How Retailers Are Prepping for a Value-Driven Back-to-School Season

Customers are looking looking for quality, durability and comfort this BTS season.

Deals alone won’t be enough to win over back-to-school (BTS) shoe shoppers this season. According to retail executives and shoe industry experts, customers are looking looking for quality, durability and comfort in their footwear purchases this year. As such, retailers are bolstering their assortments and marketing efforts to meet demand.

“We’re seeing value seekers right now,” said Laura Denk, president of DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse and EVP of Designer Brands, in an interview with FN. “It means they’re seeking the highest value for their dollar. It doesn’t always mean the lowest price, but we know they won’t trade down in their self expression.”

In June, footwear retail prices decreased for the first time in more than two years as overall inflation rose at slowing rate. Notably, children’s footwear prices dropped 0.8 percent compared to the prior year. As prices come down, families now have more room to focus on shoe attributes outside of price, a trend previously noted by Circana.

According to the 2024 U.S. Consumer Footwear survey from global consulting firm AlixPartners and the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA), consumers listed quality, comfort, size availability, design and product reviews among the most important drivers of shoe purchases for the BTS season this year. Comparatively, price ranked as the sixth most important attribute, marking a departure from the trend that characterized BTS shopping for the last several years.

Even among households with an income level below $100,000 a year, quality and comfort beat out price as a top priority, though these families are still looking for their shoes to last them longer.

“While inflation has been an obsession among shoppers around cost — recently raising the importance of discounts to drive traffic — the deal alone isn’t what’s converting sales of kids’ shoes today,” said Bryan Eshelman, partner and managing director at AlixPartners and Americas Retail practice lead, in a statement. “Consumers, in fact, are more focused on value for their spend. In this scenario, the lowest price is less important than durability and comfort.”

Overall, FDRA said it expects revenue from back-to-school shoe sales to be up this year, even though unit sales could be down.

“We also see that moms are absolutely looking for a better shoe for their buck,” said FDRA president and chief executive officer Matt Priest. “This is what we may consider a ‘value driven’ back-to-school season where price drives traffic but value matters for the actual purchase.”

How retailers are offering value

To win the BTS season, DSW is being intentional with its family-focused marketing and is prioritizing a strong assortment of key styles and colors. When it comes to silhouettes, DSW’s Denk said that clogs, slip-ins and court shoes are gaining traction this season.

“[Court shoes] tend to come in a variety of colors, they always deliver on comfort and they’re highly diverse,” Denk said. “You can wear them with dresses, jeans and pants, and I think people are looking for a style that can kind of take them to different occasions and different places. That screams value.”

Shoe Carnival’s chief merchandising officer Carl Scibetta said in a recent earnings call that the footwear chain is “well positioned to win back-to-school” and grow its kid’s business, thanks to a strong product assortment and renewed investments in digital marketing.

The Caleres-owned Famous Footwear is also rolling out a new marketing campaign across all channels to highlight its assortment of kids brands. According to the chain’s president Mike Edwards, court shoes and retro looks from Nike, Adidas and New Balance are expected to stand out this BTS season. Fashion athletic styles are dominating, he said, with the Converse Chuck Taylor black high top already becoming the No.1 shoe in athletics since it entered stores.

“As always, it’s about offering the right item from the right brand at the right price,” Edwards told FN in an email interview. “While the inflation rate is slowing, families are still being selective about where, when, and how to spend. We continue to see families prioritize their kids — and that’s especially true during the Back to School season.”

Genesco chief executive office Mimi Vaughn said the the company’s merchandising team, which has been helmed by Chris Santaella since January, built a robust shoe assortment in time for the BTS season.

“They’ve quickly secured significantly more allocation of in-demand product to drive our back-to-school and holiday business,” Vaughn said in a May earnings call. “This includes leaning into both athletic and casual styles across a number of brands.” She also noted that Journeys would roll out “an in-store digital and social refresh at the end of the second quarter to build awareness about the enhanced assortment and access.”

Outside of athletic, flats are expected to be in high demand for BTS shoppers, according to Kendall Becker, fashion and editorial strategy director at retail intelligence platform Trendalytics.

“Flats are a perennial staple in childrenswear, and now they’re borrowing trends from the womenswear market — expect studded details and mesh fabrics to be particularly popular,” Becker told WWD earlier this month. “Additionally, a hybrid style blending ballet flats with sneakers is gaining traction, with searches up 855 percent on the Trendalytics platform.”