Sporting goods franchises: a market overview. Development of a marketing strategy for promoting sports shoes to the market

There are four main positioning mistakes that firms should strive to avoid:

1. surface positioning, i.e. in general, the loss by this firm of any clearly defined position;
2. one-sided positioning, i.e. creating a too narrow view of the company among buyers;
3. ambiguous positioning - the creation of a confused idea among buyers about this company;
4. speculative unseemly positioning. (an attempt to create an overly exaggerated idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe capabilities of the company, the merits of its products and brands among consumers.

A number of positioning strategies are used to shape and anchor certain perceptions in the minds of consumers. Positioning is based on associative links between the product and product characteristics or other stimulating factors. Successful firms tend to stick to well-defined differentiating advantages and avoid sudden shifts in their market position.

2. Adidas sporting goods market segmentation

2.1 Marketing research plan

In the practical part of the course work, the trademark " Adidas.

Marketing research plan:

1. Study and selection of research methods
2. Determining the data collection method
3. Data collection
4. Grouping received data
5. Data analysis

A reporting form for systematizing the collected information is presented in Appendix A.

1. Description of the studied market based on secondary sources of information.

Adidas is a German industrial concern specializing in the production of sports shoes, clothing and equipment. The company is currently responsible for the distribution of products from Adidas, Reebok, Rockport, Y-3, RBK & CCM Hokey, and Taylor-Made Golf.

Year of foundation - 1824

Location - Herzogenaurach, Germany

Key figures – Adolf Dassper (founder), Herbert Heiner (CEO)

The motto of the company - Impossible is possible

• 1920 - Shortly afterWorld War I, early 1920 The Dasslers at the family council decided to organize a family business - tailoring shoes. The first products of the Dassler family were slippers and orthopedic shoes for training disabled athletes (of which there were many after the war). The material for them was decommissionedmilitary uniformand the soles were cut out of oldcar tires.
• 1924 - Adolf's elder brother also joined the production, Rudolph. July 1, 1924 The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory was founded. Two brothers with opposite personalities complement each other - Adolf is a calm and balanced producer, while Rudolf is an active and sociable salesman.
• 1929 - For the first time, football boots appear in the assortment of the brothers' factory.
• 1932 - On 1932 Olympics German Artur Jonat , speaking in Dassler shoes, became the third in the 100 meters. This becomes the first major success of an advertising campaign based on collaboration with athletes.
• 1948 - In the spring, shortly after the death of their father, the brothers part because of a quarrel. Rudolph took one factory for himself, and Adolf another. They agreed not to use the name and symbols of the family business. Adi named his company Addas and Rudy named his company Ruda. But after a few months, Addas turns into Adidas(abbreviation for Adi Dassler) and Ruda is inPuma . So the world famous brand at that time - Dassler ceased to exist.
  The brothers themselves remained silent about the reasons for the quarrel until the end of their days. Perhaps Rudy was never able to forgive Adi for not trying to get him out of the POW camp after the war, using his acquaintance with American officers. Or maybe they just couldn't share their father's inheritance. In any case, after the collapse of the family business, the brothers did not talk to each other, and Puma and Adidas became the most bitter competitors.
• 1949 - Adolf violated the agreement on the non-use of the symbols of the "Dassler Factory". He took two stripes from the Dassler emblem, added a third to them and patented the resulting ones as the Adidas symbol. It is happened August 18, 1949.
• 1952 - Adidas begins to produce other products under the brand name Adidas. First breakdown diversification was the production of sports bags. And although sneakers remain the main production, Adolf is looking for a partner who will take over the production of clothing. By chance, at some party, he meets the owner of a textile factory.Willy Seltenreichand orders him a thousand tracksuits with three stripes down the sleeves. The goods went well, and the partners liked each other so much that soon Seltenreich began to sew only for Adidas. On theOlympic Games - 52, Emil Zatopek in sports shoes, Adidas wins gold medals within three weeks. He wins in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and marathon (This is an achievement that has not been surpassed to this day). Zatopek's wife, meanwhile, wins the javelin throwing.
• 1975 - Adolf Dassler becomes an honorary member of the American Sporting Goods Association - the first among non-Americans.
• 1976 - On Olympic Gamesathletes equipped with Adidas won 75 gold, 86 silver and 88 bronze medals (This record has not been broken so far).
• 1978 - Adolf Dassler dies and the management of the company passes to his widow Katarina. passes FIFA World Cup in Argentina. The official ball of the Championship is Adidas Tango.
• 1989 - 51-year-old Horst died, his sisters tried to run the company, but quickly realized that they did not have the appropriate scope and competence, so they sold 80% of their shares for only 440 million DM to a French entrepreneur Bernardo Tapi , the then owner of the French football club "Olympique Marseille". Top managers come to the company as development consultants Rob Strasser and Peter Moore , it is according to their idea that a specialized Performance direction is being developed under the motto "Back to the roots".
• 1990 - Adidas becomes catastrophic: losses reach 100 million dollars . French investor Bernard Tapie acquires 80% of the company's shares. Thus, Adidas ceases to be a family business of the Dassler family.
• 1997 - Adidas acquires the French firm " Salomon Sports ”, a leading manufacturer of winter sports products, and up to 2005 The group is called Adidas-Salomon. This move allowed the firm to become the world's second largest manufacturer of sporting goods after Nike.
• 2005 - May 2 Amer Sports concern buys the company from Adidas Salomon Sports . For another three years (until 2009) Salomon will sell its products through the Adidas retail network, at the end of this period, the complete withdrawal of Salomon departments from the Adidas structure is expected. In August the concern Adidas-Salomon AG bought out 100% of the shares of his competitor for $3.8 billion Reebok International Ltd . The Reebok takeover allowed Adidas to increase its stake in the company's most important American sporting goods market up to 20% and get as close as possible to the market leader - the company Nike , which controls 35%.

