Running or gym shoes were the next most popular choice with 32 percent, followed by work shoes or other footwear with 9 percent and fashion-focused shoes with 5 percent.

Running or gym shoes are the most popular choice for ages 18-to-29 (49 percent), while ages 30-to-39 are split between running or gym shoes (43 percent) and casual shoes/sneakers (47 percent). The majority in every other age category of shoe buyers plans to purchase casual shoes or sneakers.

Other findings from the survey include:

• A majority (52 percent) of respondents are very likely to purchase new shoes this Spring. Twenty-six percent of respondents said they were somewhat likely to buy shoes this Spring and 22 percent said they were not likely to be.
• Younger respondents are more likely to be in the market for shoes, as 68 percent of those ages 18-to-29 and 61 percent of those ages 30-to-39 said they were very likely to purchase, compared to 50 percent of ages 40-to-49, 48 percent of those ages 50-to-59, and 42 percent of those ages 60-to-69 who are very likely to purchase.
• Shoppers were split on where they plan to purchase footwear this Spring, with 45 percent planning on shopping in-store, 44 percent buying online shipped to their home and 11 percent buying online for in-store or curbside pickup.
• Using data from this survey and a Spring 2018 survey conducted by FDRA and Emerson College polling, there is a noticeable increase in online shopping by age category. Shoppers who ordered online to pick up curbside this year were placed into the in-store category. While the youngest shoppers, those ages 18-to-29, are shopping online at a slightly lower rate in 2021 (58 percent) than in 2018 (64 percent), all other age categories have seen a shift to e-commerce.
• Among those who plan to shop online shipped to home, a plurality (31 percent) plan to use Amazon, while 28 percent said they would shop the shoe brand’s website. Nineteen percent (19 percent) will shop using a footwear-specific site such as Zappos or Shoes.com, and 14 percent plan to use a retailer’s website such as Nordstrom or Footlocker.
• For shoe shoppers that plan to purchase in-store, a plurality (39 percent) plan to shop at a local store such as DSW or Famous Footwear, while 27 percent plan to shop at a big-box retailer like Target, 15 percent plan to shop at a department store like Nordstrom and 19 percent plan to shop at a different in-store location.
• A plurality (34 percent) of respondents plan to purchase nearly 100 percent of their shoes in-store after the pandemic. Twenty-four percent said 60 percent of their shopping would be online, and 40 percent will be in-store, while 23 percent said nearly 100 percent of their shoe purchases would be online going forward, and 19 percent said 60 percent would be in-store, and 40 percent would be online.

The survey of 785 consumers was taken by Emerson College Polling on March 22 and March 23. The full report is here.