One of the main attractions of the US market for local firms is that it lacks sufficient industry to absorb the domestic demand of footwear and hence, resorting to international markets such as Spain to stock up
The Association for the Footwear and Related Industries of La Rioja, Aiccor (Asociación de Industrias del Calzado y Conexas de La Rioja), together with the Federation of Footwear Industries of Spain, Fice (Federación de Industrias del Calzado Español), held a seminar for companies in the sector. During this seminar effective communication strategies for the US market were outlaid, as well as points on how to increase sales and strengthen the brand in one of the biggest markets of the world. The event counted with the presence of Sandi Mines, the vice president and publisher of Footwear News, the main sectoral publication in the United States.
The inauguration of the event was attended by the President and Secretary of Aiccor, Basilio García and Javier Oñate, respectively, as well as the Executive President of Fice, José Monzonis, who highlighted the opportunity of the US market for the products manufactured in Spain and, specifically, in La Rioja, where the mid-high and high-end segment is predominant. Despite the many difficulties of accessing the US market, it is considered a destination of multiple opportunities since it is the fastest growing importer of footwear outside Europe, not to mention the euro / dollar parity that currently favors the sector.
In the words of Basilio García "Spain is considered, from within and from outside of its borders, as a country that has an extremely mature footwear sector, and especially the industry of La Rioja marks the difference, compared to the national panorama, as it is surpassing and increasing foreign trade figures. An example are the figures from 2015, with a value of 189.69 million euros”.
US market in details
Sandi Mines has addressed the structure of the footwear market in the United States, where 47% of sales correspond to women's shoes, 39% to men and 14% to children.
The USA is the sixth biggest importing market for Spanish footwear and the first one outside of the European Union. In 2015 alone, Spanish exports reached sales of 4.1 million pairs worth 178.3 million euros. This data reflects a 17% increase in value and a 23% increase in the number of pairs. The average export price is the highest with an average of 43.58 euros per pair. Spain is the ninth supplier of footwear for the US and maintains an upward trend in the volume of exports, and an increase in the price per pair of women's footwear, which places Spain in second place worldwide in price per pair, almost reaching Italy.
The US market is a mature and competitive market of 320 million people with a high per capita income. The US is the world's largest footwear importer with a quarter of total world imports. In 2015 the US imported 2,496 million pairs worth 28,308 million USD.
Due to the difficulty of accessing department stores, the opportunity for Spanish brands usually lies within boutiques or small exclusive stores that offer design and quality products and not specialized in luxury brands.
Depending on which stage of expansion the company is, one can choose between the two main distribution channels: indirect distribution via agent or distributor, or direct distribution / sale.
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