The global footwear market is experiencing a stable growth rate due to changing fashion trends.

And Asia Pacific is expected to maintain its lead position in terms of revenue through until 2018, when it is tipped to hold 30.1 per cent of the global footwear market by revenue, ahead of Europe.

The Asia Pacific region remains the point of focus for footwear manufacturers due to the cheaper cost of manufacturing and faster growth in population and disposable income of consumer groups.

Based on type of distribution, footwear retailing is sub-divided into store-based and non-store retailing. Store-based footwear retailing accounted for most of the footwear market revenue and is valued at US$173.6 billion in 2011. Non-store footwear retailing is expected to gain pace in future and is expected to grow at 6.9 per cent from 2011 to 2018 to reach US$18.6 billion by 2018.

Sustainable development in footwear market is driven by rising demand for innovative designs, growing awareness about healthy and active lifestyle, rising population and disposable income levels and changing retail culture.