CusToM iNsoles: wiTh oTC priCiNg / CoNTrolliNg TraNsaCTioN CosTs / happy aNNiversary! how oNe reTailer MaDe iT pay off “Customization has lifted the lowly insole to a new level.” See page 14 The Drop ZoNe PERMIT # 191 # PERMIT ITHACA, NY ITHACA, New ThiNkiNg PAID US POSTAGE US oN MiNiMalisM STD PRSRT FOOTWEARINSIGHT.COM • SEpTEMbER/OCTObER 2011 Editor in Chief Mark Sullivan [email protected] 646-319-7878 Editor at Large Cara Griffin Art Director Francis Klaess Associate Art Director September/October 2011 Mary McGann Contributors Michael Jacobsen Mike Kennedy Nancy Ruhling Tim Sitek Emma Johnson Publisher Jeff Nott [email protected] 516-305-4711 Advertising Jess Tendrick [email protected] 201-236-6324 Beth Gordon [email protected] 949-293-1378 Jeff Gruenhut [email protected] 404-467-9980 Troy Leonard [email protected] 352-624-1561 Sam Selvaggio [email protected] 212-398-5021 Footwear Insight Summer Vacation 2011: The Rocky Mountains of Colorado were never more stylish than after a group of Production intrepid hikers took to the height of 13K in their worn but trusty shoes: Keen, Hi-Tec, Merrell, La Sportiva and Timberland. Michael Jacobsen 201-396-7005 [email protected] Business Manager 06 THE FOOTWEAR EYE 24 Boots Are MadE For WalkIng Marianna Rukhvarger Brand Building at Deckers; A Pur Play; Birkenstock’s Men’s wear looks have taken fashion by storm, with lace-up 516-305-4709 Hollywood Close Up; Pelle Pelle Shoes; Catching Up With oxfords and ankle-high boots embraced by young women. [email protected] Paul Fireman. Subscriptions 26 Casual Comfort store.formula4media.com 14 Custom Insoles: Fitting BOTH thE FooT Comfort reigns supreme these days in all classifications of AnD thE Pocketbook footwear for Spring 2012 introduction. Over-the-counter custom footbeds place a priority 28 BEnjamIn LOvelL’S 20-year ItcH on personalization. How a Philadelphia retailer is marketing a big anniversary. 18 TO DROP OR nOT TO DROP 30 NSRA Report: Transaction Processing PO Box 23-1318 The battle lines are drawn in the minimalist subculture within Several recent studies suggest that within a few years debit Great Neck, NY 11023 the running shoe world. card sales will surpass credit card sales. Phone: 516-305-4710 Fax: 516-305-4712 22 TrenD Insight: MInimalist Footwear 34 LInES WE LIkE (AnD WHY) www.formula4media.com The category offers plenty of opportunity as vendors respond Some new thinking that can put some spring in your men’s to demand for more than just running shoes. business with these favorite new shoes from cool brands. Formula4 Media Publications Sports Insight Footwear Insight On the coveR: Brooks Pure Connect, Vibram FiveFingers, Saucony Kinvara 2, Adidas adiPure Trainer, Skechers Go Run. Photo by Frank James Outdoor Insight Team Insight Textile Insight Running Insight Soccer Insight Footwear Insight® is a trademark of Formula4 Media, LLC, Great Neck, New York. ©2011 All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by authors and contributors to Footwear Insight are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Footwear Insight is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Articles appearing in Footwear Insight may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. Footwear Insight is published bi-monthly: Jan/Feb; Mar/Apr; May/Jun; Jul/Aug; Sep/Oct; and Nov/Dec by Formula4 Media LLC. Subscriptions: one year, $24.00 (U.S. Funds) in the United States. All other countries, $54.00 (U.S. Funds) for surface mail. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Footwear Insight, P.O. Box 23-1318, Great Neck, NY 11023 footwearinsight.com TIME OUT | MARK SULLIVAN Facing The Facts I was at the birthday part of a 90-year-old aunt recently, the highlight of which was the showing of old Super 8 movies. It was great seeing the old cars and the way people dressed, but I was most struck by how people from that era reacted when the camera was pointed at them. They shied away or would put their hands up to block the camera from recording their image. They were modest. That’s quite a difference from today. When you point a camera or a digital recording device at someone, they invariably start mugging, making faces or putting their hands into all these weird gang member symbols. We live in an “in your face” world. Modesty and subtlety long ago left the building. That should apply to retail, too. When I walk into a store, I don’t want a sales person in my face, but it’s nice when the merchandise and the storytelling are in my face. Last week, I took my soon to be 12-year-old son shopping for hiking boots for a school