Adidas is one of the most important advertisers, focusing on TV advertisements featuring such world stars as Lionel Messi , Frank Lampard , Steven Gerrard , David Beckham , Arjen Robben , Lukas Podolski , David Villa , Michael Ballack , Ana Ivanovic , Marat Safin , Kevin Garnett , Tracey McGrady , Derrick Rose , Dwight Howard , Novak Djokovic , Mario Ancic and others

Adidas signed sponsorship contracts with such well-known football clubs as, Milan, FC Bayern München, Real Madrid, FC Chelsea, Dynamo Kyiv, Lokomotiv, FC Liverpool and others, as well as Russian, Spanish, German, Greek, Mexican, Romanian, Japanese, Argentinean, Ukrainian, Nigerian and other football teams.

September 8, 2008 Adidas has signed a partnership agreement withRussian Football Union. According to the newspaper " Vedomosti ”, the total amount of the agreement, concluded for a period of 10 years, will be $100 million.

2.3 Consumer survey(Appendix B)

The survey results are presented in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1– survey results

Continuation of table 2.1

Description of work

The purpose of this course work is to study the concepts of market segmentation, conducting marketing research, including consumer surveys, drawing up a portrait of a consumer, conducting product segmentation, determining market share and capacity, and choosing a target market.

Content

Abstract 2
Introduction 4
Content, essence of marketing research, segmentation 5
1.1. Basic concepts 5
1.2. Marketing Research Methods 6
1.3. Primary and secondary sources of information. Sample 15
1.4. Questionnaire 20
1.5. Stages of market segmentation 24
1.6. Segmentation base selection 26
1.7. Criteria and signs of segmentation 27
1.8. Selecting target markets 35
1.9. Product positioning in the market 40
Nike 43 Sportswear Market Segmentation
2.1. Market research plan 43
2.2. Description of the researched market based on secondary sources of information 44
2.3 Consumer survey (survey results) 48
2.4 Generalization and grouping of the obtained data 56
2.5. Rating assessment of the main characteristics of the goods of the trademark "Adidas" 63
2.6. Calculation of the market share and capacity of the Adidas brand products 64
2.7. Ways to win, maintain and expand market share 68
Conclusion 69
List of used literature

"Markets for factors of production" - Sell goods and services. Goods and services. Income from factors of production Rent Wages Interest. The market for factors of production. BUYERS - demand. The purpose of the lesson. Market. Market of goods and services. Factors of production F.p. are alienated from their owners FOREVER, i.e. there is a SALE of f.p.

