Shoe drop: Back-to-school footwear buyers shop earlier for fewer, pricier pairs

World Cup-driven sales provide a rare bright spot as price anxiety pushes consumers 
toward promos and quality, keeping a lid on margins

NEW YORK (July 20, 2026) — Economic and cultural drivers converged on U.S. families shopping for back-to-school footwear as rising prices, a K-shaped economy, and the FIFA Men’s World Cup shaped behavior during the critical sales season.

The 2026 AlixPartners U.S. Consumer and Executive Footwear Survey, in partnership with the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA), showed that half of prospective buyers expect prices to rise over the next six months, and a third plan to trim their purchases from last year.

The survey, which polled over 1,000 U.S. consumers in June, showed consumer demand for back-to-school footwear remains strong, but budgets are stretched even more this year than last.  Footwear prices jumped significantly in response to tariffs, shipping, and materials, with increases for teens and children outpacing those for adult shoes.

This, combined with persistently high food and energy costs, is putting significant pressure on the size and share of the wallet earmarked for footwear. “Consumers are responding by demanding quality and buying fewer pairs rather than lower-priced shoes,” said Bryan Eshelman, Partner & Managing Director at AlixPartners.

Key highlights of the survey include:

• Price anxiety is high as more people plan to spend less
• Sales are split evenly between in-store and online
• Amazon expands market reach, but with a lower unit spend
• Specialists and outlets winning over trading apps
• Celebrity endorsement is becoming a real factor in sales
• AI use focused on pricing and availability, not fit and style

Back-to-school shopping continues to be pulled forward as buyers try to lock in prices and secure availability, with quality outpacing quantity. Purchasing intentions continue to diverge sharply by income, with more affluent tiers projected to spend 4% more compared with last year and lower tiers trimming 10% from their footwear budgets. Consumers are sticking with trusted brands, so long as quality and durability hold. 

Athletic and athleisure shoes are the fastest-growing category, with net spending expected to rise 11% from last year. The timing of the World Cup, held in June and July, pulled forward some purchases and may also have driven some splurge spending. Almost a third of those surveyed said footwear purchases were influenced by celebrity endorsement. “The World Cup is definitely a tailwind for the big athletic footwear brands,” said Eshelman.

Changing consumer expectations and the economic backdrop are squeezing manufacturers and retailers, leaving them with limited pricing power amid cost pressures. Fully 79% of the executives surveyed expect higher landed costs – which include manufacturing, distribution, and marketing - while barely a third expect to raise prices by up to 5%.

“The findings highlight the pressure families face, especially with kids' shoe prices up the most in almost four years as the back-to-school season begins," said Matt Priest, President and CEO of the FDRA.

About the AlixPartners U.S. Consumer and Executive Footwear Survey

Conducted in June 2026, the survey polled more than 1,000 U.S. consumers (ages 15 and above) across regions, age groups, and income levels.  

For more information about the survey, follow this link to our report. 
 
About AlixPartners
AlixPartners is a results-driven global consulting firm that specializes in helping businesses successfully capitalize on opportunity and address critical challenges. Our clients include companies, corporate boards, law firms, investment banks, private equity firms, and others. Founded in 1981, AlixPartners is headquartered in New York and has offices in more than 25 cities worldwide. For more information, visit https://www.alixpartners.com.

About FDRA
FDRA is governed and directed by footwear executives and is the only trade organization focused solely on the footwear industry. Serving the full footwear supply chain, it boosts its members’ bottom lines through innovative products, training, consulting on footwear design and development, sourcing and compliance, trade and customs, advocacy, and consumer and sales trend analysis for shoe retailers around the world. FDRA supports 500 companies and brands worldwide, representing 95% of the total U.S. footwear industry. https://fdra.org/ 

Contact:

Ed Canaday
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