Footwear is the hardest thing to sell to someone who cannot try it on. Sizes differ from one brand to the next, width matters as much as length, and a pair that pinches comes straight back. The shoe brands that do this well on Shopify treat fit as the first thing to sell, before style or price. On 19 October 2026 we went through 21 of them, seven apiece from the US, Britain and Australia, leaning towards running, training, recovery and all-day comfort shoes rather than fashion labels. None was included until its homepage showed Shopify’s storefront code. We saved each homepage twice, as a desktop view and a phone view set to the shopper’s own country and currency; then we priced pairs from the store’s complete public catalogue with socks, insoles and care products taken out, listed the apps in its page code, and timed the homepage on a deliberately slowed mobile connection.
What these 21 footwear stores have in common
- Fit help starts on the homepage. Old Soles offers a phone scan of a child’s feet, OOFOS gives women and men different half-size rules, and Clove puts a Wide Fit shortcut next to its Shoe Finder. Xero ends its menu with “Find Your Shoe”, Padders lists Wide, Extra Wide and Easyfit fittings, Rossi features a wide-fit Colt boot, and UGG Since 1974 links a page called “What Size Uggs Should I Buy?”.
- A return window stands in for the fitting room. Kizik calls its policy a “Risk Free Trial”, OOFOS promises “30 Day Risk-Free Returns”, Clove a “30 Day Guarantee” and Archies a “60 Day Comfort Guarantee”. Freet, Moshulu and Volley state their return periods (30, 28 and 28 days), and Hylo and Sole Bliss make returns free.
- Menus follow what the wearer does. Xero sorts by Hike, Court, Train, Run and Casual; Clove by nursing and student life; Kane by marathon, college and team orders. Blundstone lists Work & Safety before Men and Women, and Volley and Rossi give safety footwear its own menu entry.
- Podiatrists are quoted, in the brands’ own words. Frankie4 says “Podiatrist founded”, Strive “Podiatrist-designed support”, Sole Bliss “Recommended by Podiatrists” and Old Soles “Podiatrist Approved”, while Kane says its shoes were made with a sports podiatrist. We report these as the brands’ claims; we did not test them.
- Three American stores take health-account money. Kizik, OOFOS and Kane all link to shopping with HSA or FSA funds from the homepage, a US-only way to pay that none of the British or Australian stores mention.
- The seasons split by hemisphere. In the north, Kizik sold waterproof boots, OOFOS fleece clogs and Moshulu an October Edit with 25% off boots. In Australia, heading into summer, Archies led with thongs and slides and Frankie4 with a new sandal and an SS26 edit, while Blundstone (1870), Rossi (1910) and Volley (1939) all print a founding year in their logos.
- Klaviyo is close to universal; review tools split by country. Klaviyo code loads on 19 of the 21 stores and Gorgias on 8. Five of the seven British stores collect reviews with Reviews.io or Trustpilot, while four of the seven American ones use Yotpo.
- The American stores were the slowest. Timed on a throttled phone, the middle store needed 9.9 seconds before its main content appeared, with 5.1 MB as the usual page weight. The British and Australian groups had medians of 9.0 and 9.9 seconds, the American group 15.1, and three of the four slowest stores were American. Padders (3.6 seconds) and UGG Since 1974 (3.7, with a 1.2 MB page, the lightest here) were quickest, while two stores went past 20 seconds: Clove at 21.6 and Xero Shoes at 33.3.
United States
Allbirds
The wool-sneaker brand was launching a collection: the hero, captioned “All new Dasher NZ collection”, reads “Wildly Comfortable. Super Natural.” over a close-up of the shoe on a city pavement, with a hand-drawn note asking “Ever have a tree hug you back?”. On a computer the black top bar warned that orders may take up to 30 days to ship because of demand; on the phone it switched to free ground shipping over $100. The menu has four entries (New Arrivals, Shop All, Men, Women). Its catalogue is the second largest here at 567 shoes, from $25 flip-flops to $165, with a typical pair at $105. Reviews come through Yotpo and texts through Attentive; it is one of only two stores on this list without Klaviyo code.