"Market structures" - However, such a system has actually shown its inefficiency. Fundamental question. The most important principles of pricing. The law of value in the market economy. The market method of pricing is the formation of prices in the sphere of sale. The process of market formation in Russia. Cost and price are economic categories of the market.

"Economy money and the market" - 3. Banks in the economy. What material does Aristotle propose to use in the form of money? 2. Money and economy. Questions for the class: Prices for goods and services are formed depending on supply and demand in the market. Summing up the lesson. Using additional material, tell us about the history of money.

"The market of goods" - Theme: Market economy. The first type is the market for raw food products. One of the largest markets in Ukraine is the Barabashov market. It is typical for flour and cereals, sugar and a number of other industries. The combination "Forex market" is usually used. 4) The labor market. 6) Market of services. 5) The housing market. In its most striking form, the labor market exists in the form of a labor exchange.

"Market relations" - Exchange obligation to give (at all levels). Delayed exchange. Urgent exchange Market economy Market. Moscow and St. Petersburg: acquaintance - 27% announcement - 20% direct - 19.5%. Urgent exchange. "Problems of local self-government". State. Labor market. Home and family: Ethics. Model competition. Treat gift service.

"Market segmentation" - Home. Need. Market segmentation. Elderly. After the formation of the target market, it is the turn of positioning, and not vice versa. Model. Scheme of market segmentation (for example, shoes). Children's. Sports. Demographic characteristics are easier to determine than most other variables.

In total there are 19 presentations in the topic

Until recently, almost all sports shops were focused on the sale of expensive sports goods of famous world brands. Only in the last five to seven years, companies that have entered and established themselves in the market have begun to consistently expand their assortment, including products of less famous and expensive brands. Despite the high level of profitability in the premium niche, network firms began to serve the consumer with an average income. With the expansion of the presence in different price niches, the assortment policy of sellers also changed: products of domestic manufacturers of sporting goods began to appear - clothing, goods for fishing and tourism.

Dynamics. The sporting goods market in Russia has been growing quite steadily over the past decade - by an average of 15-17% per year. A negative figure was recorded only in 2009, but then growth recovered again. This is justified by the growing demand of the population for sports and health services, as well as the increasing popularity of sports. The preparation and holding of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi also gave impetus to the growth of the sports goods market. By the beginning of 2015 compared to 2011, the sporting goods market grew by more than 60%. It is important to note that the market growth rate in terms of money is much higher than in real terms, which indirectly indicates an increase in the market share of the middle and upper segments.

According to the research “Market of sports equipment. Forecasts and Current Situation” by Intesco Research Group, the structure of demand for sports goods in Russia and America differs greatly by groups: in Russia, the demand for sportswear is 45% higher than in the USA; for simulators, on the contrary, it is lower by 35%, the demand for sports equipment in Russia is less than in America, by 10%.

Online trading. According to the study by TEBIZ GROUP "The market of online trade in goods for sports and outdoor activities in Russia", conducted in 2015, the share of the segment of goods for sports and outdoor activities in the market of online trade in Russia in 2014 was 3.3%. Relative to the number of online stores, the share of this segment was 5.8% in the online trading market. In value terms, the volume of the online sports goods market grew by 36% in 2014 and amounted to 20 billion rubles. 43% of online sales of sports goods come from medium-sized online stores that take more than 50 orders per day.

Online stores of sporting goods are most focused on such queries as "buy skis", "buy a trainer", "buy roller skates", etc. For sports online stores in November 2014 - October 2015, the most popular online queries were "buy a bike ” and “buy a tent” with 316,117 and 66,864 requests per month, respectively.

