Between the lines: why do people behave irrationally and how to make money on it?
We have carefully read the book of American researcher Dan Ariely, “Behavioral Economics”, and now we are eager to share with you some knowledge about what illogical actions are made by absolutely every person, as well as modest assumptions about how this can be used in the shoe business.
Dan Ariely's observation: It is difficult for people to make choices when objects have no common features for comparison. For example, the girls studied could not decide who they would rather go on a date with - conditional George Clooney or Brad Pitt. But as soon as slightly worsened versions of “Clooney” and “Pitt” were sequentially added to the photos of these types of characters, the women immediately realized who they liked more. It turned out that on the sheet with photos “Pitt”, “Deteriorated Pitt” and “Clooney” the type of “Brad Pitt” seemed to be the most attractive, and on the sheet with the versions “Pitt”, “Clooney” and “Deteriorated Clooney” the choice most often fell on the type of George Clooney. The essence of this observation by Dan Ariely is that when a thing has an analogue for comparison, the thing seems much more advantageous not only in comparison with its “flawed” option, but also in comparison with all other things that seemed to be equivalent in value.
Shoes Report Assumption: This feature of human behavior can be used in merchandising. Try to put poorly selling models with even more unattractive, but similar in type. And those that seem completely hopeless leftovers can be ventured to present with bestsellers of other categories. For example, outsider ballet shoes can increase their chances of being sold next to a hit stud, because the buyer will not be able to identify a favorite among them, but if properly presented, they will fall under the “charm” of both.
Dan Ariely's observation: As if the newly hatched goslings, taking for mother the first object that came into view, a person remains under the power of the first price he sees for a long time. This is called the imprinting effect, and its peculiarity is that the first price becomes an “anchor” only when a person seriously thinks about buying at this price. Even if the “anchor” price is too high or too low, a person will consider it fair and will begin to compare the price of all other goods with this very first seen anchor price.
Shoes Report Assumption: It is worth placing bestsellers on display cases and equipment in the entrance area, for which it is not a pity to charge a high price. Paying attention to the excellent boots (and even having a brief thought about whether to purchase them) and their price, the buyer will compare this price with the price of boots placed deep in the hall. If the "anchor" price is high, boots on the far shelves will seem an extremely advantageous offer.
Dan Ariely's observation: People very quickly get used to the things that they want to have, even if things in fact do not belong to them. In addition, the more efforts a person has to make to master a thing, the more valuable it becomes in his eyes. This contradiction successfully cakes auctions, fueling a real struggle for the lot between potential buyers. And the effect of habits is used by stores through the campaign "return if it does not fit."
Shoes Report Assumption: Do not be afraid to take risks and give an unconditional guarantee of return. Try the phrase "you can just return the boots if you try them on at home and realize that you don’t like them." Most likely, the percentage of returns will not be as high as usual: it will be psychologically difficult for customers to part with a thing that they have already considered theirs.
Dan Ariely's observation: Adaptation to a new price is best tolerated by a person if, at the same time, the product or service has also changed.
Shoes Report Assumption: If you are planning a price increase in your store, do not forget to create an entourage to improve the quality of goods and services. Change the lighting, defuse the layout, set up a sofa or print badge sellers.
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Store Manager: Strategic Asset or Redundant Position?
Owners of small shoe stores often juggle multiple roles: negotiating with suppliers, managing inventory, handling marketing, and even personally participating in sales. In such an environment, it's difficult to focus on strategic development and operational management. This is where a store manager comes in – a key employee who oversees daily processes and ensures stable business growth. However, many owners believe they can handle this on their own. SR fashion business management and development expert Maria Gerasimenko explains why a store manager is essential and why you can't do without one if you want to grow and scale your business.
Euro Shoes — March 4-7, 2026 at the WTC Congress Center
From March 4th to 7th, leading brands from Europe, Asia, and the CIS will gather at the WTC Congress Center in Moscow to present their Fall/Winter 2026 collections, capture current trends, and set the direction for the fashion industry.
What factors influence pricing, and how to work with retail prices for shoes
Footwear retail is one of those segments that is highly dependent on seasonality. Pricing in the footwear business, in turn, depends on a multitude of factors, from production costs to the vagaries of weather and regional factors.SR's expert in product assortment and management, Emina Ponyatova, discusses the key principles of pricing footwear products, as well as the main pressure factors and challenges facing footwear retailers in 2025, and offers recommendations on how to ensure successful and profitable retail.