Make it yours: when demand outruns stock, put the wait in the top bar. A shopper told “up to 30 days” before paying is less likely to cancel than one who finds out after. Go to allbirds.com
Xero Shoes
The barefoot-shoe company sorts visitors by activity before they reach the hero: five photo tiles for Hike, Court, Train, Run and Casual sit under the menu. The hero itself says “You were born ready to move”, and a light-blue bar above everything runs a three-step offer, 10% off under $75, 15% from $75 and 20% from $125, each with its own code. “Find Your Shoe” closes the menu with a glowing dot beside it, and a “chat with us” bubble floats bottom left. Among its 128 shoes (typically $104.99, up to $194.99) the feed also lists cord, a hole punch and hardware for building its sandals yourself. It loads Judge.me and Stamped for reviews, Klaviyo and Attentive for messages, and Gorgias for chat. On our throttled phone it was the slowest store of the 21, needing 33.3 seconds before its main content was drawn.
Make it yours: print every tier of a spend-more offer in the bar, codes included, so the shopper can see what the second pair is worth without opening a pop-up. Go to xeroshoes.com
Lems Shoes
The brand from Boulder, Colorado (its logo says “Boulder, CO”), which describes itself in its page title as zero-drop and wide fit, had just released a running line: “ZENSPEED”, with the line “Move free. Run wild.”, fills the hero and the phone’s top bar. The desktop bar announced a leather Primal Zen in walnut, a Store Locator and a USD switcher with a flag sit top right, and a language menu in the corner offers twelve languages besides English, from Czech to Japanese. A Reviews tab hangs on the right edge. At $140 its typical pair is the dearest in the American group, across 108 shoes and boots up to $235. Okendo and Junip handle reviews, Klaviyo email, and Gorgias and Zendesk both appear in the code. At 6.5 seconds on our slowed phone, it was the quickest American store, on one of the lightest pages (2.3 MB).
Make it yours: if overseas buyers already find you, a language menu on the homepage tells them the store was built with them in mind. Go to lemsshoes.com
Kizik
The hands-free shoe brand opens with a trust line rather than a discount: “Risk Free Trial: Free Shipping & Easy Returns”. The hero was seasonal, “Step in. It’s boot season.”, selling a waterproof lace-up called the Juno 2 Lace, and the first section below repeats the brand’s one idea, “Every style, hands-free”, with a women/men switch. The menu is just Women, Men, Kids and Sale, while the footer links a size guide and an HSA/FSA page. Its 300 shoes run from $54.95 toddler pairs to $199.95 waterproof boots, with $114.95 as the typical price. It offers Afterpay and Stamped reviews, and code from four messaging tools loads on the page: Klaviyo, Attentive, Postscript and Omnisend.
Make it yours: if your shoe does one thing differently, say it in the same two words in the hero and in the first product row. Kizik never lets “hands-free” leave the screen. Go to kizik.com
OOFOS
The recovery-footwear maker had swapped sandals for cold-weather clogs: “Cozy does it. Recovery just got cozier.” sits over a model in fleece clogs, followed by a “Clogs & Mules” row with women’s and men’s tabs. Its top bar has free shipping from $75, a store finder and a bright green Rewards button. Its homepage text promises “30 Day Risk-Free Returns”, counts “425,000+ 5-Star Reviews”, links shopping with HSA/FSA funds, and includes a size guide that says the shoes run true to size, telling women between sizes to go up and men to go down. At $79.95 it has the lowest typical price in the US group, across 161 shoes up to $169.95. Afterpay and Klarna, Yotpo and Trustpilot, Klaviyo, Zendesk and Rebuy are all installed.
