Nine West Canada Launches “Pick Your Pump”

            The “Pick Your Pump” program for Nine West sounds like a great business plan to cater to the shoe-loving girl.  The benefits and drawbacks of the program need to be evaluated in order to see how well it will do.  The major benefit and Nine West’s focus is on the customization of the shoe.  The trend in the industry is no longer to fit in with the same colors and fabrics, but to stand out.  This is directly speaking to that in that the customer can chose her own colors and fabrics based on a certain shoe style.  I believe that this is the strongest aspect of the program.  In addition, the company benefits from less liability in a lower stock level, as shoes are made to order.

            With that being said, the one major drawback I see in the “Pick Your Pump” program is the lead-time.  They have compared this program to the custom and iconic Manolo Blahnik shoe brand, sold for over $600.  Nine West does not have the Manolo Blahnik customer.  That customer will pay that price for the customization, but also the craftsmanship, and will wait for it.  The Nine West girl is the average working female who is willing to only spend the $120 on heels.  Shoes to her are disposable and come and go with the trends.  The “Pick Your Pump” program hits the price point and the customization point, but misses on the timing.  Why would a woman wait 6-8 weeks for average quality shoes, even if they were the specific color she wished for? 

            I believe that the technology used to customize these shoes is important and I do see the benefits of the program.  In the short term, it was smart of Nine West to debut this program in a small way only in Canada licensed stores.  The margins generated from implementing this technology will be beneficial for Sherson Group and Nine West in Canada.  However, as a Nine West customer, I may hold off on ordering my custom shoes until the technology to have them in a week, rather than 6-8 weeks, hits the market.  Until then, I may just save my money to one day buy custom Manolo Blahniks and have them forever.

Mogg, Kirsten. "Nine West Canada Launches." My Private Brand. My Private Brand, 03 Dec. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.