U.S. second-quarter footwear sales reveal post-Covid consumer trends

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Jul 28, 2021

According to a new report from The NPD Group, U.S. performance footwear sales grew 23 percent in the second quarter, while leisure footwear sales climbed at a slightly higher rate, showcasing post-Covid consumer trends. 

Total U.S. performance footwear sales reached $2 billion for the three months. Men’s performance footwear sales grew 22 percent to $1.1 billion and women’s sales gained 29 percent to $658.9 million, while kid’s sales grew 17 percent to $257.9 million.

“The pandemic-driven quest to get fit and stay healthy has continued as we emerge from the crisis. We expect that performance footwear, especially running, hiking and walking shoes, will remain strong through the balance of the year,” said Matt Powell, VP, senior industry advisor of sports at The NPD Group. 

Equally driven by both pandemic and post-pandemic trends, consumers will continue to opt for comfort which is reflected across leisure footwear and fashion categories. Total U.S. leisure footwear sales grew 31 percent to $5.2 billion, while total U.S. fashion footwear sales were down 6 percent to $3.9 billion.

Men’s leisure footwear sales grew 27 percent to $2.5 billion; women’s leisure footwear sales were up 31 percent to $1.5 billion; and kid’s sales jumped 41 percent to $1.1 billion. Likewise, sales declined 8 percent to $840.5 million in men’s fashion footwear; sales were off 3 percent to $2.6 billion in women’s; and kid’s fashion footwear sales were up 6 percent to $381.1 million.

“As consumers are returning to their pre-pandemic activities, they are sticking with comfortable, casual options such as sneakers, clogs (driven by Crocs) and slides, all showing growth when compared to 2020 and 2019,” added Beth Goldstein, executive director and industry analyst, fashion footwear and accessories, The NPD Group. 

“In addition, outdoor and work/safety footwear continue to perform well. Higher average prices are helping to mitigate dollar losses in the fashion category but, even so, dollar sales were down mid-single-digits versus 2019 during the quarter, driven by the continued softness in dress, despite a rebound to 2020.”