Shoes For The Soul

Once a basic necessity, shoes have now become important fashion accessories. The categories of shoes found in the market today are endless, each catering to different activities of the day. There are special shoes for exercising and sporting activities, and exercise and sports shoes also differ based on what type of exercises or sports one practices. Outdoor shoes come in a variety of colours and categories like pumps, sandals, ballerinas, casual boots, heels, etc. to complement the wardrobe. Most fashion conscious consumers nowadays boast of multiple pairs of shoes ranging from single and double digit numbers to triple digit numbers at times.

Shoes for any Activity

Gone are the days when one bought shoes from the local cobbler. Today, shoes are a big part of the fashion industry. Apart from local manufacturers all over the world, the market is dominated by international players such as Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Saucony, Converse, K-Swiss, Asics, New Balance, Lambretta, Onitsuka Tiger, Lacoste, and many more.

Shoes are a part of your life from the time you wake up until you go to bed. While in the comfort of your home you may wear flip flops, and for your daily workout routine you may wear different shoes. Sports brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Reebok offer a variety of running shoes at affordable prices. You can also choose from a wide range of motion control shoes, stability shoes, and cushioning shoes for different types of feet.

Trainers or athletic shoes are another type of footwear that comes in a range of categories for specific purposes, including:

• Racing
• Track
• Skating
• Climbing
• Approach shoes
• Wrestling
• Cleats
• Football
• Dance shoes

The market also offers a range of walking shoes depending on walking speed, the condition of feet, and how often they will be used throughout a day.

Fashionable Footwear

Apart from shoes that are purely functional, there are shoes that score very high marks on the fashion card. Today, men and women have an infinite variety of fashionable shoes to choose from. Sneakers with cool patterns and graphic designs are all the rage among teenagers and young adults, while the professionals and fashionistas can choose from among boots, heels, sandals, dress shoes, slip-ons, pumps, and ballerinas in either traditional or unconventional colours and patterns.

When shopping for shoes, consider the following subcategories that footwear is most commonly divided into for men and women.

• Boots (Women): Stacked Booties, Moto Boots, Dressy Bootie, Girly Stiletto, Riding Boots, Peep Toe Bootie.
• Boots (Men): Desert Boots, Chelsea Boots, Lace Up Boots.
• Heels: Wedge Heels, Kitten Heels, Stilettos.
• Sandals (Men): Ankle Strap, Slide Sandals, Slingback Sandals, Walking Sandals.
• Sandals (Women): Espadrilles, Gladiator Sandals, Platform Sandals, T-Strap Sandals.

As far as materials go, the shoe industry offers a wide variety so there is something for anyone. Besides animal skin leather, some materials that have gained popularity include canvas, rubber, plastics, vinyl, latex, natural fibres, and other synthetic materials.

How to Choose the Perfect Shoe

The humongous collection of shoes available today often turns finding the perfect pair into a difficult endeavour. Keeping a few basic things in mind will help you narrow down your options and find what you’re looking for faster.

1. Decide the activity for which you need the shoe. Strenuous physical exercises, a casual walk, social events, or normal everyday wear are activities that each requires different types of shoes in order to provide maximum comfort for your feet.
2. Your shoe must give you excellent arch support so that your feet do not buckle under constant pressure.
3. While choosing a shoe, check the material of the sole. Try it out and see if your feet feel comfortable or not. If you’re buying online, find a company that offers free returns or exchanges.
4. If you have any confusion regarding your foot size, get them measured. If you get a pair of shoes that is too small or too large, they will undoubtedly be uncomfortable and may cause harm to your feet.
5. Check for the stitching pattern since this determines the durability of the shoe.

Marketing Shoes

With the production of shoes increasing every year, cheap shoes from the houses of big brands are becoming much more common. Marketing shoes has become quite easy with the help of online platforms. The internet as a virtual database allows retailers to sell their goods at a lower rate than the marked price. This is a win-win arrangement for both the seller and the buyer, because while the seller can still make a decent profit despite selling his wares at a discounted price, the buyer also gets a good bargain.

Find the Best Bargains Online

Unlike stores which give discounts during only selected times of the year, online shopping sites are usually offering discounts on all or some of their products 365 days a year. Most portals offer a first-time buyer discount to new customers. The discount rates from online shopping sites can range between as low as 10% to as high as 75%. These regular discounts help shoe lovers find their desired footwear at extremely affordable prices while helping the sellers to attract returning customers.

Online shopping portals have made it possible for customers to browse through an almost infinite collection of products. The options of filters for aspects such as colour, style, brands, price range, and categories help buyers to narrow down the selection and find exactly what they are looking for in a matter of seconds.

Another added benefit of buying shoes online is that they are delivered right to your doorstep, nationally and internationally, and the shipping charges are usually quite nominal. In case you are unhappy with your purchase, most companies have great return or exchange policies which allow you to return the product and claim a refund, or exchange them for another size or type of shoe.

Shopping online not only saves you from jostling in the crowd, but also gives you the opportunity of finding the exact shoe size you are looking for. Most physical stores keep a limited supply of large sizes due to space issues, so if you have larger feet, you have probably experienced issues shoe shopping already. All sizes, large, medium, and small, can be found in every style from online stores.