How to Choose the Type of Shoes to Sell at Your Store

Setting up a shoe shop can be really hard. But what makes it even harder is the fact that you need to choose the type of shoes to sell at your store. If you’re buying wholesale shoes for women and men, then there’s a possibility that you won’t get the chance to return them if these shoes don’t sell.

Before you make your choice on which shoes to pick, here are some factors you may want to consider first:

Your target market 

Number one factor in picking your shoes should be your target market. Who are you hoping to sell these shoes to? Who buys shoes the most in your area? Are you hoping to cater to those who have more money? These are just some questions you should be asking yourself. Once you’ve answered this, you’ll know whether you should buy high heels, sandals, boots or more. This should be easy; after all, your market will wholly decide what type of shoe store you’d like to open up.

The location of your store

While your market may be the number one factor in picking out the type of shoes, the location of your store can also be an important factor. If you’re setting up shop at a nearby beach, then most likely, your customers will be looking for sandals, slippers or anything you can wear on the beach. If your shop is located in a place where it gets cold during winter, different types of boots may just be a popular choice for customers.

The latest trends 

Just like clothes and jewelry, shoes also vary, depending on the latest shoe trends. What did Taylor Swift wear to her last event? What was Miley Cyrus donning during the opening of her new movie? It may help to read celebrity fashion news once in awhile. Sometimes, once a celebrity wears a pair of shoes, everyone else wants it and you can easily make money on this if you’re quick to catch the trend. Look for wholesale shoes distributors who are as concerned about the latest trends as you.

Here’s a little business tip: don’t buy all of your shoes at the same time. Trends change by the season and sometimes, a type of shoe just doesn't cut it anymore. Shoe stores have to learn to change and develop, depending on what’s needed and wanted by their market.

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How to Make Your Wholesale Shoes Business Safe

Prevention is better than cure, so goes the adage. As a wholesale shoes entrepreneur, you should know that this maxim does not only apply to one’s health. It also applies to business. Awareness and early preparation are your key defenses against business fraud. You may think that no one would want to prey on you especially if yours is just a start up shoe enterprise but think again. You are, in fact, more vulnerable because you do not have established safety and security protocols to safeguard your business.

When it comes to the safety and security of your livelihood, you can never be too prepared. So, here are some tips to help you protect your wholesale shoes business from fraud and other unscrupulous elements.

1. Get insurance for your business. 

Home-based or small-time wholesale shoes entrepreneurs may fall into the trap of thinking that their business is small enough to not need insurance. This is a security risk that you need to address. Depending on the kind of coverage that you want and the budget that you are willing to allot to it, there are different kinds of insurance policies you can get for your business. You can choose between a business owner’s policy (which has a broader coverage) or an in-home business policy (which is an “in-between” between a homeowner’s policy and a business policy). Talk to your insurance specialist about your options.

2. Back up. 

You've heard about students and writers “backing up” their important files. Here’s news for you. As an entrepreneur, you can also back up your shoe pieces online. Aside from keeping hard copies of your important business files, you can utilize free online tools such as Google Docs for your documents, Flickr for saving photos of your wholesale shoes items, and bookmarking sites such as Delicious for constantly visited webpages. Of course, it is important to save your business files in removable file saving devices such as flash drives and external hard disks. These are ideal for “grab and go” situations.

3. Listen to your gut feel. 

If you have a bad feeling about a customer or a supplier, act on it. Double check their credentials and ask around. Check the Internet for well-known scams and join online communities.

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A Beginner's Guide to Wholesale Shoe Shopping

Women are simply in love with wholesale shoes. However, despite years of experience in shopping for shoes, women still make common mistakes when looking for the perfect footwear.

Here are a few basic tips and factors to consider when searching for those ideal wholesale shoes.

• Know what your body shape is.

 Determine whether you are have an apple, pear, or hourglass figure. This is important because this lets you decide what wholesale shoes to purchase to emphasize a particular part of your body. Top-heavy women should opt for shoes that give attention to legs such as metallic or brightly colored shoes. Meanwhile, bottom-heavy women should pick neutral shoes.

• Height is important as well because women often want to appear taller than they really are. 

Shoes that streamline your height and add length to your legs are perfect choices for wholesale footwear. For women with thick calves and ankles, they could never go wrong with high heels, knee-high boots, and pointy-toed shoes. On the other hand, women with thin and skinny legs have the option of downplaying or emphasizing their legs and can purchase shoes like ankle-strapped boots, closed toes, and horizontally-designed shoes.

