E-commerce · Fashion and accessories
Nobody can feel a shoe through a screen, so they order a second pair to be safe.
Footwear is the product with the least forgiveness. A shirt that is half a size off can be worn. A shoe that pinches at the toe or slips at the heel is a return, and the buyer will not take a second chance on a brand that got it wrong. Size runs differently between makers, and between a brand’s own lasts.
A 90-minute audit call and a written, scored report. Turnaround, reporting and term are agreed in writing after the audit.
In one paragraph
Footwear e-commerce is the online sale of sneakers, casual and formal shoes, boots, sandals, sports shoes and children’s footwear, where the buyer judges fit and comfort without trying the pair on. GullySales works on how your pages help a buyer pick the right size, how your shoes are found by use and by style, and how a first pair turns into the next.
That makes fit the first thing an online shoe seller has to solve, ahead of ads and discounts. After that, each kind of shoe worries the buyer about something else: grip and cushioning for running, polish and sole for office shoes, ankle support for a trek.
Last updated 7 Oct 2026.
7 types of product
Each kind of footwear sells differently, so each has its own page.
Open the one that matches what you sell. It covers who buys it, where the sale is lost and what we would do.
- SneakersThe sneaker sells out in the one size you have been advertising.
- Casual ShoesCasual shoes are bought for being comfortable all day, and a page cannot say that.
- Formal ShoesA first pair of office shoes is bought by someone who wants to be told what goes with the suit.
- BootsA boot is bought for the hardest day it will see, not for the average one.
- SandalsThe sandal that sells in March is on sale by August.
- Sports ShoesA runner wants to know what the midsole does, and a cricketer wants to know about spikes.
- Children’s FootwearThe shoe fits this month, and the parent wants to know about next month.
Who it is for
This is written for you if you sell footwear online.
- Footwear brands that design and manufacture and now sell through their own store
- Manufacturers from Agra, Kolkata, Chennai or Ambur starting to sell under their own label
- Marketplace sellers on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra or Meesho carrying many sizes and styles
- Shoe retailers adding online orders next to the shop counter
- Direct-to-consumer labels for sneakers, sandals or comfort footwear
Not for
It is not the right fit if.
- A seller who does not publish the foot length that goes with each size
- Anyone who wants more traffic but has a return rate they will not look at
- A brand that wants to pay for ads and cannot hold stock in the sizes it advertises
How buyers choose
What decides who wins in footwear.
Foot length, width and the brand’s own last
The buyer measures a foot in centimetres, compares it with your chart and checks reviews for whether the shoe runs narrow, small or large. A chart in UK sizes only, with no foot length, invites a guess.
Sole, cushioning and upper material
Leather, canvas, mesh, EVA, rubber, PU. The buyer reads the material to judge comfort, weight and how long it will last in Indian heat and rain.
Reviews that mention size and comfort
A review saying order half a size up carries more weight than five stars. Shoppers sort by these and skip the rest.
Exchange policy and who pays
Before ordering two sizes, the buyer checks whether a worn-indoors pair can be exchanged, who pays for pickup and how long a refund takes.
Where sales are lost
What usually goes wrong when you sell footwear online.
In the words sellers use on the first call.
“Customers keep returning for fit”
Brands rarely publish foot length per size, and shoppers have no way to compare. The return costs shipping twice and the pair is rarely sold as new.
“We have forty sizes and colours and the ads show one”
A shopper clicks the white sneaker in an ad and finds that their size is out of stock in that colour. They leave, and the next ad costs the same.
“Marketplace buyers never reach our own store”
Every order comes through a listing that looks like twenty others. You pay commission and do not know who bought.
The scope
The work we would propose for footwear.
Measured on purchases, conversion rate, cost to win a customer, average order value and repeat purchases. Anything here that needs a platform or tool we have not used with you is confirmed in the audit before it goes in the scope.
- A fit guide for each lastFoot length for each size, width notes, which way each style runs, and a short how-to-measure at home, shown beside the size selector.
- Shopping feeds with size and colour dataGoogle Merchant Centre and catalogue feeds checked for correct size, colour and stock, so ads show what is available. Feed setup is confirmed in the audit.
- Search by use and stylePages for running shoes for flat feet, formal black leather shoes, sandals for monsoon, rather than one page called shoes.
- Marketplace listings and returnsTitles, images and size information on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra or Meesho, and a read of the marketplace’s return reasons.
- Getting the second pairA message to buyers who found their size with you: new styles in that fit, and care and replacement reminders.
- Fit questions on WhatsAppQuick answers for size, width and comfort questions, with a person for the buyer who is between sizes.
What we do
What you get for footwear.
Each deliverable and what it is there to change.
A foot-length size chart for each last
A table in centimetres alongside UK and Indian sizes for every style, so a buyer can match their foot instead of guessing.
A return-reason breakdown
Your returns sorted into size, width, comfort, quality and colour, with the styles that cause most, so changes go where they count.
A photography brief by shoe type
Side, sole, inside and worn shots with the foot size shown, so the page tells the buyer what they would find in the box.
A stock-aware advertising plan
Which styles are advertised when their sizes are in stock, and when ads are paused or moved to another style.
A repeat-buyer message plan
What a buyer receives after delivery, when a style they bought is restocked and when a similar fit appears.
