The Shoe Winners of Black Friday

Welcome back to FN Daily, where we break down the biggest stories happening in footwear and retail.

Today, we're analyzing the winners of Black Friday and taking a look some trends from StockX during the shopping period. Plus, Stria Sport lands at Scheels.

Here's what you need to know:

These Footwear Brands Won Black Friday

Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone, but a number of key footwear brands appear to have made their mark during one of the biggest shopping periods of the year.

According to a Monday note from Wedbush analyst Tom Nikic, Deckers’ Hoka brand (FN’s Brand of the Year winner) and the On label were “the clearest winners” of the Black Friday shopping period, thanks to elevated demand, more shelf space at retail and fewer discounts. He also called out Deckers’ Ugg brand as a “must-have brand for the holiday season, with strong sales trends and rational discounting.”

Nikic also called out “good demand and reduced promotional activity” at the Crocs brand as well as at Skechers. On the apparel side, Ralph Lauren also did “surprisingly” well, he said.

Morgan Stanley analysts led by Alex Straton called out Aerie, Gap, Hollister and Old Navy as “Black Friday leaders” in a Monday note. In the sportswear segment, Straton said Lululemon promotions were slim and demand appeared strong during the shopping period. However, he noted that traffic at Athleta and Allbirds disappointed this year.

Read more to see how footwear brands and retailers fared on Black Friday.

Black Friday Was the Second Biggest Day in StockX History for First-Time Buyers

Consumers visited StockX in droves on Black Friday and throughout Cyber Weekend, and several shopped on the marketplace for the first time.

StockX confirmed via email that trades on Black Friday increased more than 200 percent compared to the previous week, and the platform averaged more than one trade every second throughout the day.

However, the most notable data point from the day for StockX was the number of first-time buyers. The company stated Black Friday was the second biggest day in company history for first-time buyers.

In terms of what consumers were buying on StockX not just on Black Friday but throughout Cyber Weekend, Yeezy Slides were most popular. StockX confirmed its top-traded product was the Adidas Yeezy Slide “Slate Grey.” As for sneakers, the Adidas Campus 00s was in high demand.

See what else did well on StockX during the weekend, here.

Three Years After Launching, Stria Sport Lands Scheels as Its First Retail Partner

Three years ago, while working a full-time job as a real estate developer in Chicago, Eric Porter launched Stria Sport, an athletic footwear brand with a focus on performance basketball. Today, with momentum behind the brand, Porter has made Stria Sport his sole focus.

Since the brand’s debut, Porter said Stria Sport’s revenue has increased by double digits every year.

Stria Sport has been entirely direct-to-consumer since its inception, but in October the brand landed its first-ever retail partner in sporting goods chain Scheels. Porter said Stria Sport is in a “handful” of Scheels stores at the moment and the brand is sold on the retailer’s website, Scheels.com.

“They’re a family-owned, employee-owned company, and when you walk in their stores you’re wowed,” Porter said. “They have literally everything and their employees really help when a customer walks in. They really know the product.”

Aside from making its debut in Scheels, Stria Sport has also added a new silhouette to its offering. The brand’s second shoe, the Easy Stride, is a comfort-focused and lightweight everyday shoe.

Need more shoe news?

• Palace and Ugg Deck Out the Tasman in Lively Patches
• Veja ‘Cancels’ Black Friday in Favor of Sneaker Repairs
• How to Become an Adidas Product Tester
• Salehe Bembury Teases His New Crocs Sneaker

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