• What kind of lifestyle do you live?

 As a general rule, buy shoes that will match at least five of your outfits. If you’re a workaholic who spends most of her time at work, it’s best to purchase shoes such as classic pumps, leather shoes, and closed-toe high heels. However, if you’re the type who likes painting the town red, bright-colored high heels, strapped wedges, or sexy platform pumps will go perfectly well with your ensemble.

• Have the basic essentials when it comes to wholesale shoes. 

With black pumps, black or brown knee boots, and black flats in your shoe collection, you can never go wrong. This ensures that you’ll never go out of style whatever outfit you wear because they can match just about anything.

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What Wholesale Shoes Should Be Worn

When selling wholesale shoes, it’s important to have a unique and distinct selection to offer customers because most people are looking for a store that offers a variety of merchandise that can’t be found anywhere else. Additionally, when planning a store’s wholesale shoe collection, it’s important to factor in the activities that your clients are typically involved in because having the right selection will lure customers in and help increase sells. Here’s a quick guide:

Everyday Shoes 

Women, especially moms, are very active and usually always on-the-go. They run errands, do household chores and are constantly trying to keep up with their kids. Sneakers are perfect for these types of consumers because sneakers are comfortable and durable, which is great for moms and active women who are always on their feet.

Wholesale High Heels 

Fashionable high heels or pumps make every woman feel sexy and attractive. High heels are perfect for evening occasions and formal events. Similarly, pumps create an unforgettable look that any girl’s friends will envy and desire.

Wholesale Flats 

Although flats look simple, they are very fashionable. Pairing flat shoes with a skirt creates the Audrey Hepburn-look of the fifties and sixties. For women who stand all day, flats are perfect because they prevent calves from aching after a whole day of walking.

Wholesale Boots

Boots are bestsellers throughout the entire year. It is important to know that most women prefer to have at least two pairs of boots. Not only are boots functional, but they are extremely stylish too. Ankle boots are perfect for jeans and tall boots are great for winter. Remember, it doesn’t have to be winter for women to sport boots. Boots are worn all-year long, although not so much during the summer months.

Women’s different roles require different pairs of wholesale shoes. Overall it’s essential that a store carries shoes that are functional and fashionable because women like style and comfort when it comes to their feet.

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Driving a "Wedge" in Your Shoe Collection

It's a woman's prerogative to own a number of shoes in different styles - may they be pumps, wedges, sneakers, or training shoes. One of the most sought after wholesale shoes for the past years are wedges. Though chunky, wholesale wedges have become a fashion statement because they can be easily paired up with any outfit. And now that we're getting into the warmer months, chunky heeled open-toed shoes and sandals are getting more prominence in wholesale shoe displays once again.

However, though they are perfect with most ensembles, there are still a few tips the ladies who love wearing them must consider in wearing wholesale wedges. Read on and find out:

• Wholesale shoes such as wedges don’t normally fit with ultra-tight jeans or any tight-fitting clothes. It draws attention to your legs and the bulkiness of the wedge, the type of attention you don’t want to draw to yourself. Unless you're model stick thin, you are going to look very bulky or worse, like an overly stuffed encased sausage with tight clothes and wedge footwear.

• Slingback wedges can look good on women with thick ankles. Women with thin-looking ankles will look very awkward on these types of wholesale shoes. The effect is opposite with ladies who have thick ankles. Compared with chunky wedges, their thick ankles would appear slimmer, which should make them look better. 

• Strappy wedges can go well with long skirts that reach just below your knees. Additionally, wedges are the best match for dresses, wrap up skirts, and flare bottom pants. They achieve a classic look that is sophisticated and attention grabbing.

• Espadrilles are wedges made of canvas and are perfect with denim and pants. These wholesale shoes are available in open-toe, closed toe, and slip on styles. Espadrilles would look beautiful with pants that have flared bottoms or with dresses, completing a carefree look perfect for the summer (or even spring). 

• Though wholesale wedge shoes are often used for casual days or events, they can also be worn to work. However, opt for closed-toe wedges for a more formal outfit that invites respect and authority. Of course, other rules for more formal footwear apply - nothing too flashy, more subdued designs, and nothing noisy!