How the result is measured
- Purchases
- Conversion rate
- Customer acquisition cost
- Repeat purchase rate
- Return rate by size
- Fit questions before purchase
Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.
How it works
From your first message to the first report.
No open-ended retainer. Every step gives you something in writing.
First
Free audit call
90 minutes with whoever handles your enquiries: how they arrive, how fast they are answered, where they are lost.
After the call
Written, scored report
Six areas scored, fixes ranked by return and cost. If you want our help, the scope, the fee and the reporting come with it, in writing.
Before work starts
Baseline recorded
Enquiries by source, reply time, conversion and cost per order, written down so every later report has an honest comparison.
After the baseline
The first fix goes live
Usually the cheapest one on the report: reply time, a follow-up sequence or the marketing-to-sales handover.
As agreed
Report against the baseline
What moved, what did not, and what changes next, in plain words. How often you get it is set in writing before work starts.
At renewal
Renew on the numbers
The term ends and you decide whether to continue from the results. The length is agreed in writing before anything starts.
What the work involves for footwear
- 1
Follow a pair from click to return
In the free audit we trace a selling style from search or ad to payment, then look at the return reasons on the same style.
- 2
Put the fit information on the page
Foot length, width notes and a how-to-measure go on the pages that already have visitors, before more is spent on traffic.
- 3
Match ads and feeds to stock
Catalogue feeds, marketplace listings and ad landing pages are matched to sizes and colours you actually hold.
- 4
Set up replies and repeat buying
WhatsApp answers for fit questions and a message plan for the second pair, with a baseline of purchases and returns recorded first.
- 5
Measure against the baseline
Purchases and returns by size are reported against the baseline, with the reporting arrangement put in writing after the audit.
What we need from you
What to have ready before the audit call.
None of it has to be tidy. We read what you have.
- Your store, marketplace and Instagram links
- Sales and returns by size for your top ten styles
- Foot length measurements for your lasts
- Customer questions about fit and comfort
- Ad spend by platform for the last quarter, with the orders it produced
Selling in India and abroad
Selling footwear beyond your own market.
Where you sell decides sizes, units, seasons and returns. We work from Bengaluru and have no overseas office, so for a new country we start from your own sales and the platforms you already use.
Size systems differ
UK, US, EU and Indian sizes do not match, and buyers abroad expect half sizes and widths. A conversion chart built from your foot lengths is needed before any overseas sale.
Season and climate
Sandals and canvas sneakers suit a Gulf summer, boots and leather shoes a European winter. Which markets suit your range is decided from the overseas orders you already have.
Shipping and returns across borders
A returned shoe across a border often costs more than the pair. Many sellers decline overseas returns or sell abroad only through a marketplace with a local returns route, and duty and shipping are confirmed with your logistics partner.
FAQ
Questions about selling footwear online.
Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.
How do I reduce size returns on shoes?
Should I sell shoes on Myntra and Amazon or my own store?
Do I need a size chart if I sell in UK sizes only?
How do I handle monsoon and festival peaks for footwear?
How much does it cost?
How long is the contract?
How soon will we see results?
Who will actually do the work?
What do you need from us?
What if we are not happy with the work?
Sellers of footwear also need
Also selling from a shop, a workshop or a warehouse? See the page for retailers.
This page is part of the e-commerce section. The D2C brands page covers the arithmetic of acquisition cost and the second order for any brand.
Why us
Why owners pick GullySales over an agency.
Marketing and sales, as one job
Most agencies stop at the enquiry. We also fix what happens after it: the reply, the follow-up, the quote and the CRM.
The person on the first call does the work
No account managers in between. You are never handed to someone you have not met.
A baseline before anything starts
Your numbers are written down on day one, so every later report compares against something honest.
The fee in writing, split three ways
Our time, your media spend and production on separate lines. You always see what goes to us.
No guarantees we cannot keep
The term is agreed in writing and never a default twelve months. We never promise a ranking or a lead count, because nobody controls those.
One office, and we say so
Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru. We work across India by call and WhatsApp and travel when a session needs to be in person.
#257, 3rd floor, Sri Nanjundeshwara Complex, Nagarbhavi 8th Block, Outer Ring Road. How we work.
Engagement options
Ways to work with us.
Pick the size of commitment that fits. Every option starts with the free audit.
Option 1
The audit on its own
A 90-minute call and a written, scored report. It says honestly whether you need outside help, and many fixes are ones your own team can make.
Option 2
One fix, scoped
Start with the fix the audit ranks first, such as reply time or follow-up. The fee is in writing before anything starts.
Option 3
An ongoing programme
We run the work, report against the baseline, and you renew on the numbers. The term and the reporting are agreed in writing first.
Option 4
Guidance for your own team or agency
We plan, brief and check the work of your in-house team or current agency, instead of replacing them.
The offer
Start with a free audit of how your footwear sell.
It is useful on its own, whether or not you hire us.
What you receive
- A 90-minute call with the person who will do the work
- A written, scored report on the six places orders leak
- Every fix ranked by what it returns and what it costs
- The one thing to do first, and why
- An honest line on whether you need outside help at all
- If you do, the scope and the fee in writing
No invoice. No obligation. No sales script.
Your next practical step
Get a free audit of how you sell, and a scored report of where the work is.
90 minutes. A written, scored report. No invoice and no obligation.