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Cost of raw materials continues to worry the footwear industry
Cost of merchandise or raw materials maintains its position as the top concern for the footwear industry, according to respondents of the 12th edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey. Domestic market challenges have intensified
The survey results on anticipated business limitations for the footwear industry and reveals persistent and evolving challenges facing the sector over the next six months. Cost concerns remain the dominant issue, with "Cost of merchandise or raw materials" maintaining its position as the top concern, mentioned by 42% of the respondents, the same percentage as in the previous edition. This consistency suggests ongoing supply chain pressures and input cost inflation continue to squeeze profit margins.
Domestic market challenges have intensified, with "Insufficient demand in our home market" rising significantly from 29% to 37%, potentially indicating weakening consumer spending or market saturation in key regions. Meanwhile, concerns about domestic competition remain high though slightly decreased (36%, down from 40%).
Tax-related concerns have surged notably, increasing from 24% to 34%, which suggests changing fiscal policies are creating additional business pressure.
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Contents
Executive SummaryBusiness Context
Health of the Business
Employment Level
Prices
Quantity
Difficulties
Retail Channels
Less Optimism about Footwear Consumption in 2025
Trump's Tariffs Expected to Negatively Impact Footwear
AI's Impact in the Footwear Industry
About Survey
About the Survey
In 2019 the World Footwear has created the World Footwear Experts Panel and is now conducting a Business Conditions Survey every semester.
The objective of the World Footwear Experts Panel Survey is to collect information regarding the current business conditions within the worldwide footwear markets and disseminate this information to provide an accurate overview of the situation of the global footwear industry. The eleventh edition of this online survey was conducted during the months of November and December 2024.
In this edition, we have obtained 104 valid answers, 36% from Asia, 29% from Africa, 21% from Europe, 8% from North America, 6% from South America, and 1% from Oceania. More than half of respondents (54%) are involved in footwear manufacturing (manufacturers) or footwear trade and distribution (traders) and the remainder in other footwear-related activities, including trade associations (14%), consultancy (9%), education and research (6%), journalism (2%) and other activities (15%).
Previous Editions of this Bulletin can be found HERE
