Trend Insight Consumer is a feature within Formula4 Media Publications that delivers research conducted on the MESH01 Platform. MESH01 collects data from a select panel of enthusiasts.
JULY/AUGUST 2021
A Look at Consumer Shopping Behavior
Where do consumers prefer to shop for their footwear? What are their expectations in-store? What is on their current footwear shopping list? These are just a few of the topics we tackled in our latest consumer survey. While 45% percent of consumers told us they most frequently shop online for footwear, 42% reported that footwear specialty chains were their stores of choice.
JUNE 2021
Consumers Weigh in on Wellness (and More)
When it comes to the term “wellness,” consumers have different ideas about what the term actually means, but most agree that footwear plays a part in helping their feet and body feel good.In our most recent consumer survey of active Americans, 99 percent of respondents said they believe that improper fitting footwear can cause foot problems.
MAY 2021
Ready to Keep On Running
On your mark, get set, go! We surveyed more than 350 consumers who identify themselves as active runners, and not only did we learn that the majority intend to run as much or more this year as they did last year, but they also have strong ideas about what running-related products they intend to purchase, and why.
MARCH/APRIL 2021
What Active Consumers Want Right Now
Spring is here and consumers are ready. After a year where we saw COVID-influenced lifestyle changes have a seismic impact on both the activity trends of consumers and the shopping habits of consumers, the next stage of this evolution is here.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Consumer Demand: New Year, New Gear
Many consumers have begun participating in new fitness activities this past year. And they are buying new apparel, gear and footwear for those activities. Those are just two of the key takeaways from our latest consumer survey.
NOVEMBER 2020
Runners Keep on Running; What Are they Buying?
As the industry turns its focus to 2021, one thing that seems certain is that runners are going to keep running. In our latest consumer survey, runners tell us how often they run, how often they purchase running gear and what their running and purchasing plans are for the months ahead.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
Consumer Shopping Attitudes Trend Upward
As we head into the fall season, consumers are looking to purchase new footwear as they continue their walking, running and fitness routines and have evolved their expectations about service in brick-and-mortar stores.
JULY 2020
Activity and Purchasing in the COVID Era and Beyond
As summer heats up, consumers are getting out and getting active — and they’re looking to stay that way. Mesh01 surveyed 403 active U.S. consumers ages 18 to 60 to see how the COVID-19 crisis had affected their workout habits.
June 2020
Shopping After Shutdown
With most areas of the country open or soon to open to shopping, stores are looking to see how consumers will behave. We surveyed 312 shoppers ages 18 to 60 about their expected buying behavior. Most shoppers (58 percent of our respondents) have yet to make it back in to their local footwear independents.
MAY 2020
Consumer Expectations Post-Pandemic
The last two months have seen an unprecedented disruption in retail, with statewide shutdowns and stay-at-home orders bringing sales to a halt across the country. And as shops begin to plan for reopening and the new normal, the question remains: What are consumers — shaped by weeks of quarantine and confronting rising unemployment — looking for?
March/April 2020
Workplace Drama
When it comes to the modern workplace, the data is clear: Workers wear what they want, and they want style and comfort. MESH01 surveyed 356 adults about their work wardrobes and what they’re looking for when it comes to adding to the mix. The clear majority of respondents — 72 percent — said there’s no formal dress code at their place of business...
FEBRUARY 2020
Consumer Insight on Boots
One thing is clear: Consumers love boots. But don’t take our word for it — this month’s boot survey was our most popular with our consumer panel yet. We surveyed 302 active men and women from ages 18 to 60, with an average age of 40, to find out what kind of boots they buy and where they buy them.
JANUARY 2020
Sport Footwear and Apparel Purchasing Decisions
When it comes to performance and sport footwear, the conventional wisdom is that the majority of consumers rarely — or even never — use what they buy for its intended purpose. And with the rise of athleisure, the blurring of the line between what’s performance and what’s just gear for everyday life has only accelerated.
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020
Holiday Shopping: What Consumers Think
The end of the year brings jingling bells — and hopefully ringing cash registers to retailers across the country. But when consumers are bombarded with Black Friday ads from all sides starting the day after Halloween,it can be hard to know what actually brings shoppers through the doors.
September / October 2019
Customers Are All About Price
Shoppers are price driven — no news there. But even in a world that puts a premium on price, brick-and-mortar independents have some big advantages when it comes to wooing shoppers. While 59 percent of respondents in our survey admitted they’d tried on a shoe in store and left to purchase it online elsewhere...
July / August 2019
Versatility at a Great Price
Shoppers want more than ever from their fitness footwear: great looks, the best price out there, and performance features to keep them at the top of their game. And when it comes to those shoes, they’re doing their research — which includes an in-store try-on.
MaY / JUNE 2019
What Shoppers Want: Newness
Customers love spring shoes — and they’re actively looking for new options. That’s the takeaway from our latest survey with MESH01. We asked 155 active men and women between 18 and 60 about their warm-weather shopping habits, and almost 90 percent of them said they are actively looking for new brands at least some of the times they’re shopping ...
March / april 2019
Vegan Footwear / Buying for Kids
We asked consumers to weigh in on their purchasing habits. When it comes to their kids’ shoes, parents let us know they have two main requirements: The shoes need to fit (59 percent said it was important to them that their child’s foot be measured during the shopping process) and they need to last (in the comments, “durability” came up again and again.)
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019
Consumers Talk Boots
When it comes to boots, consumers want them to be work-ready. We asked consumers what they lookf or in their boots, and the results were illuminating. Most respondents said the boots they regularly bought were for function: cold weather boots, rain boots, work boots or hiking boots.
November / December 2018
Let The Shoes Tell The Story
What’s a work shoe? Anything you need — or want — it to be. While pumps, laceups and dressed-up styles may have been the workwear bywords of the past, today’s playing field is as broad as the market itself...
July / August 2018
Inside the Mind of the Footwear Shopper
What do customers really want out of a footwear shopping experience? Where do they buy their shoes and how often do they expect them to last?
September / October 2018
What Consumers Think of Foot Scanners
People WANT more information about themselves — AND they’re open to the technology that gives it to them. That’s the takeaway from our survey with MESH01 about the consumer’s openness to the new generation of foot scanning systems...
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