U.S. Women's Designer Shoes Market

Women's designer shoes the top brands in the country have found a highly profitable niche in the U.S. market. For the purposes of this paper, only non-athletic non-casual designer shoes will be considered: designer shoes of every heel height and style, plus boots. This particular market niche relies on cachet and word of mouth more than on traditional advertising. Designer shoes are not just footwear; they are status. Although top-notch shoe designers do advertise, they rely more heavily on the exposure their lines receive from being worn by Hollywood stars than on the catchy slogans and innovative ad campaigns that everyone else must rely on for business success. Once a designer's shoes are seen on the red carpet, they are hot whether they have ever been advertised or not.

The U.S. footwear market did not gain in bulk during the 1990's. It is a mature market, however, and does continue to grow at a moderate pace. Much of the growth can be attributed to higher unit prices. The Dow Jones U.S. Footwear Index indicates a healthy picture for the footwear market, which at its highest is estimated to be worth $38.8 billion. FOT daily numbers are seen rising from 228 in April to 248 in May (1, Fig. 1). Dow Jones also shows a 52-week range from 194.80 to 256.53 and a one-year percentage change of 17.90% (1, Fig. 2). In the top ten best-performing stocks, however, only one company deals in designer shoes Kenneth Cole; the others are athlet

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Category: Business - U