Make it yours: answer the half-size question where it comes up. OOFOS gives a different rule for women and for men, so neither has to guess. Go to oofos.com
Kane Footwear
The recovery-shoe brand speaks to runners directly. Its hero quotes “The trial of miles; miles of trials” and sells a Marathon Pack (“Race in your favorites. Recover in KANEs.”) next to a button to meet Chris Maxon, labelled a KANE marathon athlete. The menu has Shop, College, Our Story and Team Sales; College opens a list of universities, and the footer adds service-member benefits, HSA/FSA shoes and “Team & Custom Sales”. The homepage says its shoes were made “in collaboration with a sports podiatrist”. The 140 shoes in its feed cost $60 to $125, typically $85. Yotpo runs both reviews and loyalty, Klaviyo the email and Gorgias the help desk.
Make it yours: give group buyers a menu item of their own. A Team Sales link turns one coach or club captain into a bulk order. Go to kanefootwear.com
Clove
The shoe brand for healthcare workers names its customer in the hero, “The #1 Shoe for Doctors and Nurses”, over a pair of pink trainers, and the bar above promoted 25 pink products. A row of rounded shortcuts under the menu goes straight to New Releases, Wide Fit, Nursing & Healthcare and Students, and Shoe Finder has its own menu slot. On the phone a strip under the hero reads “1m+ Comfy Customers”, “30 Day Guarantee” and “30K + 5 Star Reviews”, and a tab bar along the bottom (Shop, Help, Sale, Account, Cart) works like an app. Group Orders, Wholesale and a B2B login are linked, and its feed has 108 listings typed “B2B Only”, left out of our prices. The 268 consumer shoes cost $35 to $180, typically $120, with Yotpo, Klaviyo, Attentive and Gorgias behind them. Its main content took 21.6 seconds on our slowed phone, the second-slowest result here.
Make it yours: on the phone, a fixed bottom bar with Help and Cart keeps the next step under the thumb, the way shopping apps do. Go to goclove.com
United Kingdom
Hylo Athletics
The running brand sells just two shoes, the IMPACT 2 and the AXIS, in 24 colour listings, so its hero can be about a single shade: “Coffee is here”, the IMPACT 2 in dark brown on a rock wall with neon-yellow buttons for men and women. On a computer the whole menu folds into one “Menu” button; the top bar rotates “Free Delivery + Returns”, “Stocked In 300+ Stores Globally” and “Over 500 5* Reviews”. Prices sit in the narrowest band on the list, £140 to £160. It offers Afterpay and Klarna, collects reviews with Reviews.io and Trustpilot, and emails through Klaviyo.
Make it yours: with a small range, launch a new colour the way others launch a product: one shade, one sentence, two buttons. Go to hyloathletics.com
Freet
The barefoot-shoe maker opens on two walkers on a sunlit hilltop under “Natural Movement. Real Performance.”, with a line promising lightweight, flexible shoes “with grip and protection for every terrain”; the phone caught the children’s slide instead (“Freedom to move.”). The top bar trades 10% off for joining the mailing list, and the links beside it include Find a Stockist, Returns, and separate EU and USA stores. Lower down the page promises “Easy 30 Day Returns”. Its 58 shoes run from £25 junior pairs to £180, typically £75. Judge.me, Klaviyo and Nosto are installed.
Make it yours: if you ship abroad from a regional store, link those stores in the utility bar, as Freet does with EU and USA, so overseas visitors switch before they fill a basket. Go to freetbarefoot.com
Moshulu
The comfort-shoe brand runs the largest catalogue here, 598 footwear listings among 1,072 products, and a menu to match: Gifts, Shoes, Boots, Slipper Shop, Accessories, Shoe Care, Men’s & Kids’ and Sale. Its “October Edit” hero is a set of four buttons, Shop the Edit, 25% Off Boots, 15% Off Shoes and 15% Off Accessories, and the line below says it is “Trusted by thousands of happy women”. The page also mentions 28-day returns, free click and collect and a printed catalogue on request. In its product data, 339 products are tagged with the care kit their leather needs, suede and nubuck, all leather or waxy leather. Pairs cost £35 to £146.25, typically £72.25, with Afterpay, Klarna, Yotpo, Reviews.io, Trustpilot and Klaviyo all loading.
