VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - December 29, 2015) - In a report released today, SHOES.COM, Canada's leading online footwear and apparel retailer, revealed the first of its kind data with insight into the trends in the Canadian consumer footwear market. The report highlights online shoe purchasing trends across Canadian cities, bestselling brands and styles of 2015, and the average shoe sizes by city.
According to the SHOES.COM report, Canadians purchased more boots than any other type of shoe style this year and among all major Canadian cities, Victoria spent the most per capita on shoes in 2015. Victoria led significantly with a spend of $3.62 per capita, not so closely followed by Vancouver at $1.31, Calgary at $0.91, Kelowna at $0.85 and Oakville at $0.84. Popular brands across Canada included Birkenstocks, People Footwear, Native, Cougar and Converse.
"We love looking at what's trending when it comes to what Canadians are wearing on their feet," said Roger Hardy, CEO and Co-Founder of SHOES.COM. "In many ways these trends speak to what we already know to be true about west coast and east coast fashions -- west coasters are drawn to local, laid back sneaker brands like People Footwear and Native, while east coasters are buying fashionable cold weather boot brands, like Blundstone and Santana, in preparation for their blustery winters. More interestingly were the classic footwear styles that are loved across the country -- both the Birkenstock Gizeh Birko-Flors and Converse Chuck Taylor's were the two bestselling styles of 2015 from coast to coast."
The SHOES.COM analytics team compiled data from over 145,000 orders made within major Canadian cities occurring between January 1, 2015 and December 15, 2015 on SHOES.COM's Canadian website, SHOEme.ca.
Footwear Trends of 2015:
Online Shoe Purchasing trends
- Canadians purchased more boots than any other type of shoes -- a total of 43,649 pairs across major Canadian cities.
- Canadian purchased 33,889 pairs of sandals online in 2015.
- Canadians purchased 29,802 pairs of active/running shoes online in 2015.
- Canadians purchased 2,276 pairs of slippers online in 2015.
Bestselling Footwear
- West Coast buyers were more likely than East Coast buyers to support their own homegrown brands. Both Vancouver-based brands' People Footwear and Native shoes were among West Coaster's top 5 purchases of the year.
- Data shows that Canadian men on both coasts opted for classic footwear as Converse Chuck Taylor's and Blundstone 510 Originals rank in top 5 for both men's East and West Coast sales.
- Similarly, East and West coast women value support and comfort, as Birkenstock's classic white Gizeh sandals rank as the top bestselling shoes of 2015. Not surprising after this utilitarian sandal brand made a fashion comeback in recent years on the runways and on the feet of trendsetters around the world.
- The bestselling woman's boot of 2015 is the Steve Madden Nyrvana.
Consumer Shoe Spending Habits
- Residents of Victoria B.C. purchased more shoes online per capita than any other Canadian city.
- Leading significantly with a spend of $3.62 per capita, Victoria was not so closely followed by Vancouver at $1.31, Calgary at $0.91, Kelowna at $0.85 and Oakville at $0.84.
- 31.8% of purchases were made via a mobile phone in 2015. Mobile purchases have increased by 20.9% since 2014.
- 46.8% of visitors on searched for shoes via their mobile phone in 2015. Mobile visitors have increased by 14.8% since 2014.
- The largest number of shoes sold in one day in 2015 was November 30th 2015. A total of 36,196 pairs of shoes were sold across all three SHOES.COM platforms.
Shoe Size by Canadian City
- Women living in Winnipeg have the largest feet in Canada with an average shoe size of 8.33.
- Women in Quebec City have an average foot size of 7.66, which is the smallest foot size of any other Canadian city.
- With an average foot size of 10.5, the men of Saskatoon have the largest feet in Canada according to the study.
- Vancouver men have an average foot size of 9.98, the smallest male foot size of any other Canadian city.
SHOES.COM 2015 Growth
- SHOES.COM announced the launch of two private label shoe brands, Hardy Design Works and Pika.
- SHOES.COM opened its first U.S. fulfillment center in Ohio.
- In May 2015, SHOES.COM raised 46.5 million dollars in a non-brokered private placement, the largest funding of a Canadian ecommerce company to date.
- The company also acquired California-born lifestyle accessories brand, Richer Poorer, and launched Watson's, a new shoe care line.
- SHOES.COM was the first Canadian online retailer to offer 2-hour delivery. The service has launched on select brands in Vancouver and Toronto with plans to expand across Canada in 2016.
- In November, SHOES.COM opened its first physical storefront on Queen Street West in Toronto. The company will open a second location in Vancouver in Q2 2016 and several other locations across Canada by the end of the year.
- In partnership with Sentient, SHOES.COM launched the first visual AI-powered shopping tool that go the attention of the New York Times.
To see the full report, please visit the SHOES.com blog post.
About SHOES.COM
SHOES.COM is the leading online footwear and apparel retailer in Canada. The Company began with one simple goal in mind -- help people discover footwear they love. Since then, the Company has been on a mission to innovate and empower people with new and better ways to shop. SHOES.COM is harnessing new technology and people-power to curate a refined collection of shoes for each individual customer. SHOES.COM offers a selection of over 500 brands and successfully serves over 8 million customers across the USA and Canada.
For further company information please click for the SHOES.COM media kit.
Contact Information:
Sarah Gooding
sarahg@shoes.com