Customer profiling in a shoe store. What is this technique and how can it be used in sales?
Profiling is a scientific method of "reading people," allowing one to create a psychological profile of a person and predict their actions or behavior in certain situations, or even catch them in a lie. Profiling is used in sales because the salesperson needs to understand a person's emotional state and their underlying motivations for purchasing. An expert and practitioner in sales growth in fashion, SR, discusses this method and its practical application in footwear retail.
SOHO Fashion Group: 20 years of sustainable growth and collaboration with global brands
This year, SOHO Fashion Group celebrates its 20th anniversary—a significant milestone that highlights the company's sustainable development and its contribution to shaping the Russian fashion market. During this period, the company has established a leading position in the industry, forging strong relationships with international brands and establishing itself as a reliable representative of the fashion segment.
Just a month until the Euro Shoes exhibition in Moscow!
We are counting down the days for the main international exhibition of footwear and accessories Euro Shoes Premiere Collection in Moscow! The exhibition will be held from August 27 to 30 at a new premium venue – the capital's congress center WTC on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.
Salvatore Ferragamo's Shoes Inspire Pastry Chefs
Italian confectioners have created cakes that are exact copies of six legendary pairs of shoes from the archives of the Italian "Shoemaker to the Stars" maestro Salvatore Ferragamo. They were presented in the 10_11 restaurant of the Milan hotel Portrait Milano, which is part of the hotel management company owned by the Ferragamo family.
Main trend themes for footwear and bags collections for the fall-winter 2025/26 season
Whatever aesthetics your collection adheres to - craft heritage, elegant minimalism inspired by traditions or, conversely, futuristic forms - if your customer strives to be fashionable and you need to regularly update your assortment with current trendy novelties, pay attention to the design trends, models and details of women's shoes and bags in the fall-winter 2025/26 season described in this article. To prepare it, the author used materials from the international trend bureau Fashion Snoops, which is a source of commercial forecasts for the seasons ahead, and current trend analytics of key events in the fashion industry around the world: industry exhibitions, shows, shows.
How Pareto's Law Works in a Shoe Retail Store
Analysis of the company's performance is an important quality of a manager. Many indicators in the retail business are subject to analysis, primarily - sales planning and inventory balances, KPI performance by employees, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, the number of sellers, their work schedules and many other factors that affect the final result of the store. In this material, SR expert on increasing sales in shoe retail Evgeny Danchev, using the Pareto principle, understands the reasons why revenue and volumes of goods sold are distributed very unevenly between weekdays and weekends. The author is confident that the Pareto principle is indispensable in the systemic analysis of sales management efficiency and sales results. But it is important to apply it correctly and interpret its meaning.
Clarks: 200 years of quality, style and innovation
In 2025, the legendary British brand Clarks celebrates its 200th anniversary – an impressive milestone that demonstrates its enduring relevance, impeccable quality and global appeal.recognition of the brand. Since its foundation in 1825, the company has not only created shoes, but also set the standards for comfort and style, remaining a symbol of British craftsmanship and innovation.
New brand in the SOHO FASHION portfolio – BEVERLY HILLS POLO CLUB
SOHO Fashion continues to grow and develop in the Russian footwear market, and in 2025, the leading distributor's brand portfolio added a new one – the legendary BeverlyHills Polo Club (BHPC). This is an international brand that has become a symbol of the American way of life, freedom and style. Founded in the 1980s, it is inspired by the spirit of polo sport, which
associated with elitism, aristocracy and an active lifestyle.
Micam and Livetrend presented a selection of footwear trends for the spring-summer 2026 season
The Italian international footwear fair Micam presents the "Spring-Summer 2026 Trend Guide", developed in collaboration with Livetrend. The guide is based on the analysis of social networks, online marketplaces and fashion shows, as well as new technologies such as artificial intelligence and Big Data.
The Battle for the Sports Shoe Market
Fashion market experts and economic analysts predict a decline in sales of Nike and Adidas. The leadership positions of the unsinkable sports giants may be seriously shaken in the coming years, as they are being pushed out by young, bold and active competitors – challenger brands. Why is this happening, and what are the main reasons for such changes? Daniya Tkacheva, a fashion market expert and practitioner with 20 years of experience in sales management, and 13 years of experience in the Nike Russia team and fashion retail, shares her view on the situation on the market in the sportswear and footwear segment.
