Just buy it! Taiwanese shoppers spent more on shoes in 2011

Demand for shoes registered 16% in volume bringing total sales to exceed 8.5 million pairs.

According to Gfk Research, governmental efforts to promote healthy living through regular exercises appears to be bearing fruit, if performance of the sports shoe market is any indication. Demand for sports shoe last year registered a 25 and 16 percent jump in value and volume respectively, bringing the total sales of sports shoes in Taiwan to exceed 8.5 million pairs, and market value to reach US$ 488 million in 2011.

GfK revealed the latest results of its sports shoes retail audit at the recent GfK Taiwan Sports Shoes Seminar entitled Retail Market Insight of Sport Shoes – from Consumer Experiences to Consumer Choices.

“The growth of the sports shoe market provides a clear sign that the Taiwanese government’s intensive sports campaign over the recent years have been successful in reaching out to the people,” commented Ms. Lydia Huang, General Manager of GfK Taiwan. “Indulging in sports and other forms of exercises appear to be on the rise and have somewhat evolved into a social phenomenon in Taiwan, boosting the sales of sports shoes,” she added.

Males are apparently the bigger sports enthusiasts compared to females as they form the larger bulk of sports shoe buyers in Taiwan. According to GfK tracking, three quarter of the overall market revenue is contributed by sales of male sports shoes.