Sports Footwear Websites

Site Name: Sport Footwear Store
Domain Name: http://www.sportfootwearstore.com
Overall Rating: 4/5
Summary: This is the one-stop shopping store for all your athletic or outdoor sport footwear requirements. All types of major sports have their specific shoes featured on this site. This site’s collection of over 50 brand names showcases sports shoes that not only protect a player’s feet but also hip designs and trend-setting styles. This virtual warehouse gives the visitor great value for money topped by generous discounts and even freebie items and free shipping upon ordering a certain amount. Sports footwear are not only for players but for umpires, coaches and referees as well. Footwear for water sports are classified separately because most water sports are considered to be in the extreme.

Site Name: CBI
Domain Name: http://www.cbi.eu/marketinfo
Overall Rating: 3/5
Summary: The site has comprehensive market data on sports footwear in the European Union market with particular emphasis on the U.K., German, French, Italian and Spanish markets for this product category. A significant finding of this market survey is the increasing use of sports shoes for other activities such as leisure wear. This market insight is very useful for shoes manufacturers since this indicates a new opportunity for them. The new market paradigm is to design sports footwear along the same lines as fashion apparel and accessories. Sales have been flat lately and increases in sales volumes came from population increases rather than increased usage and buying patterns. So, using fashion to further enhance sales is a big break for shoe makers.

Site Name: Ingenta Connect
Domain Name: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content
Overall Rating: 4/5
Summary: This is a very informative site with regards to the ergonomics of sports footwear. The science of designing products for maximum human comfort and enhanced performance has been applied to sport shoes as well. Dynamic activities such as jogging, running and jumping provide the most frequent foot-ground interaction which is the leading cause of foot injuries. Factors such as comfort, protection, performance, stability and traction are important considerations in the design of sports shoes. Particular attention was focused on tibial shock signal on impact of the foot on the ground. This also includes foot-surface attenuation to determine the shoe sole most appropriate.