Among the leading players in the online trading market, Sportmaster.ru, Velodrive.ru, Velosite.ru, Air-gun.ru, Kant.ru, Activizm.ru and Alpindustria.ru were considered. In November 2015, the highest attendance rates were demonstrated by Sportmaster.ru and Air-gun.ru online stores, the rank of which was 6,956 and 44,581, respectively.

The structure of production and sales of sportswear. Foreign manufacturers are leaders in the Russian sportswear market: they account for about 80% of the market in terms of money. A significant part of the goods presented in Russia under foreign brands is of Asian origin, since many of the world's largest firms prefer to move their production to the countries of Southeast Asia. The share of goods of European origin accounts for about 10%. About 10% more are domestic products: for a long time they occupied an insignificant share, and only a few years ago the situation began to change. Russian manufacturers are actively developing. For example, Bask not only manufactures clothing and equipment for sports and outdoor activities, but also exports its products to 12 countries around the world. The Velomotors company is a domestic leader in the production of bicycles. And the Center for Sports Technologies in Balabanov provides about 70% of the total Russian domestic ski market. Not bad is the case with tailoring for sports. One can single out, for example, such St. Petersburg enterprises as Iceberg, Baltic Bridge or Sparta, which is the technical sponsor of the Russian Freestyle Federation. The Tver company Mustang-2, one of the oldest Russian enterprises, does not lag behind them. The production of hockey equipment is also well developed. In terms of price-quality ratio, such well-known domestic manufacturers as Luch, EFSI and others have proven themselves to be excellent.

Segmentation of the Russian sportswear market. The market can be segmented by price. Belonging to a particular segment determines, as a rule, the place where sportswear is sold. Clothes of the upper price segment are sold in specialized boutiques; medium - in mono-brand boutiques and multi-brand networks; the lower price segment - in the markets and in small stores that are not part of the chain.

The highest growth rates recorded in recent years in the middle and upper price segments mean a redistribution of the sales structure in favor of specialized sports stores and boutique chains, as well as mono-brand stores.

Distribution specifics and trends in the sportswear segment. It is important to note that the distribution of sportswear is still controversial. Many companies combine the functions of wholesale and retail trade, which is why some brands have a limited presence in retail. Nevertheless, a clearly manifested trend is the development of the market according to the scenario of the absorption of weak players by strong ones and the redistribution of the market among a small number of companies.

The main trends in the sportswear retail segment are as follows:

• absorption of small multi-brand retailers by large chains;
• increase in the number of mono-brand stores of world manufacturers of sports products;
• increase in the average area of ​​sports stores;
• an increase in the area of ​​sports shops dedicated to sportswear;
• targeting different demographic segments;
• development of networks of sports shops operating on a franchise basis;
• emergence and development of highly specialized networks

Almost every city with a population of more than 300 thousand people has several local, as well as regional and federal sports networks.

Despite the increasing competition in the Russian sportswear market, it remains attractive for existing players and opens up opportunities for new ones.

For Russian companies that plan further development in the sportswear segment, the most promising areas of work are the following:

• creation of clothes under private labels of chain players (this direction is practically absent in Russia, while in many European chains clothes under their own private labels take the lion's share of sales);
• creation of new brands (for example, using the names of famous athletes).

The main risks of companies in the Russian sporting goods market are related to insufficient study of consumer demand, difficulties in finding regional partners, and unclear legal regulations regarding various types of sports marketing.

Crisis and latest trends

Today, more and more Russians admit that they are forced to spend more on more expensive products and less on clothes and shoes. Accordingly, in favor of bread and milk, spending on sports goods is reduced. Although the sellers of skateboards and skis, skates and snowmobiles have not yet lost their optimism - if only the winter was frosty and snowy.

The “middle class”, the main consumer of sporting goods, who bought them in specialized stores, is getting poorer and shrinking. Experts believe that the share of cheap and low-quality consumer goods on the market may increase in the future, as it was during the 1998 and 2008 crises.

