As Footwear Costs Soar Amid Tariff Pressures, New Report Says 78% of Shoppers Have Abandoned Purchases Due to Sticker Shock
By Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
23 days agoFresh consumer research from AlixPartners has revealed a whopping number of shoppers who are walking away from footwear purchases due to high costs.
“Price is top of mind for consumers shopping for shoes, with 78 percent saying they have walked away from a shoe purchase due to cost, up 12 percentage points from last year,” the report’s authors said. The findings were from the Spring 2025 AlixPartners U.S. Footwear Consumer Survey, which was conducted in partnership with the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA). (The survey was conducted online from Feb. 28 to March 10, with 1,006 U.S. footwear consumers ages 15 and older representing a broad cross-section of demographics and regions.)
Shoppers in the survey said they are planning to reduce their spending on all shoe categories this year: shoes/boots (down 29 percent); fashion/dress footwear (down 26 percent); athleisure/multiactivity shoes (17 percent); and casual shoes (down 16 percent). “Some 43 percent of survey respondents expect to spend no money at all on work shoes, indicating consumers plan to cut back on core purchases by trying to extend the life of footwear they already have,” the report stated.
The authors of the report also said U.S. shoppers plan to cut spending on athletic footwear “this spring and summer as part of a broader pushback against rising prices that are being fueled by trade tariffs.” The report noted that athletic footwear sales “hadn’t fallen in any of the previous four years of the survey and sneakers, sports and multi-activity shoes have been the most buoyant segment in recent years.”
Researchers said this reversal in consumer spending and sentiment is part of a broader reshaping of consumer behavior in the U.S., “where imports account for around 99 percent of shoe sales and carried an average tariff of around 12 percent before the latest round of levies.”
Bryan Eshelman, partner and managing director of AlixPartners, said, “The uncertainty is the problem. Consumers have been hit by inflation and supply-chain disruption in recent years, and now they’re worried about the price impacts of trade policy.”
Eshelman also said in the immediate term, shoppers are cutting back across categories. “Of those reducing their spend, 49 percent cite a focus on necessities as a big reason.”
Other key data points include 59 percent of respondents saying a lack of promotion “was a reason to ditch the purchase, up 11 percentage points from last year.” In addition, only 5 percent of those polled said loyalty programs “influence them to buy more, indicating weak returns from reward initiatives.”
Sonia Lapinsky, partner and managing director and leader of Fashion Retail at AlixPartners, said when consumers are focused on their budgets, “they’re looking for sales and discounts — and brand loyalty becomes an afterthought. On top of that, our latest research shows that consumers think footwear loyalty programs are less effective than other categories’ programs, with only 5 percent saying footwear rewards prompt them to shop and spend more. That underscores how crucial it is for retailers to understand who their customers are and meet their expectations across product, price and experience.”
Matt Priest, CEO and president of the FDRA, citing the organization’s Shoe Executive Business Survey, said retailers can expect “a gloomier scenario playing out as tariffs bite, with initial signs that consumers are already pulling forward spending on big-ticket items. The 2025 U.S. Footwear Consumer Survey results confirm what we’re hearing across the industry – consumer confidence is slipping and price sensitivity is peaking.”
Priest said with nearly 80 percent of consumers bracing for higher costs due to tariffs and nearly 8 in 10 walking away from a shoe purchase because of the price tag, “footwear is shifting from a necessity to a discretionary expense for many families. This in turn is likely to impact U.S. footwear businesses trying to meet shifting consumer demands.”
The shopper survey also showed a growing awareness of the impact of tariffs, with 80 percent of consumers polled saying they anticipate price hikes “when new tariffs are enacted, and many expect retailers to absorb the brunt.”
Comments / 833
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Jack Beavers
RANGE
A 12-year-old killed herself at a Spokane hospital that recently closed its youth psychiatric unit
This story was originally published by InvestigateWest , a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to change-making investigative journalism. Sign up for their Watchdog Weekly newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Reach Whitney Bryen at 208-918-2458 or whitney@investigatewest.org. Reach Kaylee Tornay at 503-877-4108 or kaylee@investigatewest.org.
Morristown Minute
Man Guilty of Trafficking Meth, Fentanyl, and Heroin in Federal Case
Donovan Elliot, 61, admitted to distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl-laced heroin, with sentencing scheduled for September in New Jersey. A Queens Village, New York, man pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark to drug trafficking charges involving multiple kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and fentanyl-laced heroin, federal prosecutors announced.
David Heitz
Denver's homeless families: 'They hid,' advocate explains
It seems like a question that wouldn’t be that hard to answer: How many homeless families are in Denver?. Mayor Mike Johnston said during the mayor-council meeting Tuesday in response to that question by council member Flor Alvidrez, “We don’t right now have any reports of families on the street. We’re watching that very closely.”
Golden Gate Media
California woman encouraged accused teenage gunman to open fire on group of females: Police
FRESNO, Calif. — A chaotic brawl in southwest Fresno took a horrifying turn earlier this month when a woman allegedly shouted for a teenager to “shoot the girls,” leading to gunfire that injured three females, police stated.
DeanLand
Did You Feel That? Saturday Earthquake Shakes Marietta, Cobb County
If you blinked or slept, you likely missed it. But perceptive and confused Marietta and Cobb County residents reported feeling a small earthquake today around around 9:05 am. The quake was confirmed by the US Geological Society as a magnitude 4.1 quake centered 12 miles SE of Greenback, TN. Quake reports available as of 9:40 am on the USGS website showed reports being filed from throughout North Georgia, including the Cobb County area. Residents who felt the quake can file a report with the USGS using the "Felt Report" site.
Comments /