Shoe Line Meeting: Crafting the core of future sales

 

A Shoe Line Meeting (Sample Selection Meeting) is an important stage in the footwear retail product development and merchandising process. A shoe line meeting is important because it sets the foundation of the business aligning design, production, sales and marketing. It ensures the right product mix, market relevance, price point and brand consistency while reducing risks of poor-selling styles. Among country’s top brands, Apex strongly focuses on shoe line meeting every season. From my experience at Apex here I have tried to discuss on Shoe Line Meeting break downs....

# Purpose of the Meeting:

-Review all developed samples for the upcoming season.
-Select final styles to go into bulk production.
-Ensure product mix aligns with market demand, pricing strategy and brand positioning.
-Align marketing, design, merchandising and sales teams.

# Agenda / Flow of the Meeting

~Brief from product manager/merchandiser about the season’s theme, consumer trends and sales targets.

~Presentation of each sample (design, materials, colorways, price points).

~Evaluation based on design appeal (trend, brand demand, color combination etc ).

~Comfort & fit checking(last shape, construction).

~Material quality (leather, synthetic, textile, outsole).

~Costing & margin (within target FOB & retail price).

# Market & Sales Perspective

~Sales team shares expected performance based on past data and customer feedback.

~Regional preferences and consumer insights discussed.

# Selection & Drop

~Decide which samples move forward into bulk production.

~Drop underperforming or high-cost Designs.

~Adjust colorways, trims or materials if needed.

# Final Line Confirmation

~Ensure balanced mixing and assortment (core, trend, premium, entry-level).

~Check coverage across categories (men’s, women’s, kids / casual, sports, formal).

~Confirm SKU count, price segmentation and launch timeline.

#Action Points

~Record changes, corrections or re-sampling needs.

~Assign responsibilities for final approvals (fit test, wear test, costing sign-off).

#Key Participants

~Product Development team → Trend, concept, product aesthetics, Feasibility, technical fit and production readiness checkinh. To note the correction, modification and value addition comments.

~Merchandising team → Pricing, margins, line balance.

~Costing team→To check the cost of the goods, to check the margin and COGS.

~Sales/Marketing → Market demand, customer insights.

~Management → Final approval and alignment with business goals.

Footwear#Retail#Busines#Pricing#ShoeLineMeeting