In general, according to the results of 2014, according to a study by the Infoline-Analytics agency, the capacity of the Russian sports goods market remained virtually unchanged compared to 2013, amounting to about 250 billion rubles. However, sales in physical terms decreased by more than 15%. In the general statistics of sales of sporting goods in the country, the first place is occupied by the Sportmaster retailer with a market share of 30%. In second place is adidas with a market share of 18%, followed by Decathlon with a market share of 6%.

The leaders of the Russian sporting goods market are slowing down the pace of expansion. According to Retailer.ru, Sportmaster reduced its growth plans in 2015: it was planned to open about 35 outlets in Russia against 70 in 2014. Due to current political tensions, which provoke the fall of the ruble and consumer risks, adidas slowed down development already in 2014, opening only 80 new stores against more than 200 in 2013.

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The global footwear production is 13.5 billion pairs. Almost all of the world's leading shoe manufacturers are located in Asia, and China has been the world's largest exporter of textiles and footwear for many years. Every second pair of footwear products is made in China.
Approximately 1.2 billion pairs of shoes are produced in Europe, of which 900 million pairs are produced in Western Europe and about 300 million pairs in Eastern Europe. In the medium and high-end footwear segment, the Italian shoe industry is considered the world leader, and Italian shoemakers are in fact generally recognized trendsetters in the global shoe fashion. In terms of shoe production, Italy ranks third in the world after China and Brazil. The Russian shoe industry produces about 0.3% of the world shoe production (based on http://www.econika.ru/ru/main/shoes/analytics and http://www.econika.ru/ru/main/shoes/analytics and http://www.atlant.ru/opt/stati_2418.htm).
The world buys an average of 1.9 pairs of shoes per person per year. In the USA, this figure is 6.5 pairs, in Europe - 3.8-4.5 pairs, in Southeast Asia - from 0.7 pairs, in India up to 2.0, in Russia - 1.35 pairs of shoes ( based on materials http://www.econika.ru/ru/main/shoes/analytics).

Diagram 1.
Number of pairs of shoes purchased per person per year *

As can be seen from Diagram 1, this indicator for Russia is below the world average, and footwear consumption in our country outstrips only the countries of Southeast Asia. The history of the formation of the branded footwear market in Russia began in the mid-90s, when manufacturers from Italy, Spain and Germany came to the country. In the minds of consumers, "made in Italy" became a substitute for brands, and during this period, any imported product, regardless of quality, was in demand. The consumer was poorly oriented in brands, and all Italian shoes were perceived as a single look. After the default, Western importers left the country, and vacant niches were occupied by Chinese brand-free products. During this period, a homogeneous product of anonymous sellers was presented on the market for all categories of buyers. In the late 1990s, the production of high-quality Russian footwear grew slowly: the demand was mainly for low-price footwear. In addition, the Russian footwear industry lacked equipment, technology and experience. In the early 2000s, leading Russian shoe manufacturers began placing orders with Chinese factories, partly solving the problem of high costs. However, this did not allow distinguishing national products from the general range in terms of quality and, accordingly, starting to create brands.

An important stage in the development of the Russian shoe market was the gradual formation in Moscow and St. Petersburg of narrow segments of advanced buyers who perceive shoes as an image item, a demonstration of status. These groups allowed the shoe market to develop, albeit slowly, but still, and also to look for ways to solve the quality problem. In large cities, the first mono-brand stores began to appear, working directly with Western manufacturers, a little later - multi- and mono-brand stores for the middle class (based on the article "The Market Inside Out", Ekaterina Alyabyeva, "Expert North-West" No. 11 (264) / March 20, 2006, http://www.expert.ru/printissues/northwest/2006/11/rynok_obuvi).