Wedges are best worn during summer. However, they can also be worn all year round. Just like any wholesale shoes, proper care is a must for this type of footwear to live a longer life.

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Color Your Shoes Right

Women may own pairs and pairs of trendy wholesale shoes but there are styles that not only go perfectly well with any outfit but make a woman stand out as well. The right pair of shoes can exude glam and sophistication in a formal setting. Though new styles of footwear come out every season, there are wholesale shoes styles that never go out of style.

Gold shoes are funky and chic for formal occasion. Anything in gold will make everyone take a second look. May it be gold pumps, gold sandals, women everywhere are sure to envy you once they see you in a pair. Gold is a color that doesn’t overpower but glimmers understatedly that one can’t help but look. Gold shoes can be worn all year round, not only making it practical, but classic as well. 

Silver shoes, on the other hand, can match any outfit and bring out the sophistication in you. No matter what dress you wear, silver is the perfect match. Silver high heels are sexy and attractive while silver mules are causal but fabulous.

Red shoes bring out the sexiness in any woman. They are confidence builders and the ultimate attention getter. Women who sport red pumps or red sandals know that red shoes can be a woman’s best friend. Men adore women in red shoes and these pairs are perfect with dresses.

What about white? Unfortunately, when we think of white shoes, the images we conjure in our heads would either be that of a hospital or laboratory, sneakers, and shoes brides wear to their wedding. White shoes are not really the pair you would go for if you want to look elegant, but you’re in the office or even at a party. Go for something classy but muted instead, like beige, ecru, orchid, or champagne. 

Just like every girl needs to own a little black dress, black shoes are a must-have too. Black pumps match every style and every color. They are perfect for evening dresses but can also be used for work-related affairs or corporate events. Go to work with the perfect black shoes and everyone will not just love your work, but your shoes as well.

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Shoptalk: Are Inventory Control Systems Only for Big Businesses?

For anyone who has ever been to one of those big retailer stores that sell almost anything like K-Mart or Wal-Mart, the efficient and seemingly smooth sailing operations of these giant establishments can be attributed to one of the biggest triumphs of modern logistics - inventory control systems.  Almost every week, or in some cases, every day, retailers from the local neighborhood store, online stores with wholesale shoes for women to mega supermarkets welcome thousands of items into their stock sourced from different parts of the world. 

Yes, stores these days do not only get items from their respective countries alone, and despite this seemingly unmanageable situation where deliveries of new items are being done while customers buy items by the minute, the systems implemented by these stores to control inventory has become a central in their smooth operations.

It has become imperative for businesses these days to adapt inventory control systems not only to maintain a smooth flow of operations, but also to inform them of which items in their inventory are “moving” fast, meaning are selling, that they need to stock up on.  Knowing which products among a lot, for example, particular models among wholesale shoes, are selling and which are just occupying shelf space would give the business owner enough information to know which items he would like to get more of, which to move from the warehouse to the store, and which to store for an upcoming spike in demand. 

As of the moment, it can be argued that systems to manage or control inventory would only be a need for bigger business and just a whim for small vendors.  However, implementing a system would also be beneficial for small and medium enterprises.  By having inventory control systems, small stores can be more effective in maintaining as little stock as possible while making sure that there’s enough for the customer’s demands to be met. This is crucial especially for small shoe businesses that deal with bulk items, so that the business owner will know which among the models he or she has are selling like hotcakes and which ones are not faring so well, which can be avoided in the future. 

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Function and Fashion Combined in Leather Boots

Leather boots were thought to have been worn first by the ancient Mesopotamians 5,000 years ago. Of course, leather boots during ancient times are not the same as those being sold as wholesale shoes for women on websites. Their first incarnation was simple leather foot coverings stuffed with straw.

Later on, at around 3,000 BC it evolved to calf-high laced-up boots. Initially, leather boots were used as protection for the feet and legs from extreme weather and rough terrain. Thus, their first users were horseback riders and military personnel. At the start of the 17^th century, leather boots began to be used as everyday wear. During this time, the boots’ functionality was enhanced and many more fashionable styles were designed.

Popular Styles

At present there are an almost infinite variety of leather boots available in websites that sell wholesale shoes, or in the nearest shoe store in your area. Different brands of leather boots come in various sizes and styles. They can be ankle length, cut up to the mid-calf, knee-high, mid-thigh, and even thigh high boots. Heel size can range from flat heels to very high heels measuring five inches. Toes can either be round, square-shaped, pointed, or open.

