Advantages Of Online Retail Of Men's Shoes

I am passionate about shoes in general, but in particular Italian made shoes. I have been closely involved in the Italian footwear industry since the early 1970's and I have an in-depth knowledge of how the Italian shoe industry functions. From this experience, I can appreciate the creativity and intricate attention to detail that goes into making a fine pair of shoes and just why the Italians have such a fantastic reputation for style and quality.

Having said this, one should not forget that the first place in the world to manufacture shoes on an industrial basis started here in my home town of Northampton England. Many Northamptonshire based footwear companies have a heritage of manufacturing high quality Goodyear welted shoes second to none and the Northampton Shoe Museum certainly shows that to good effect. It is well worth a visit, for anyone interested in shoes and their manufacture. Most of the remaining factories were founded well over one hundred years ago.

British companies established the principles of good robust leather footwear and to this day are still famous for making shoes giving lasting wear and comfort. On the other hand the Italians coming from an artisan methodology made delicate elegant shoes which the are world renouned as some of the best shoes to own. Technology has allowed many innovative improvements to be incorporated into modern footwear, often these are hidden from the naked eye, but the most significant change has been the use of lighter weight materials with longer wearing properties. Latex anatomic footbeds, padding and more flexible rubber soles that maintain their powers of recovery after hundreds of thousands of compressions and flexes enable modern footwear to perform to a high standard.

In the past when purchasing men's shoes, the heavier the shoe, the better it was perceived to be. Soling leather was sold by weight, so the heavier the shoes were, the higher the price and quality associated with them by the general public. Once the training shoe revolution took hold, customers demanded lighter weight footwear for everyday use that were stylish, yet easy on the foot, without any need to break them in, or feeling uncomfortable for the outset.

In my opinion, the use of some synthetic non-breathable linings used in cheap modern shoes has been very detrimental to the general wellbeing of people's feet. The dynamics of the human foot in motion are complex and good breathability through the lining is essential. Therefore a quality leather lining is not easily bettered for its ability to cope in conditions of high perspiration. For that reason many high grade manufactures recommend having two pairs of shoes and by alternating between them on a daily basis to allow them to recover, breath and dry, fresh to wear once more on an alternate day basis.

To my dismay, a lot of shoes sold today are 'reverse engineered' to meet a perceived retail ticket, the price is often decided by a universal 'bench mark' price laid down by one big retailer. The rest of the high street competition are obliged to go head to head with this big competitor at that price level. As a consequence the buying departments of smaller retailers strive to offer the same price level.The only way to achieve this is by squeezing the purchase price to achieve the desired retail price they believe the general public is willing to pay. The rest of their overheads are fixed and very high.

As a result, factories have to compromise on quality by substituting some these 'hidden' extras incorporated into the shoes with inferior materials, yet still retain the original visual appeal of the shoes. For example, a trained eye can discern between a long rear counter (stiffener) and a cheaper shorter one inserted between the upper and the lining. When new, they look the same, wear it a few months and it will be much more obvious that the shoe with the longer stiffener retains its shape much better! The same happens if inferior latex padding is used; it soon loses its elasticity and performance. In fact it is quite easy to have two pairs of apparently identical new shoes and yet be vastly different in terms of quality for only a small price differential.

Many high street retailers have high overheads, so again the only thing under their control is the purchase price, therefore the average 'mark- up' has increased over recent years and it is not uncommon to see a retail price 'mark-up' four or five times the original purchase price from the factory. Can you buy value for money? Well it isn't as easy as it once was, given the reasons already mentioned as to the difference in quality of similar shoes. Another factor to consider is the reduction in choice, which has become a significant problem as many traditional footwear retailers have closed down.

There is an alternative, as one door closes another one opens, so the saying goes, and the growth of e-commerce and online retailing has allowed specialist online stores to reverse this trend by going more choice and better value for money. Naturally, buying shoes online may seem like an odd thing to do. Not obvious. However, you have all your normal consumer protection rights and reputable companies with specialist brands are able to sell their product direct to the public with a significant price advantage over high street retailers.

By buying online from a reputable seller in particular ones which specialise in Italian shoes, you can be sure to receive some of the best value for money footwear available. Plus if they come directly from an Italian factory source, they make the shoe as they would like to, without price constraints and selling via the internet, overheads are kept to a minimum and that saving is passed onto the customer. Thus it is well worth looking at what is on offer via the internet compared to the High Street retailers.

I have been in the footwear trade for over 30 years and in particular have worked with top Italian factories. I also deal with shoe factories located in England, Portugal, Brazil and China but my specialist country is Italy, having lived there for two years back in the late 1970s. I have sourced all types shoes and boots as an agent and supplied many large and small customers around the world with good quality Italian footwear.

Together with my son Taro Gibbs we manage our website Arthur Knight Shoes

---

Orignal From: Advantages Of Online Retail Of Men's Shoes