At present, China occupies a leading position in the Russian market in terms of footwear production. If two or three years ago the share of unbranded Chinese shoes on the Russian market was about 85%, now, according to the estimates of the electronic magazine Allshoes.ru, it has dropped to about 60% (diagram 2). At the same time, market participants do not advertise the presence of Chinese production, and if they talk about it, they emphasize the degree of control over product quality. It should be noted that, taking into account the "gray" turnover, the share of Chinese products in the Russian footwear market will increase (based on the review of the electronic magazine "Allshoes.Ru - All about footwear" http://www.allshoes.ru/news40.html and articles "The Market Inside Out", Ekaterina Alyabyeva, "Expert North-West" No. 11 (264) / March 20, 2006, http://www.expert.ru/printissues/northwest/2006/11/rynok_obuvi).

Diagram 2.
Shares of shoe-manufacturing countries in the Russian market, % (in this case, the countries where production is located are represented, the brand may belong to a company from another state)**.

** Source: ABARUS Market Research, based on the article "The Market Inside Out", Ekaterina Alyabyeva, "Expert North-West" No. 11(264) / March 20, 2006, http://www.expert.ru/printissues/northwest/2006 /11/rynok_shoes

As can be seen from Diagram 2, Russian manufacturers can still provide only 20% of the required number of shoes, so most of them have to be purchased abroad.
According to various estimates, the volume of the Russian shoe market in 2005 amounted to about 250-280 million pairs, in value terms, the market volume is estimated at $6-6.5 billion (according to http://www.atlant.ru/opt/ stati_2418.htm).

Diagram 3.
Dynamics of changes in the size of the Russian footwear market, million pairs*

Chart 3 shows that the size of the footwear market has been growing in recent years. The average annual market growth in real terms is 12-15%, for leading companies - 20-30% (according to http://www.atlant.ru/opt/stati_2418.htm). Thus, the turnover growth rate of Ekonika-obuv was 25%, Ralf ringer and Palmira - 30% each (diagram 4).

Diagram 4.
Turnover growth rate of leading Russian manufacturers in 2005, %**

** Based on the article "The Market Inside Out", Ekaterina Alyabyeva, "Expert North-West" No. 11 (264) / March 20, 2006, http://www.expert.ru/printissues/northwest/2006/11/rynok_obuvi

It should be noted that growth in the footwear industry is largely due to the exit from the shadow of individual manufacturers, as well as due to imported products. Domestic manufacturers are currently able to provide only a fifth of the required number of shoes, the share of imported footwear supplies to Russia is currently 70-80% of total sales (according to http://www.atlant.ru/opt/stati_2345.htm and http://www.business.dp.ua/ruslegprom/obzor/2005.05.31_1.htm)

According to the Ministry of Industry and Energy, more than 45 million pairs of leather shoes are produced in Russia annually. Currently, 260 large and medium-sized enterprises produce shoes in Russia. Production volumes are uneven - up to 90% of footwear is produced at 50 large enterprises. The leaders in the production of footwear are Bris-Bosfor LLC (Krasnodar Territory) and Unichel Shoe Factory CJSC (Chelyabinsk Region). Also in the ranks of the leading domestic manufacturers are such enterprises as Antelope, Westfalika, MUE Production LLC (Vladimir Region), Parizhskaya Kommuna MOF CJSC, Tula Shoe Factory LLC, Ralf Ringer and others. The Ministry of Industry and Energy claims that the quality of Russian footwear is much superior to similar types of imported footwear. Thus, inspections of shoe markets show that up to 80% of cheap imported shoes do not meet the requirements of Russian norms and standards.

Market experts say that every year there is a reduction in the number of Russian manufacturers by 10-15%, and most of the products produced are government orders and children's shoes. One of the most significant factors in the decline in Russian production is the insecurity of the domestic manufacturer from the illegal import of shoes into Russia. According to various estimates, shadow imports account for 60-80% of the total footwear imports. Another important reason is the high cost of Russian production and, accordingly, the low profitability of the business, which is about 3-5% (according to http://www.business.dp.ua/ruslegprom/obzor/2005.05.31_1.htm and http:/ /www.atlant.ru/opt/stati_2345.htm).

