The General Situation And Coping Strategies Of Chinese Shoes In The US Market

The main consumer market of global footwear products is concentrated in two categories, one is developed countries and regions such as the United States, the European Union, Japan, Canada, and other countries and regions with large population, such as China, India and so on.

The developed countries and regions are booming, the consumption of per capita footwear is large, and the domestic labor cost is generally high. The footwear industry has been shrinking in recent years, so footwear products generally rely on imports to form a huge import market.

But its consumer market has been mature and stable after years of development, and the market demand is saturated.

Developing countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Brazil and other developing countries in Asia and central and South America have large population and good economic development in recent years. At present, the per capita consumption of shoe products is low, which should be the most potential consumer market for footwear products in the future.

In the import market, European countries are the most active areas in the import market of footwear products. In 2005, they reached about 35 billion 800 million US dollars, accounting for 49% of the total global imports, followed by the North American market, Asia, central and South America, Africa and Oceania.

The growth rate was faster in the central and South American markets. The imports in 2005 and 2004 increased by about 30.2% and 33.8% respectively compared with the previous year.

The African market also achieved steady and rapid growth. The imports in 2005 and 2004 increased by 14.8% and 14.6% respectively over the previous year.

In addition, the import markets of other continents also showed a good growth trend.

Tables 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4 and 2-5 are the main statistical data of China's footwear exports from 2004 to the first half of 2008: the main statistics data units of China's footwear exports in the first half of the year: quantity (100 million pairs), amount (100 million dollars), the amount of China's shoes export main statistics data units in 2-22005 years, the amount (100 million pairs), the amount (100 million dollars), the amount of China's footwear export statistics, the main statistics data unit of China's shoes export: the quantity (100 million pairs), the amount (100 million), the amount of the main statistics data unit of China's shoes export in 2-42007 years, the amount (100 million pairs), the amount ($100 million), the United States and the United States, the domestic market is vast.

Since the mid 1970s, the adjustment of the US economic structure and the pfer of labor-intensive industries to overseas have been mainly dependent on imports.

The rapid development of the US economy has made the American people's living standard very high. The demand for footwear is higher than that of other countries. The consumption of shoes is obviously higher than that of other countries. This provides great business opportunities for the export of Chinese footwear products to the United States.

Throughout the United States, the United States is the world's leading consumer market for finished shoes and the main export market for Chinese shoes. By the year 2007, the United States remains the first market for China's shoes exports. But since the outbreak of the subprime mortgage crisis in March last year, the US consumer index has declined, which has affected the export of Chinese shoes to the United States.

The US market profile: sales in 2005 were about $45 billion.

According to optimistic estimates, by 2008, the sales of the footwear market in the United States will reach $45 billion 500 million, an increase of 10.2% compared with 2004.

Some products, such as small market demand, few manufacturers and more market opportunities, such as professional sports shoes, will maintain strong demand growth in the next few years.

But the overall footwear market will continue to grow slowly.

In the past few years, the retail industry in the United States has undergone changes in integration and ownership. In the next few years, the wholesale customers of the top five footwear manufacturers in the United States may integrate, merge and restructure, which will affect their market share to a certain extent.

In addition, Nike, Brown shoes and Reebok International Ltd are the top manufacturers of the footwear industry in the United States, but none of these big brands occupy the absolute market share.

In recent years, the import volume and amount of footwear products in the United States have maintained steady growth.

According to statistics from the US Bureau of statistics, the import value of American footwear products reached US $19 billion 200 million in 2006, an increase of 36.2% over 1999.

Among them, 2 billion 400 million pairs of finished shoes were imported, and the import amount amounted to US $18 billion 800 million, an increase of 5.5% and 7% respectively over 2005.

Market classification: in all kinds of shoes, the consumption of women's shoes is slightly larger than that of men's shoes, and the consumption of children's shoes is small, accounting for 10% of sales.

In 2004, for example, the consumption of women's shoes in the United States reached 820 million pairs, up 11.3% from 740 million pairs in 2003.

According to the import data, 810 million pairs were imported in 2004, an increase of 11.5% over 730 million pairs in 2003.

Footwear consumption accounts for about 15% of the per capita clothing consumption in the United States. Under normal circumstances, the average consumption of female consumers on clothing is higher than that of male consumers by more than 80%.

Therefore, the women's shoes market has greater prospects for development.

The footwear market in the United States is very seasonal. Sales season is mainly concentrated in school holidays, holidays and Easter holidays.

In terms of the import types of footwear products in the United States, leather shoes account for the largest proportion, import volume is 930 million pairs, the import amount is 12 billion 200 million dollars, accounting for 63.5% of the total footwear products imports, followed by plastic shoes, the import volume is 990 million pairs, the import amount is 4 billion 400 million dollars, accounting for 22.9% of the total import of footwear products, the import of textile face shoes is 440 million pairs, the import amount is 2 billion 100 million dollars, accounting for 10.9% of the total import of footwear products.

In terms of sales channels, the footwear industry in the United States is still the most important sales channel, occupying nearly 50% of sales.

The Department Store ranked second, occupying 20% of the sales share.

Hypermarkets account for about 17% of the sales share, and such sales channels are mainly price advantages.

From the perspective of consumer groups, different types of shoes consume different occupations.

Importing countries, the main importers of American shoes, China, Italy, Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia, in 2005, their imports amounted to US $12 billion 730 million, US $1 billion 140 million, US $1 billion 30 million, US $720 million and US $520 million, respectively, accounting for 71%, 6.4%, 5.7%, 4% and 2.9% of us footwear imports in 2005.