Make it yours: tag each shoe with the care product its material needs. The add-on suggestion then writes itself on every product page and again at the basket. Go to moshulu.co.uk
Mahabis
The slipper brand’s homepage is spare: a sign-up bar offering 10% off a first order, a four-item menu (Sandals, Slippers, Shoes and a red Sale), and a split hero headed “Indoor, Outdoor Essential”, grey felt slippers with yellow soles on a pavement on one side and on green velvet on the other. The footer adds a size chart, a wholesale page and a recycling scheme. Its feed lists 119 pairs from £25 to £139, typically £89, plus a separate fee for upgrading an edition. Klarna, Trustpilot, Klaviyo, Rebuy and Nosto load on the page.
Make it yours: when the selling point is “wear it in two places”, show both places side by side in the hero and let the picture make the argument. Go to mahabis.com
Sole Bliss
The women’s comfort-shoe brand states its customer plainly, “Pain-Free, Fashionable Shoes for Bunions & Wide Feet”, and stacks reassurance right under the hero: “Read Over 4000 5* Reviews” with Reviews.io stars, then icons for the King’s Award, free returns and exchanges, express UK delivery, “Recommended by Podiatrists”, handcrafted in Italy and Spain, and worldwide delivery. The top bar shows a phone number and free UK delivery over £200, a UK switcher sits top right, and “How Our Shoes Work” is one of only three menu items. At £189 it has the highest typical price in the UK group, across 446 shoes and boots from £99 to £299. Reviews.io and Trustpilot, Klaviyo and Rebuy are installed.
Make it yours: if a pair costs more than shoppers expect, give the explanation a menu slot. A “how our shoes work” page earns the price before the product page asks for it. Go to solebliss.com
Padders
The wide-fit shoe and slipper maker opens on a full-screen video of a leather ankle boot with nothing over it but the Padders wordmark: no top bar, no offer, no button. The menu reads Home, Mens, Womens and SALE, and only inside it do the fittings appear, Wide Fitting, Extra Wide Fitting and Easyfit. Its 125 shoes have the lowest typical price in the British group, £29.99, from £13.99 memory-foam slippers to £89 leather shoes, and 87 of its 147 products showed a reduced price. Klarna was the only app we could identify. With so little on the first screen, it was also the fastest store we timed: its main content appeared after 3.6 seconds on our slowed phone.
Make it yours: if fit is your advantage, put it on the first screen. Padders keeps “Extra Wide Fitting” in the menu, behind a video that shows only the logo. Go to padders.co.uk
Strive Footwear
The supportive-footwear brand, whose page description calls its range “Women’s orthotic sandals, shoes and boots with a built-in podiatrist-designed footbed”, led with slippers on 19 October: “New season. New comfort.” over a suede clog, and the line “Podiatrist-designed support.” The yellow bar offers free shipping over £75, a switcher in the header reads “United Kingdom | GBP £”, and the menu runs New Arrivals, Slippers, Women, Why Strive, Insoles and Bestsellers. Most of the 84 shoes in its feed are sandals, typically £55.96 (£34.99 to £109.95), and 65 of 88 products carried a reduced price. Reviews.io and Klaviyo are installed.
Make it yours: a “Why Strive” item in the main menu gives the brand’s reason to exist a permanent home, instead of a banner that rotates away. Go to strivefootwear.com
Australia
Archies Footwear
The arch-support thong maker splits its top bar three ways: free shipping over $70, “100,000+ 5 star reviews” and a “60 Day Comfort Guarantee”. The hero, “Archies After Dark”, dresses the thongs and slides up for an evening out (“Iconic arch support, styled for the night.”), a dark strip repeats the 100K reviews, and a section titled “Find your pair” follows. The menu includes a VIP Sign Up and “Shop Secra”, a women’s shoe range, and the page invites visitors to “Try Archies Risk Free”. All 44 products cost A$30 to A$60, typically A$40. Okendo, Klaviyo and Gorgias are installed.