However, Russian manufacturers have new opportunities. Now there is a process of creating new Russian shoe production and the simultaneous formation of shoe retail chains. In recent years, shoe retail has been growing very dynamically: the number of stores within the chains has been increasing one and a half to two times a year.

At present, a number of large shoe companies, such as Tervolina, Ekonika and Palmira, have begun transformations in their retail stores. The quantitative direction of the reforms involves the expansion of networks. For example, "Tervolina" opens two to four stores a month, having about 70 stores of its own, and develops franchising. "Monarch" (Palmira's network) has 140 stores, "Carlo Pasolini" - about 50, "Econika" - 80, including franchising ones.

Qualitative reforms are carried out by increasing the level of service, changing the appearance and interiors of the store, changing the assortment policy, and introducing new sales technologies.
For example, "Econika-Obuv" began to promote the "casket" format - this is a point of sale, which is a cross between a classic mono-brand store and a boutique. It sells shoes from the upper part of the middle price segment, and a unique atmosphere is created by specially designed musical accompaniment, smells and service standards (based on the article "The Market Inside Out", Ekaterina Alyabyeva, "Expert North-West" No. 11 (264) / March 20, 2006 , http://www.expert.ru/printissues/northwest/2006/11/rynok_obuvi and http://www.4p.ru/index.php?page=15966).

According to experts, these changes have already brought results: sales of "Tervolina" increased by 30%, in "Palmira" sales growth for the season was about 22%, while usually this figure was about 15% (Based on the article "Urgently required shoemakers" , Lina Kalyanina, Natalya Litvinova, "Expert" No. 21(515) / June 5, 2006, http://www.expert.ru/printissues/expert/2006/21/rossiyskiy_obuvnoy_rynok_razvivaetsya).

Thus, in the process of changing shoe retail formats, a culture of consumption of branded shoes is being formed, the clientele is flowing into branded stores focused on customers loyal to certain brands. This trend contributes to a decrease in the share of markets in the structure of the main places to buy shoes.
Thus, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the share of specialized stores currently exceeds the share of markets, but in a number of regions the markets remain the main places of purchase - the share of markets as the preferred places for buying shoes by consumers exceeds 50%.

Diagram 5.
Shoe shopping places, %***

According to Chart 5, markets remain the most preferred place to buy shoes, their share for Russian consumers is 42%, 25.4% of buyers buy shoes in specialized stores, 10.5% of consumers in company stores, and 6.6% in department stores. consumers, 15% of consumers prefer other places.
When choosing shoes in a store, the majority of buyers consider the quality of the goods to be the most important factor (63.7%), other significant factors are the price of the goods (38.2%), the breadth of the range offered (14.4%), the degree of comfort of shoes (13.3 %) and others (diagram 6).

Diagram 6.
Main criteria for choosing shoes ***

By “quality”, the average Russian buyer now understands the functional characteristics of shoes - the material of manufacture, the quality of tailoring, the expected wear time, and brand awareness. This is evidenced by the fact that when choosing between two models of approximately the same quality and other things being equal, the buyer will choose a familiar brand of shoes.

Experts note that the importance of the factor "product quality" continues to grow. In addition, the most important criteria are "place" and "assortment" - in recent years, the success of a store selling shoes is determined by these concepts by 75-80% (according to http://www.business.dp.ua/ruslegprom/obzor/ 2005.03.14_2.htm and http://www.atlant.ru/opt/stati_2345.htm). Experts call a large number of different price-quality combinations, as well as a significant segmentation of consumers in terms of purchasing power and preferences, a feature of today's shoe market.

Currently, there are 5 main price segments of shoes on the market. The range of prices is quite large - in the low price segment, a pair of shoes costs less than 1 thousand rubles, in the luxury segment - more than 7.5 thousand rubles. (Table 1).

Table 1.
Price segments of shoes presented on the Russian market ****.

