The most common place sneaker stores get their sneakers are from wholesalers online. There are a lot of wholesalers in Hong Kong and China, such as HKTDC, where most sneaker stores source their inventory.
Some also invoke a sense of uniqueness and deliberate identity by contacting and working with sneaker designers. These stores target relevant looks and brands, including any local designers who can be showcased in their store.
For those exclusive sneaker boutiques, promotions and social media presence play a significant role in the store’s success. Maintaining active social media accounts, showing off the latest inventory or displaying high-quality photographs of stylish customers wearing the store’s shoes can boost sales.
The sneaker retail business is already a competitive market with a massive number of customized sneaker designs for walkers, runners, bikers and hikers.
Venturing into this retail business expecting to focus only on high-end sneakers can be quite a challenge, but there’s an art to making it work.
The footwear industry is estimated to make $320.44 billion by 2023, selling sneakers appealing to entrepreneurs. Indeed you can join this trend and expand your sneaker business to include socks and laces as upsells for your store.
Remarketing to your store’s customers can also be crucial as people who wear sneakers daily can wear out their shoes in a few months.
Howbeit, if you stay in touch with customers regularly you can help lower your advertising cost. Most sneaker stores offer a variety of different sneakers.
Sneakers are more or less available in a range of different shapes that are suited to different running styles or sports activities.
Customers who are interested in buying sneakers that are specifically designed for running tend to go for flatter and more flexible varieties, which gives them enhanced comfort levels.
There are tons of varieties of sneakers available today, which include running sneakers, casual sneakers, sneakers with Velcro, athletic sneakers, and even sneakers with LED lights.
There are also sneakers available for every age group, including infants and toddlers, which typically have cute shapes, colours, and prints. In the last 15 years, there have been great changes in the design of sneakers.
Even though the classic black or white sneaker is favoured at times, sneaker stores offer a tonne of colour options to customers.
The raw materials used for sneakers generally consist of a combination of materials. The sole of the sneakers have three layers, insole, midsole, and outsole. Sneakers are typically made of a soft material and are worn for sports or casual occasions.
Even though they are primarily designed for sports or other forms of exercise, they are now often used for everyday wear. The demand of sneakers is highest in the markets of North America, Western Europe, and Northern Europe.
5 Best Places for Sneaker Stores to Get Their Sneakers From
To work with super brands like Nike and Umbro, a business is expected to prove its financial capabilities, and probably be required to open a letter of credit or prepay the order.
The retail business is not easy, and is very competitive and expensive. If you have no experience in the business, it is doubtful that these brands, which are very protective of their image, would be willing to work with you. Nonetheless, here are other places to source for sneaker store inventory in bulk quantities.
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Rosewholesale
Rosewholesale Company boasts of having all the sneakers needed to set up one shop. They have a vast number of choices for you to pick the ones you like. They have been in the industry for long now and they know all your shoe needs.
They have it all. And since they want to give you the best customer service, they have dedicated personnel who work professionally all round the clock for you to have a hassle-free shopping. In terms of pricing, they will excite you with wonderful deals.
They give discounts on some items and even discount on the shipping fee in some cases. Their shipping duration is also noteworthy.
You will give them three days and you will get the items you ordered. They have a number of shipping methods for you to choose what best suits you.
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Chinabrands
Chinabrands is a well known global drop shipping wholesaler from China. They boast of a global reach, servicing customers in more than 200 countries.
It provides full catalogues, including cheap clothes, bags, shoes, jewellery and accessories, beauty, 3C products, household necessaries and so on that totals more than 500,000+ SKU.
Also, new and trendy arrivals added every day. They cover low-end to high-end products at wholesale price. In addition, for every purchase on the site, you receive CB points as rewards that you can use as cash at your next buy. If you register as a member, you can get much more discounts as well as get more CB points.
Extremely low price and CB rewards points can maximize cut your cost and make exciting more profits. Also note that this wholesaler offers SEO-optimized product descriptions that you can download and upload to your online store like Amazon, eBay or any other online shopping platforms.
It also has professional teams to choose trendy products that will sell well. Most store owners get crazy and have no idea which products to get. Chinabrands’ team do the market search and add those data-proved hot sell in site every day.
Chinabrands has highly trained QC teams that ensure the quality of every single product manufactured by major brand suppliers.
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Trendsgal.com
Trendsgal.com comes in with exciting fashion with a good price. They do not just sell their products in the local market but they also export to different parts of the world. They have a drop shipping program making the entire operations relatively easy.
Note that this makes it possible for you to receive your shipments just after a few clicks. Have it in mind that they do not overcharge you for their incredible service; they have their customers’ interest at heart. And they want to see you get back after you have sold out the order.
And since theirs is a wholesale service, they make it even possible to have you pay a lot less as you increase the number of items you are purchasing.
It also means you will be making even more profits along the way. Shopping on their website is also safe. There are no worries with entrusting them with your personal details.
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Shoenet
Shoenet.com is a super dominator when it comes to the supply of wholesale sneakers. The company offers amazing prices and genuine products. They are explicitly concerned with fulfilling the needs of a customer in a relatively affordable way.
Shoenet.com boasts of being in the shoe manufacturing industry for over 30 years and they understand your everyday needs.
In terms of delivering the shoes to wherever you need, they know exactly how. They have been shipping for the last 12 years to the online community. The only thing that you might not like with this company is that they insist on a wholesale purchase.
They have a $250 stipulated minimum purchase. However, this should not worry you much since you are interested in getting the wholesale supply of sneakers. Their full catalogue is not available for one reason: they keep updating their stock and having one catalogue is not possible.
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Wholesale Central
Sometime ago, Forbes listed Wholesale Central as one of the best Business to Business site out there. This is where suppliers engage buyers and where the retailers meet the suppliers. If you are interested in getting consistent high-quality sneakers, then this is the directory to get.
Note that it is strictly wholesale though, and it is not possible to have consumer needs met. This directory works in a very simple way.
Whenever you want to buy wholesale sneakers, what you are expected to do is to search for suitable suppliers and click to follow the link leading to their website.
From there, you will order the items you want. The website is secure. For this reason, there is virtually no risk at all in visiting the site.
Another benefit of conducting the shopping here is the fact that you are able to get the best deals and to compare the prices of different suppliers. By the end to the day, you will have gotten the best value for your money.
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DHgate
If you really intend to get sneakers of good quality and at affordable prices, you should definitely shop with DHgate. They source such sneakers from leading manufacturers of shoes in China. This company has over 46,000 sneakers in their huge warehouse.
And to make sure you get the type you need, the website has been designed to give the best navigation process. The process of packaging and delivering the shipment will take between 2 and 5 days depending on the distance you are from the store.
DHgate.com also provides great deals such as discounts. In fact, virtually any sneaker you come across in their website at any point in time features an intriguing discount indicated in percentage. Some even have up to 60% off.
Conclusion
Selling sneakers is a fulfilling business if it is your passion. You have to be ready for the most common customer issues such as wrong sizes, incorrect colours, and a whole lot more. Some sneakers can cost you $50-$150 a pair depending on the quality.
You’ll need to have a large enough budget to offer product and size variety while also having a high cost of goods. If you choose to drop ship, you can offer a wide selection of prices. Also, as a dropshipper you only buy shoes once a customer has ordered making it less risky.
Also, if you spend the money you would’ve used to wholesale the shoes on marketing, you’ll likely make more money over the long-term.