Make it yours: a comfort guarantee in the top bar answers “will they suit my feet?”, the question that stops a first footwear order online. Go to archiesfootwear.com.au
Frankie4
The podiatrist-founded women’s brand sells a new sandal with three words, “New Dakota. Cushioned. Engineered. Supported.”, and puts a strip under the hero reading “By women, for women”, “Podiatrist founded” and “Responsible practices”. On the computer the top bar promoted a travel edit; on the phone it announced “2026 Good Design Award winners”, and a row of round shortcuts (SS26, Travel Edit, New Arrivals, Best Sellers, Restocked) sat under the logo. The page also counts more than 150,000 five-star reviews, names its footbed technologies and runs a “Give 15%, Get $25” referral. Its 231 shoes sit in a high, tight band, A$149.95 to A$359.95, typically A$259.95. Afterpay, Okendo and Yotpo, Klaviyo, Gorgias and Nosto are installed. At 9.3 MB its homepage was the heaviest we measured, though its main content still appeared in 10.5 seconds.
Make it yours: round shortcut tiles under the phone header give mobile shoppers five ways in with one swipe, without opening the menu. Go to frankie4.com
Volley
The canvas-sneaker brand marks its logo “Est. 1939 Australia” and builds the hero on that history: “Served your way. Heritage.”, with the line that for decades “Aussies have been making this classic style their own”, beside a black Volley and a boombox. A green ticker carries free shipping on orders over $99, 15% off for signing up, new arrivals and “28 Days Free Returns”, and a strip of prices (Heritage Low $79.95, Heritage High $89.95) scrolls under the hero. Safety footwear has its own menu item, and the cart asks “Pair it with some socks?”. Its 91 shoes run from A$19 to A$159.95, typically A$79.95. Afterpay, Klarna, Klaviyo, Gorgias and Searchspring are installed. Its homepage made 569 requests, more than any other store here, yet drew its main content in 8.2 seconds.
Make it yours: offer socks in the cart. It is the footwear add-on nobody has to think about, and it costs one line of copy. Go to volley.com.au
Blundstone
The boot maker, whose logo reads “Tasmania · 1870”, leads with wear and tear: “Well Worn. Proof you partied like never before.”, a black boot held up at night with confetti spilling out of it. The menu starts with Work & Safety before Men, Women and Kids, a Help icon sits next to search, and the slim top bar alternates “Buy now pay later” with “Now accepting Apple Pay”. Its cookie notice offered settings or “close and continue”, with no way to decline, so we captured the page with the notice closed. The 143 boots in its feed are numbered by series, from a A$72.50 gumboot to a A$694.95 Extreme Series boot, typically A$254.95. Reviews.io and Klaviyo are installed.
Make it yours: a scuffed, used boot in the hero says “this lasts” more convincingly than any spec list. Go to blundstone.com.au
Rossi Boots
The boot maker, “Australian since 1910” under its logo, shares a slim strip at the very top with Kidman and Driza-Bone, and a second bar points to its stockists. On a computer, October’s hero was “Rossi in Pink”, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, stating that “10% of selected full-price Rossi sales will be donated this October”, with a fundraiser badge on the side; the phone showed another slide, “Rossi Icons”, with a Shop Bestsellers button. The menu gives the Ironlite Safety Boot its own entry, and the homepage features a wide-fit Colt boot made in an “H” fit for extra room. Its 80 boots cost A$119 to A$399, typically A$229, and a red “Get 10% off” tab sits at the bottom. Okendo, Klaviyo and Gorgias are installed.