Currently, the majority of footwear purchases fall on the medium-low and medium-mid price segments, which are oriented to the majority of Russian manufacturers. These segments are developing most dynamically and shoe sales are actively growing here due to the process of buyers moving from the medium-low to the medium-mid price range, and the active shift in consumer preferences from the low price segment. This trend is associated with an increase in the level of well-being of Russians, which has affected the most numerous stratum of society - poor people. The rising incomes of this population group allow people to move from the lower to the middle class, gradually acquiring middle-class consumption standards. At the same time, the mid-price segment is characterized by a rapid change in consumer preferences.

The Russian consumer has become better oriented in the footwear market, he follows fashion trends, making high demands on the quality and style of footwear, paying attention to the brand. Most consumers are now looking to buy one-season shoes that are trendy but affordable.

A feature of the footwear market and its main difference from the clothing market is the consumer's special attention to the brand: 58% of consumers look at the brand when choosing shoes. This is explained by the fact that low-quality shoes are more common than low-quality clothes, and manifestations of poor quality are more serious, while a well-known brand is associated with quality by most buyers.

The research results show that Salamander is the most frequently bought brand, Monarch, Belwest, TsentrObuv, Ecco are a little less bought, but also popular. Almost every third buyer purchases shoes of some other domestic or foreign brands, which indicates a significant share of local brands and non-branded products in the Russian shoe market.
The preference of producing countries is even more pronounced among consumers - this factor is important for 81% of buyers. The most popular Italian and German manufacturers. According to a study conducted by Restco Holding, the focus on brands and producing countries is the greater, the higher the income of the buyer (based on http://www.business.dp.ua/ruslegprom/obzor/2005.03.14_2.htm, http://www.restko.ru/market/213 and http://www.atlant.ru/opt/stati_2345.htm).

Experts note the further growth of the shoe market. However, in the long term, market growth is expected to be no more than 8-10% per year. However, leading players point to the possible development of the domestic market and the emergence of new participants and new brands. Assessing the current state of the footwear market, experts consider it premature to talk about its glut. Even strong players may well be forced out by new retail chains pursuing an active marketing policy. Among the factors contributing to the development of the market, it is worth noting the increase in the well-being of the population, the growth of the middle class, and the growth in spending on non-food products.

State regulation of the shoe market, aimed at suppressing the reduction of customs duties and combating illegal imports, will create more favorable opportunities for the activities of Russian enterprises (based on http://www.econika.ru/ru/main/shoes/analytics, http:// www.allshoes.ru/news40.html and http://www.atlant.ru/opt/stati_2418.htm).

Main conclusions:
China is the world's largest exporter and main supplier of footwear to Russia. Despite the decrease in its share in the Russian market, the presence of Chinese footwear manufacturers is still quite large and amounts to about 60%.
There are 260 large and medium-sized enterprises operating in Russia, and 50 large enterprises produce the bulk of products. The number of Russian manufacturers is decreasing every year, and the bulk of the products produced are government orders and children's shoes.
The main trend of the Russian shoe market over the past few years is the dynamic growth of shoe retail. The appearance and interior of stores are changing, service is improving, assortment is being optimized, new formats of outlets are appearing. This suggests that the market is acquiring a structure similar to the Western one.
Large shoe centers focused on consumers with low and medium incomes, as well as the development of network structures aimed at representatives of the middle class, are reducing their market share every year, especially in large cities.
The success of a shoe store is largely determined by two complex concepts - "place" and "range", the importance of the factor "product quality" is growing.
The most dynamically developing are the medium-low and medium-middle price segments. The tendency of buyers to move from the medium-low to the medium-mid price range is increasing, which is associated with an increase in the level of well-being of Russians.
Shoe buyers are becoming more and more familiar with brands and manufacturers, making higher demands on the quality and style of shoes, and paying attention to the brand. Most buyers associate a well-known brand with quality, and more than half of buyers look at the brand when choosing shoes. This is especially true for residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, who have plenty to choose from.
The footwear market requires the players to be able to be sufficiently mobile and flexible to respond to changes in the expectations and preferences of buyers, organizing activities in accordance with the behavior of their consumer.