The cyclicality of fashion and its impact on the financial results of the fashion business
Stylists and experts never tire of telling both professionals and ordinary consumers of goods and services in the fashion industry that fashion develops cyclically. The cyclicality of fashion has a significant impact on the financial results of the fashion business, since it dictates periods of demand and decline and determines which goods will be in demand at a certain moment. SR expert in assortment planning and management Emina Ponyatova talks about which aspects of the cyclicality of fashion should be taken into account by shoe retailers in their work, and how they affect the financial performance of the business.
PETER KAISER - the best brand of 2025!
"CAPRICE Schuhproduktion GmbH has received a certificate for awarding PETER KAISER the title of "Top Brand 2025".
Shoe educational program: what shoe soles are made of
“What is the difference between TEP and EVA? What does tunit promise me? Is PVC glue? What is the sole of these shoes made of? ”- the modern buyer wants to know everything. In order not to smash his face in front of him and be able to explain whether such a sole suits him in soles, carefully read this article. In it, process engineer Igor Okorokov tells what materials the soles of shoes are made of and what makes each of them so good.
How to set prices that will earn
Some businessmen still confuse the concept of margin with the concept of trade margins and set prices for their goods, guided solely by the example of competitors. No wonder they go broke! Analyst at the Academy of Retail Technologies Maxim Gorshkov gives several tips and formulas with which you can set not only ruinous, but also profitable prices.
Sales of shoes and accessories: effective techniques for business rhetoric
Which speech modules are effective in communicating with potential and current customers of shoe stores, and which are not, Anna Bocharova, a business consultant, knows.
We form the salary of sellers: expert advice
“How do you charge your consultants for personal or general sales?” Is one of the most popular questions causing a lot of controversy and gossip on the online forums of retail business owners. Indeed, how to properly form the earnings of sellers? But what about bonuses, where to get a sales plan from, do employees allow them to buy goods at discounted stores? In search of truth, the Shoes Report turned to a dozen shoe retailers, but no company wanted to disclose its motivation system - the process of its development was too complicated and individual. Then we asked four business consultants, and finally became convinced that the topic of seller motivation is very complex, because even our experts could not come to a common opinion.
The whole truth about Bayer. Who is he and how to become one?
Bayer is no longer a new, but still a popular and sought-after profession. It’s fashionable to be a buyer. Buyers are at the origins of the emergence and development of trends. If the designer offers his vision of fashion in the season, then the buyer selects the most interesting commercial ideas. It is on buyers that the policy of sales of stores and what, in the end, the buyer will wear depends on. This profession is surrounded by a magical fleur, often associated with a lack of understanding of what exactly is the work of a buyer.
Technology Selling Issues
There is nothing worse than meeting the buyer with the words “Hello, can I help you with something?”, Because the seller works in the store just to help. Criticizing this well-established pattern of communication with the buyer, Andrei Chirkarev, business coach for effective sales and the founder of the New Economy project, shares the technology of truly selling issues with readers of Shoes Report.
Fur, and not only: types of lining
In the production of winter footwear, various materials are used that are designed to retain heat and meet the requirements of consumers: natural sheepleather, artificial fur, artificial fur from natural wool and others. All types of lining fur have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let's consider the properties of each of them.
The best models of Czech shoes of the past
In Soviet times, for shoes from Czechoslovakia sold under the Cebo brand, customers stood in line for four hours and did not regret it, because Czech shoes were considered to be of high quality, comfortable and fashionable. Shoe designer Juraj Shushka shared a photo archive of his collection with Shoes Report magazine, which contains the most interesting Cebo models from the 1940's to the 1980's.
Retail Arithmetic
Before you begin to solve specific problems, you need to find out how accurately all the leaders of your company understand the basic terminology of retail.
How to fire a worker without tears, scandal and trial
Sooner or later, any manager is faced with the need to part with an employee. Properly and on time the dismissal procedure will save the company money, and the boss himself - nerves and time. But why sometimes, knowing that a break in relations is inevitable, we put off the decision for months?