Make it yours: offer your best-seller in a wide fit and say so on the homepage, so wide-footed buyers stay with the boot they came for. Go to rossiboots.com.au
UGG Since 1974
The sheepskin-boot maker (its logo reads “Since 74 Australian Boots”) puts its origin in the top bar, “The home of Australia’s iconic, 100% Australian Made, real sheepskin boots”, and had just launched the Rugged Outdoor Boot, a sheepskin boot with “an integrated fold-out spike system” for grip, shown on snow. Its menu is the longest of the Australian group: Ready to Ship, Women, Men, Kids & Babies, Accessories, Custom Made, About Us and Customer Care, with factory tours and a page answering “What Size Uggs Should I Buy?”. The feed sells customisations as separate items, such as a platform sole or a Swarovski logo, from A$20. Pairs cost A$59 to A$749, and its typical A$279 is the highest in the Australian group. Afterpay, Yotpo and Judge.me, and Klaviyo are installed. Its homepage was the lightest of the 21 at 1.2 MB, with the fewest requests (100), and its main content appeared in 3.7 seconds.
Make it yours: sell personalisation as add-on products. A sole or logo upgrade then joins the basket like any other item, with its own price. Go to uggsince1974.com.au
Old Soles
The children’s shoe brand sorts its menu by stage of walking, then style, then a barefoot range, and its feed follows the same idea with listings typed Pre Walkers, New Walkers, Toddler and Kids. The hero shows a girl crawling in silver trainers under “Tiny Toes, Big Freedom” and “The only Barefoot Shoes your little one needs…”. Further down, a “Sizing from mobile” section offers a phone scan of the child’s feet that measures “in seconds”, with “no printing, no guessing”, and a “Podiatrist Approved” note. All 32 products in its feed were reduced on the day, 17 of them by half, so its A$40 typical price (A$30 to A$63) is a sale price. Judge.me and Klaviyo are installed.
Make it yours: if your customers struggle to measure, measure for them: a phone foot scan solves the fit problem of a child who cannot say whether a shoe pinches. Go to oldsoles.com.au
All 21 side by side: pair prices, apps and load time
| Brand | Country | Typical pair (cheapest–dearest) | Reviews collected with | Email and text messaging | Main content on a throttled phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allbirds | US | $105 ($25–$165) | Yotpo | Attentive | 13.0 s |
| Xero Shoes | US | $104.99 ($14.99–$194.99) | Judge.me, Stamped | Klaviyo, Attentive | 33.3 s |
| Lems Shoes | US | $140 ($52.50–$235) | Okendo, Junip | Klaviyo | 6.5 s |
| Kizik | US | $114.95 ($54.95–$199.95) | Stamped | Klaviyo, Attentive, Postscript, Omnisend | 17.7 s |
| OOFOS | US | $79.95 ($42.99–$169.95) | Yotpo, Trustpilot | Klaviyo | 15.1 s |
| Kane Footwear | US | $85 ($60–$125) | Yotpo | Klaviyo | 9.8 s |
| Clove | US | $120 ($35–$180) | Yotpo | Klaviyo, Attentive | 21.6 s |
| Hylo Athletics | UK | £160 (£140–£160) | Reviews.io, Trustpilot | Klaviyo | 8.3 s |
| Freet | UK | £75 (£25–£180) | Judge.me | Klaviyo | 9.1 s |
| Moshulu | UK | £72.25 (£35–£146.25) | Yotpo, Reviews.io, Trustpilot | Klaviyo | 9.0 s |
| Mahabis | UK | £89 (£25–£139) | Trustpilot | Klaviyo | 7.1 s |
| Sole Bliss | UK | £189 (£99–£299) | Reviews.io, Trustpilot | Klaviyo | 19.8 s |
| Padders | UK | £29.99 (£13.99–£89) | — | — | 3.6 s |
| Strive Footwear | UK | £55.96 (£34.99–£109.95) | Reviews.io | Klaviyo | 17.2 s |
| Archies Footwear | Australia | A$40 (A$30–A$60) | Okendo | Klaviyo | 5.4 s |
| Frankie4 | Australia | A$259.95 (A$149.95–A$359.95) | Okendo, Yotpo | Klaviyo | 10.5 s |
| Volley | Australia | A$79.95 (A$19–A$159.95) | — | Klaviyo | 8.2 s |
| Blundstone | Australia | A$254.95 (A$72.50–A$694.95) | Reviews.io | Klaviyo | 10.1 s |