While colors like black and brown are popular, boots can nevertheless bought in many other colors. Different styles include ankle boots, lace-up boots, motorcycle boots, riding boots, cowboy boots. They can come with accessories such as fringe, snakeskin, studs, zippers, and fur. They can be worn almost anywhere a woman wants to step foot – at home, at work, at a party, at church, at a club, any many other locations. Most leather boots offer protection against rain and snow. As a rule of thumb, the more stylish it is, the less likely it will be waterproof.

Proper Care

It is not that expensive to take care of leather boots, but you just have to be diligent with it by maintaining it regularly. Even if worn every week, leather boots can last for years if you clean them at regular intervals. Shoe care oil, a brush, and a boot dryer would be the handy things you will need to clean your pair. If course, you may need a reliable shoe repair person or cobbler in case your boots need repair.    

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Increase the Value of Your Wholesale Shoes

 The common perception with selling items in bulk like wholesale shoes for women is that you are providing customers with affordable products, but not really high in the way of value and quality. You will get a lot of comments from customers saying that shoes that are sold in bulk are cheap and therefore, can easily get damaged. You know as a businessman that this mentality is not always correct. Wholesale shoes are affordable because of the quantity you have brought them, driving their process down. But it doesn't automatically mean that they are poor in quality.

Knowing that your products have that kind of reputation, you need to known how to add value to them. That way, you can proudly offer them without being on the defensive all the time. But how is value added in products, anyway?

Here are some tricks in increasing the value of your wholesale shoes :

Brand

A brand should be created, then established, and then promoted.  Anything unknown or has no distinct identity scares consumers. It does not have to be a high-end brand. You don’t need to lie to customers. Just put a brand to your merchandise and cement its reputation by offering products that are affordable but have sterling quality.

Price

After setting an affordable introductory price, jack your price up, as higher-priced products are more often than not, associated with superior quality. This will definitely take time, so make sure that when you are in the introductory stages of your price, that the quality is really top-notch so that by the time you will increase your prices, you have your customers hook, line, and sinker.

Alliances

Endorsements and associations with established personalities gives products credibility and in turn, value. These personalities, especially if they have credibility and a reputation for the finer things in life, will jack up the profile of your product.

After-sales service

Excellent customer support is a must-have for legitimate businesses. There is nothing that says “credibility” and “legitimacy” then letting customers have ways of reaching you or improving their products. For example, is a customer has a broken hell on her shoe, how can she have it repaired? If your company assists customers like her, she and the rest of the consuming public will think your company is top-notch. 

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Don’t Delay the Success of Your Wholesale Shoes Business

Do you find yourself with a brilliant idea like a wholesale shoes business only to be stalled by none other than yourself? Do your plans always end up as nothing more than plans? Are your pipe dreams left in the pipe? Can you see any fruition of your to-do-list? There’s a huge chance you are one big procrastinator.

While it is true that being confident in doing great things at the last minute and holding off matters for later can have its advantages (are there?), the disadvantages of procrastinating always end up outweighing them. The thing is, while you are taking your sweet time delaying matters, someone may already be sneaking behind you and doing the exact thing you are planning. In the end, you end up being too late for the party!

For example, if you are thinking of getting your plans of putting your shoes business online and you keep on delaying it, there's a huge possibility that someone else somewhere in the world also has the same idea, but is not wasting any time and has his  business website up tomorrow. While you have finally mustered the motivation and urge to start your project, that other businessman has already established a market. That's a good number of customers less from you.

So, how can you avoid procrastinating and have your wholesale business plans up and running before anyone else beats you to it? 

Here are some points to consider to be successful in the Shoe Industry:

• Procrastinators tend to delay mainly because of being overwhelmed.  Work for them should be broken to smaller chunks.

If you find yourself staring at a very long to-do list and thinking, "This is too much. Let me have a vacation first," then snap out of it. Break down even your to-do list into a more manageable list. Have 3 items on each piece of paper. You'll see yourself more motivated because you are "on a roll" with finishing your much shortened lists.

• Procrastinators tend to be easily bored.  A change of environment can excite them.

Try to work somewhere you will be "pressured" to. Go to a coffee shop or a library once in a while where everybody is focused on working. You'll find yourself embarrassed as you're just doodling around, wasting time. Besides, there's always something new to look at in a different place, so that's something to make you less bored.

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