy customer who has found what they hoped to buy and a happy retailer who has provided that hope and made a sale.