| Rossi Boots | Australia | A$229 (A$119–A$399) | Okendo | Klaviyo | 9.9 s |
| UGG Since 1974 | Australia | A$279 (A$59–A$749) | Yotpo, Judge.me | Klaviyo | 3.7 s |
| Old Soles | Australia | A$40 (A$30–A$63) | Judge.me | Klaviyo | 10.0 s |
Shoe brands we left out, and why
Several familiar names are missing on purpose. On 19 October 2026 our check found no Shopify storefront at Topo Athletic, Forsake, FitFlop, Gola, Cosyfeet, Po-Zu, Start-rite, Grenson, Loake, DB Shoes, Emu Australia, Ziera, Steel Blue, Holster or Ascent, and Vivobarefoot, inov-8 and Hotter turned our request away before we could look. NOBULL does run on Shopify, but its product data was closed to us even from an ordinary browser, so it could not be priced and Lems Shoes took its place. Bared Footwear runs a custom front end over Shopify and sent us to its American site. On our test connection, Cariuma showed nothing but a password page, Rollie and Celtic & Co would not switch to their home currency, and Hunter, Hi-Tec and Will’s Vegan Store in Britain and Gumbies and Redback in Australia priced in US dollars; none of these could be shown the way a local customer sees them. Duke + Dexter, Walk London and Habbot are on Shopify too, but they sit closer to fashion than to the running and comfort focus of this list.
How the 21 were chosen and measured
- Shortlist: 73 footwear brands (17 American, 29 British, 27 Australian). A brand qualified only if its homepage carried the code Shopify adds to every storefront it hosts and charged in the shopper’s home currency; seven per country were kept, favouring running, training, recovery and comfort shoes.
- Screenshots: headless Chrome on 19 October 2026, with the big-screen view 1,280 pixels wide and the phone view 390, and the market’s country and currency cookies in place. Cookie banners were refused where that option existed and sign-up pop-ups were closed. Blundstone’s notice offered only settings or “close and continue”, so it was captured with the notice closed, and Volley was captured without pop-up clicks, which kept failing on its page.
- Pair prices: every page of each store’s public product list, footwear only. Socks, laces, insoles, care kits, clothing, bags, fees, customisation add-ons, B2B-only listings and gift cards were set aside. The typical pair is the median across all sizes and colours at the price listed on the day, so markdowns count: every Old Soles product and most of Strive’s and Padders’ ranges were reduced.
- Load time: when the biggest thing on the screen finished painting (Largest Contentful Paint), best of two uncached loads on an emulated Android phone with the processor slowed fourfold and the connection capped at 1.6 Mbps. A phone on ordinary 4G is far quicker; the figures are for comparing stores with each other.
- Apps: read from the homepage code only, so tools that appear only on product pages, in the cart or at checkout are not listed.
Selling shoes on Shopify: what to borrow
The best footwear stores sell certainty before they sell a shoe: a size rule or a foot scan, a wide fitting called by its name, a trial or return window in the top bar, and a menu built around running, work or recovery instead of model numbers. Those are conversion problems more than design problems, and they are the centre of our Shopify conversion rate optimization work on size guidance, returns and fit. Several of these brands also sell well beyond home: Freet runs separate EU and USA stores, Strive and Sole Bliss switch between the UK and the US, and Lems speaks thirteen languages. If that is your next step, our international expansion service for Shopify brands sets up the markets, shipping and duties per country, and the payment methods local buyers expect.
