Shoppers to reduce spending on footwear — including sneakers
More and more consumers are walking away from making a footwear purchase due to cost.
More than three-quarters (78%) of consumers said they had halted a purchase due to high costs up 12 percentage points from 2024, according to AlixPartners' U.S. Consumer Footwear Survey, conducted in partnership with the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America. It was the No. 1 reason cited by respondents for abandoning a purchase, followed by an item not being on sale (59%).
Shoppers expect to reduce their spending across all shoe categories this year, with work shoes/boots (down 29%) and fashion/dress footwear (down 26%) taking the biggest hits compared to last year, followed by athleisure/multi-activity shoes (17% drop) and casual shoes (down 16%). Forty-three percent of respondents said they expected to spend no money at all on work shoes, indicating a cutback on core purchases by trying to extend the life of what consumers already have, noted AlixPartners.
Consumers also signaled they plan to spend less on athletic footwear, where spending is expected to be down 9% over spring and summer. Athletic sales hadn’t fallen in any of the previous four years of the survey and sneakers, sports and multi-activity shoes have been the most buoyant segment in recent years.
The reversal in spending is part of a broader reshaping of consumer behavior in the U.S., where imports account for around 99% of shoe sales and carried an average tariff of around 12% before the latest round of levies, according to the report.
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“Consumers have been hit by inflation and supply-chain disruption in recent years, and now they’re worried about the price impacts of trade policy,” said Bryan Eshelman, partner & managing director, AlixPartners. “In the immediate term, they’re cutting back across categories. Of those reducing their spend, 49% cite a focus on necessities as a big reason.”
The survey also revealed that the number of consumers using buy-online, pick-up-in- store (BOPIS), and curbside pickup has more than doubled year over year. Demand for next-day delivery in the footwear segment is higher than in the broader retail market.
Other findings from the AlixPartners survey are below.
- With an awareness of potential price increases, consumers plan to pursue cost-saving activities like waiting for sales (79% of respondents indicated a greater reliance on this over last year) and searching for discounts or coupons (75% of respondents plan to increase these behaviors). Sixty-three percent said they were more likely to switch to a cheaper brand than in 2024.
- Of all the cost-saving strategies consumers considered, sticking with one brand for rewards saw the smallest increase in interest: Only 5% of respondents indicated that footwear loyalty programs influence them to shop more often and spend more money.
- Stores remain the top mode of purchase for footwear consumers, used by 80% of respondents (down 2% from 2024), followed by online purchases delivered to home (76%), each well above BOPIS and curbside pickup, which saw an uptick from 2024 to 38% and 35%, respectively.
- Despite investments in AI features like fit finders and chatbots, online shoppers remain skeptical about these tools. In-store purchases continue to dominate due to fit reliability.
- Younger consumers (ages 18–44) are more willing to pay extra for customization, performance and tech features in shoes, with about 70% of this age group saying they would pay more for custom fit and personalization. Interest in these features drops significantly among those over 45 to less than three-in-10.
- Older consumers (over 45) prioritize durability, with a majority valuing robust construction. Surprisingly, both teens (18 and under) and midlife adults (45–54) show a strong willingness to pay more for stylish designs, whereas most other age groups focus on practicality and affordability.
The survey comes as footwear executives are already more pessimistic than in past years. The FDRA’s Q1 Shoe Executive Business Survey found that footwear companies are particularly exposed to a trade policy showdown, with limited manufacturing capacity outside of highly exposed regions like Southeast Asia. While Sino-American relations have been a focal point in the trade battle, Vietnam has become a major manufacturing hub for footwear and is vulnerable to tariffs potentially as high as 46%.
The Spring 2025 U.S. Footwear Consumer Survey was conducted online from Feb. 28 to March 10, 2025, with 1,006 U.S. footwear consumers aged 15 and older, representing a broad cross-section of demographics and regions.
