The owners of shops that sell quality handmade footwear often ask themselves this question. The following ones are:

How can I counteract online shopping?

How can I convey to my customers the added value of my shop?

How can I communicate to potential customers the quality of certain products  (when quality itself already explains the price)?

The list of questions could be very long.

Retailers, who decide to offer high quality products to a niche market made up of customers who buy exclusive shoes, need answers and strategies to let the market understand their value. They do not want and cannot be classified as places that simply sell expensive products.

So let’s see together what today’s consumer is looking for when he enters his favorite store and what this store can’t miss.

• Very high quality and durability

It seems obvious to say that a high-level shoe shop should only deal with excellent quality products but it is not. Shop owners are well aware that there are brands that over time have not been able to maintain the high level of their products; the quality should always be verified for the entire period in which the shop owner collaborates with a brand. In case you meet with problems and defects the products should be sent back to the manufacturer because no shop can afford to sell poor quality shoes.

• Differentiating positioning

As a retailer of handmade shoes, you have to understand and communicate your identity to your customers. The more easily recognizable you are in the eyes of your customers, the more they will remember you (and not your competitors) when they search for a certain product.

If you sell wedding shoes, you can’t have sneakers, for example. If you are recognized for your selection of made in Italy shoes, you cannot sell imported products. If you are known for being a talent scout of the best crafted shoes, don’t disappoint your customers’ expectations.

Today’s customer comes to your store because he knows that the products he finds worth the journey and should always have certain expectations that cannot be disregarded.

• Alway be up to date with the trends

Differentiating positioning and selling a certain type of shoe that makes you instantly recognizable doesn’t mean you never need to change.

It is important to know the current trends and innovate to be able to meet the expectations of a range of customers who follow the evolution of men’s fashion. Magazines, fairs, fashion shows, presentations of collections are useful tools that should not to be left behind.

• Give assistance and consulting to the client

For sure, this aspect is more difficult to find online. A store that you trust is made up of people who are always ready to welcome customers, listen to their needs and then translate them into the right product.

From this point of view, the shop owner should select brands that are open for consultancy aspect. The “advantage” of buying a handmade shoe is also to be able to request some alterations or particular colors of the original model.

Many customers are looking for the possibility  to have customized products and if you are able to satisfy them it certainly represents an added value for your shop.

• Sustainability

This is a fundamental element in all the areas: the market seeks and demands products that are sustainable.

Even in the field of handmade shoes, your customers are looking for brands that are sensitive to sustainability.

For this reason it is necessary to consider the fact that the reduction of the impact on the environment can be translated into many characteristics: the choice of local leathers, the willing to collaborate with 0 km suppliers, the use of certain machinery (more sustainable than others), the search for non-toxic colours, the production of recyclable packaging, the use of green labels, etc.
The owner of high level store should know all the brands he deals with and know what type of actions they have taken to reduce the environmental impact of their business.

• Know the products and the production processes

A reseller should know in detail the products he sells: characteristics, manufacturing techniques, materials, colours, etc. But knowing the products is not enough, you also need to be informed about the brands: history, company choices, policies relating to sustainability, peculiarities… in short, all those elements that make the brand worthy of interest.

Provided that Italy is the heart of  craftsmanship in the footwear sector, retailers who want to stand out from the multitude of shops have the opportunity to select the best examples of craftsmanship, thus offering unique and precious products.

Fratelli Borgioli shoes are the result of a family tradition that began more than seventy years ago in an artisan workshop in the heart of the Florentine countryside, in La Stella di Vinci.

Each shoe made by Fratelli Borgioli is a true artisan masterpiece, flawless and comfortable. The tradition of Tuscan craftsmanship and technological innovation blend together to give life to a shoe that accompanies his owner for a lifetime.

With the style and formal perfection of its products, Fratelli Borgioli keeps the passion for Italian taste alive in the world, thanks to a network of selected retailers who believe in beauty and quality.

If you wish to become our reseller CONTACT US.