Imports from China, Vietnam and Indonesia increased by 12.1%, 51.9% and 5.5% compared with 2004, while imports from Italy and Brazil decreased by 9.2% and 5.2% respectively.

In 2005, the import of footwear products from the five countries in the United States accounted for nearly 90% of the total imports of footwear products in that year.

The US imports from China, Italy, Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia were 1 billion 950 million pairs, 79 million 947 thousand pairs, 67 million 921 thousand pairs, 47 million 474 thousand pairs and 27 million 795 thousand pairs, respectively, accounting for 85.3%, 3.5%, 3%, 2.1% and 1.2% of the total imports of American finished shoes in 2005.

Imports from China, Vietnam and Indonesia increased by 8.6%, 43.5% and 1.5% compared with 2004, while imports from Brazil and Italy decreased by 19.2% and 20.7% respectively.

In recent years, the rapid development of Vietnam's footwear industry has attracted more attention from American footwear traders. The US government and the Vietnamese government have reached bilateral trade agreements to pave the way for Vietnamese footwear products to enter the US market.

In 2006, the amount of footwear imported from Vietnam reached 960 million US dollars, an increase of 33% over 2005, an increase of 800% over 2000.

In 2005, the average price of imports of American made shoes was 7.72 US dollars per pair, an increase of 2.27% compared with 2004.

In 2005, the average price of imports of shoes from China, Italy, Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia was 6.45 US dollars, 40.64 US dollars, 12.79 US dollars, 10.62 US dollars and 10.95 US dollars per US, respectively, which increased 3.2%, 14.4%, 17.2%, 6% and 4% respectively compared with 2004. The average import price from Italy is 6.3 times of the average import price from China.

According to the average unit price of imported footwear from the United States, the average price of imports of American made shoes in 2005 was US $7.72 per pair, up 2.27% compared with 2004.

In 2005, the average price of imports of shoes from China, Italy, Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia was 6.45 US dollars, 40.64 US dollars, 12.79 US dollars, 10.62 US dollars and 10.95 US dollars per US, respectively, which increased 3.2%, 14.4%, 17.2%, 6% and 4% respectively compared with 2004. The average import price from Italy is 6.3 times of the average import price from China.

Italy and other European shoe making countries occupy the high-end footwear market in the United States. In recent years, the average price of imports is more than 5 times that of Chinese shoes, and it is increasing year by year.

China's footwear products occupy an absolute advantage in import volume and total import volume, but the average import price of finished shoes is relatively low, and the average unit price of all kinds of footwear products are lower than the average price of the US import market.

Southeast Asian countries are also low-end products exported to the United States, but the average price is much higher than that of Chinese footwear products.

Therefore, how to improve the product quality and change the trade mode of winning by quantity is an urgent problem to be solved in China's footwear export.

Industry Outlook 2008, women's shoes will remain the largest sales category in the footwear market in the United States. It is expected to achieve sales of US $22 billion 900 million and occupy more than 50% of the market share.

The sales of men's shoes will reach US $18 billion 300 million, and the sales of children's shoes will reach US $4 billion 300 million.

In addition, as the market trend is strengthened, casual shoes and sandals will also maintain a relatively fast growth in the next few years.

The United States is the world's largest importer of footwear products. At present, the free trade policy on footwear products has made its import market steady growth in recent years.

The United States imports footwear products from more than 180 countries and regions around the world, and products from China have always occupied the absolute share of its import market.

According to our customs statistics, in 2007, China exported 1 billion 985 million pairs of footwear to the United States, down 0.69% from the same period last year, and exports totaled 8 billion 139 million US dollars, up 8.11% from the same period last year. The average unit price was 4.10 US dollars / double, an increase of 8.86% over the same period last year.

Table 2-6 is the main statistics of China's footwear exports to the United States from 2004 to 2007. 2-6, the statistics of China's shoe exports to the United States 2004-2007 years ago. Since the outbreak of the "subprime mortgage crisis" in March last year, the US consumer index has slipped. This affected the export volume of China's footwear products to the United States declined in 2007. At the same time, by the reduction of the export tax rebate and the continuous appreciation of RMB, the profits of footwear export enterprises were compressed. In the first half of 2008, the number of exports to the United States was 1 billion 51 million pairs, down 5.40% from the same period last year; the export amount was 4 billion 354 million US dollars, up 6.76% over the same period last year; the unit price was 4.14 dollars / double, an increase of 12.86% over the previous year.

The export of Chinese footwear exports to the US market in the 2-32008 month, the average export price of China's shoes exported to the United States was mainly leather shoes. In 2007, China's leather shoes exported to the United States increased by 3.3% dollars, accounting for 56% percent of the total export volume of China's footwear products, and the average export price was 7.15 dollars / double. The export volume of plastic shoes exported to the United States was US dollars, up from the same period last year, accounting for the total amount of footwear exported to the United States; the export of textile surface shoes to US dollars, up from the same period last year, accounting for the total amount of footwear exported to the United States. The average export price was US $/ double, up from the same period last year. Figures 2-3 and 2-4 show the trend of China's footwear exports to the US market from 1 to July 2008, the export volume and the export average price change trend 2-22008 years 1-7

Table 2-7 and figure 2-2 are the statistical data products of China's footwear products exported to the US market in 2007 (according to the export amount): table 2-72007, the export statistics of the 2-2 categories of Chinese shoes exported to the United States in the past 2-42007 years, the product structure of China's footwear products exported to the US market (according to the export amount), the advantages and problems of the export of Chinese footwear products to the United States. At present, over 95% of the U. S. footwear products market relies on imports, and shoes imported from China account for about 60% of the total imports of their footwear products, and even non rubber shoes even reach 80%.

Even some American brands, such as Nike, are basically