camping trip that he is required to attend. My son has little enthusiasm for this trip. Like his dad, his idea of “roughing it” is staying in a place where they don’t have ESPN2. So his energy for our shopping trip was rather low. Needless to say, we both loved it when we walked into our local Marty’s Shoes in New Jersey and saw a display of “Back to School Hiking Boots” five feet inside the front door. We helped ourselves, tried on two pairs, chose the one that fit and were in and out of the store in a total of 12 minutes. As the manager rang us up, he revealed that he knew all about the middle school camping trip. “A lot of kids have been coming in looking for boots,” he told me, “so we’re trying to make it easy.” He is a smart fellow who knows what’s going on in his market. I’m sure he didn’t have to get the plan-o-gram from corporate to make this decision and I hope he gets a bonus for being the store of the week. A few days later I went to the new REI store that recently opened in the shopping Mecca that I call home. The store was nice, not a knockout, but I was surprised at how “not in your face” it was. I have been coveting a bicycle lately and I walked in and saw an impressive display right in the front of the store. This location also has a bike shop on premise that does repairs, tune-ups and installations. Northern Bergen County, New Jersey where I live has a dozen great bike stores, so the competition will be tough, but I was instantly struck by the large assortment of bikes the store carried and a great assortment of accessories it stocked. I don’t know much about bikes, so how I typically assess them is to lift them up. How light they are will give me a clue as to what the materials used in their construction. Titanium, carbon fiber, steel? At REI, I couldn’t tell. First, many of the bikes were hanging from the ceiling. This was visually striking, but not real conducive to looking or touching. The bikes on the floor were locked down on racks, so I couldn’t really get a sense for how light they were either. And the displays didn’t really engage me. The message they were sending was “We might want to sell you one of these bikes, but we’re really afraid you might steal one.” I wanted to tell them New Jersey is not that kind of place and ever since The Sopranos went off the air we’re all shiny, happy people who don’t steal bikes. I also could have told them that they should practice the Three Esses of Retailing. 1. Showcase high. 2. Sell middle. 3 Store low. That’s why candy stores put the candy where kids can see and grab it. Consumers are time-pressed and very stressed. In self-serve environments like Marty’s, it’s great to have the product in your face. At REI, maybe they believe that because of their high-service environment they can afford to be a little more subtle. But like subtlety and modesty, I left the building too. Without buying a thing. For those readers who can’t get enough of my wit, wisdom and insightful analysis, you can catch me almost weekly on my new blog. insideinsightblog.com THE FOOTWEAR EYE Watch the Tom Brady commercial for Deckers brand BRAnDS UGG Australia on our Blog: InsideInsightBlog.com brand building at Deckers Deckers is best known for its Teva people who own it. Without all that, you don’t have a brand, and UGG brands (see blurb on page 34), you just have a label.” but CEO and chairman Angel Martinez Earlier this year, Deckers hired a few celebrity pitchmen is bullish on his up-and-coming brands, to promote the Mozo line of utility footwear it acquired last including the newly acquired Sanuk, year. This past spring, Mozo introduced the Chef Signature the recently relaunched Ahnu and Collection featuring shoes created in conjunction with well- Tsubo and Mozo. known chefs Aarón Sánchez, Chris Cosentino and Marcus Martinez calls Tsubo the “most Samuelsson. Martinez said the idea was to use the chefs like interesting” of the smaller develop- athletes to sell signature shoes that offer a new spin on the ing brands and describes it as design comfort service category. driven comfort. “The core benefit is For Spring 2012, Deckers re-launched Ahnu with a renewed comfort. We’ll have limited distribu- focus on active women. “We’ve really found our voice with tion and believe it will be a brand that Ahnu,” says Martinez, who describes the brand as “footwear consumers will eventually discover.” for the Lululemon consumer.” Specifically, Deckers has American consumers have already defined the target female consumer as a young female who discovered Sanuk and Martinez is uses the outdoors to escape.