Slippers are great; light, comfy, usually cheap and water friendly. Well at least the general slippers would be described by those words if not the sandals and other boutique or designer slip-ons. We are talking about the simple rubber slippers that are part of life all across the world. So let’s stick to that definition for the sake of this article.
Slippers are basic commodities in life that and its demand seldom goes down. So naturally, it wasn’t long before it grew into a commodity traded in the export import business model. Like so many other things in the modern export import era of commerce, China is probably one of the world’s largest slipper makers.
Today, slipper import business is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Their demand in the United States especially rises as the summer comes around the people want to go to beach with their new flip-flops. So major retail stores in the United States, such as Gap and Old Navy, or American eagle and J. Crew, and just about all apparel stores start displaying their new catalogue.
If anyone is interested in starting an import business of slippers, these days there are plenty of websites and trade publications that can give you everything from an idea of what floral market is growing and what is slowing down. These publications print or online, would also offer extensive resources on businesses that export slippers which would make for a great lead for your import business.
Before you start your slipper import business, you might also want to consider a few things related to the market; mainly just the kind of slippers you want to import. And perhaps you might want to consider doing import business on Footwear as a whole? If you are looking to just import slipper or flip-flops that will be sold in mass to the public, then perhaps you want to be a whole seller for your region and not just a retailer. Or at least both do both instead of just being a retailers.
A great way to meet industry insiders and get a get a general sense of what works and what doesn’t, or at least to better understand your market and competition, you must make it a point to go to trade fairs. There are many national and international trade fairs for foot wear that take place in cities across the world. It would give you a very strong sense of where the market is, and where it is predicted go head towards. Also, you see and hear a lot of things that you might not anywhere else so new ideas can always pop into your head.
Slippers can be made to look any way the designer feels like, and there are all kinds of design and makes and makers available. So you really have to figure out how to go about it yourself. If you are a whole seller or a re-distributor, and even if its your own retail shop, you have to be able to offer a range of flip-flops to get as much market share as possible and make your import business a sure hit.