Xin Ou
Research expert covering Greater China
Footwear e-commerce - statistics & facts
Consumers globally are constantly engaging in different e-commerce transactions each and every day. As a part of the fashion e-commerce vertical, footwear e-commerce makes up a large portion of what shoppers choose to spend their money on. This vertical includes the online purchase of sneakers to luxury shoes and everything in between. With over two billion users buying footwear through the internet forecast for 2023, it comes as no surprise that total revenue of footwear e-commerce that year is expected to hit 135 billion U.S. dollars across all segments.
When it comes to what websites consumers are buying from, Amazon is the top online store by net sales in the U.S. and Canada, while JD Sports’ site takes the lead in the United Kingdom. While already leading in North America, Amazon does not intend to slow down with dominating the online footwear market. In August of 2022, the e-commerce giant rolled out a new shopping tool on their mobile app, allowing for consumers to use AR technology for virtual shoe try-ons prior to purchase, a feature that online fashion shoppers are interested in globally.
Market insights and leading players
With such a large number of online footwear shoppers, there are various markets with insights worth highlighting. In Canada, for example, the revenue of the footwear e-commerce segment lags behind apparel and accessories, while in Spain, quarterly revenue of footwear and leather goods has seen fluctuating growth in the last several years. In the United States, it seems that among the different types, online consumers enjoy purchasing casual footwear the most, while athletic footwear ranked second.When it comes to what websites consumers are buying from, Amazon is the top online store by net sales in the U.S. and Canada, while JD Sports’ site takes the lead in the United Kingdom. While already leading in North America, Amazon does not intend to slow down with dominating the online footwear market. In August of 2022, the e-commerce giant rolled out a new shopping tool on their mobile app, allowing for consumers to use AR technology for virtual shoe try-ons prior to purchase, a feature that online fashion shoppers are interested in globally.
Sneaker resell mania
While many consumers enjoy shopping for their shoes from large retailer sites like Amazon, JD Sports, or Foot Locker, there are a number of alternative platforms to buy shoes online, be it marketplace retailer, brand website, or consumer-to-consumer (C2C) app. The online consumption of footwear, especially sneakers, has changed dramatically in the last years with the insurgence of bots that can mass-purchase popular drops within seconds of online release. Sneakers from large brands like Nike and Adidas are popular options, as they are immensely popular among sneaker lovers. Users of such bots go on to resell their sneaker purchases, typically above retail price. As a result, resale platforms like StockX and Goat have become well-used and generally accepted steps to take when buying a popular pair of sneakers.
