NSRA Survey - Indie Insights

Business Performance Survey 2025

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Business Performance Survey 2025

General Instructions

Answer as many questions as possible. If you don't have an exact number, estimate. If you can't estimate, leave it blank. If you have a question about how to answer, call one of our hotlines.

Wyatt Travis, Indie Insights, phone: 832-531-0903 email: wyatt@indieinsights.pro

Mark Denkler, NSRA, phone: 520-209-1718, email: Mark@nsra.org

Report information from the year 2024. Canadians should report dollars in Canadian dollars.

Confidentiality Guaranteed: The numbers you provide are strictly confidential and only Indie Insights and you will see them. Thank you for helping provide independent footwear retailers the information they need to improve their performance.

ONLINE FORM INSTRUCTIONS: Take the survey online at www.indieinsights.pro/NSRA-survey. Enter your registered email to save your form correctly. Email wyatttravis@indieinsights.pro with any questions.

Online form progress is saved whenever you make form changes, save the form, submit the form, or close out of the form window. To resume form progress, return to the form, re-enter your registered email, and resume working on the form. Click the submit button at the bottom of the page to finalize submission once you are done completing the form. Due to recent form updates, you may now complete the survey in multiple browsers or computer devices. If your autosave is not loading properly, try clearing web browser history and cache, or try to open in a different web browser, such as Safari or Chrome. You may re-submit the form if you want to make new updates or changes to the previous submission.

General Client Profile Questions

11. What is the location of your headquarters? (Select one)
USA
Canada

12. Answer each of the following general questions about your business

What year did your business start?

What is the name you do business under (DBA)?

Headquarters Street Address

Headquarters City

Headquarters ZIP Code

Your Phone Number (for results)

Your Email (for results)

13. Which kind of business entity is your brand? (Select one)
S-Corp
C-Corp
Qualified Small Business (1202)
LLC
Partnership
Independent Proprietorship
Joint Venture
Non-profit
Limited Liability Partnership

Revenue and Income Questions (Company-wide. Store-level questions will be asked in a later section.)

26. What were your net sales less returns in 2024?

27. What was your inventory at cost in dollars on December 31st, 2024?

28. What was your inventory at retail in dollars on December 31st, 2024?

29. What is your cost of merchandise purchased during January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024 (excluding freight and discounts if separated)?

30. What was your freight expense during January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024 if known?

31. What were your purchase discounts during January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024 if known?

32. What were your rent expenses from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024?

33. What were all other occupancy expenses (Property taxes, CAM, utilities) from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024?

34. What were your repair expenses from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024?

35. What were your depreciation expenses (Buildings owned and/or leasehold improvements, furniture, fixtures, equipment and vehicles) from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024?

36. What were your insurance expenses (Business liability, property and casualty insurance, and other) from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024?

37. What were your employee benefits, such as medical, life, disability, workers' compensation, all employee insurance, profit sharing, pension, 401k, etc. from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024?

38. What were your payroll taxes from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024?

39. What were your total owner/principal:

Option	Value
Salaries in 2024?
Distributions in 2024?

Total $:

40. What were your total manager salaries in 2024?

41. What were your total buyer's salaries in 2024?

42. What were your total internal employee (office, warehouse, etc.) salaries in 2024?

43. What was your total full-time sales staff base salary + commission in 2024?

44. How many full-time employees did you have at the end of 2024?

45. What was the total of all other expenses including office supplies, staff training, membership dues and donations, professional services, and packaging in 2024?

46. What was your total credit card processing cost in 2024?

47. What were your interest payment costs for 2024?

48. What was your other income (or expense) in 2024?

49. Additional Balance Sheet Questions:

What is the current portion of your long term debt total?

What are your monthly principal payments?

What are your monthly interest payments?

What is your current long term debt total?

What is your total available credit line at the end of 2024?

Category Level Questions

51. What was your 2024 retail $ Inventory on December 31st, 2024 for category:

Option	Value
Men: Dress Shoes
Men: Closed Comfort Casual?
Men: Sandals (all types)?
Men: Clogs?
Men: Orthotics?
Men: Apparel?
Men: Athletic Performance?
Men: Athletic Leisure?
Men: Weather Boots?
Men: Fashion Boots?
Men: Work Boots?
Men: Socks?
Men: Gifts & Jewelry?
Women: Dress Shoes?
Women: Closed Comfort Casual?
Women: Sandals (all types)?
Women: Clogs?
Women: Orthotics?
Women: Apparel?
Women: Athletic Performance?
Women: Athletic Leisure?
Women: Weather Boots?
Women: Fashion Boots?
Women: Work Boots?
Women: Socks?
Women: Gifts & Jewelry?
Children: Dress Shoes
Children: Closed Comfort Casual?
Children: Sandals (all types)?
Children: Clogs?
Children: Orthotics?
Children: Apparel?
Children: Athletic Performance?
Children: Athletic Leisure?
Children: Weather Boots?
Children: Fashion Boots?
Children: Work Boots?
Children: Socks?
Children: Gifts & Jewelry?

Total $:

52. What were your 2024 purchases at cost for category:

Option	Value
Men: Dress Shoes
Men: Closed Comfort Casual?
Men: Sandals (all types)?
Men: Clogs?
Men: Orthotics?
Men: Apparel?
Men: Athletic Performance?
Men: Athletic Leisure?
Men: Weather Boots?
Men: Fashion Boots?
Men: Work Boots?
Men: Socks?
Men: Gifts & Jewelry?
Women: Dress Shoes?
Women: Closed Comfort Casual?
Women: Sandals (all types)?
Women: Clogs?
Women: Orthotics?
Women: Apparel?
Women: Athletic Performance?
Women: Athletic Leisure?
Women: Weather Boots?
Women: Fashion Boots?
Women: Work Boots?
Women: Socks?
Women: Gifts & Jewelry?
Children: Dress Shoes
Children: Closed Comfort Casual?
Children: Sandals (all types)?
Children: Clogs?
Children: Orthotics?
Children: Apparel?
Children: Athletic Performance?
Children: Athletic Leisure?
Children: Weather Boots?
Children: Fashion Boots?
Children: Work Boots?
Children: Socks?
Children: Gifts & Jewelry?

Total $:

53. What was your 2024 sales in dollars for category:

Option	Value
Men: Dress Shoes
Men: Closed Comfort Casual?
Men: Sandals (all types)?
Men: Clogs?
Men: Orthotics?
Men: Apparel?
Men: Athletic Performance?
Men: Athletic Leisure?
Men: Weather Boots?
Men: Fashion Boots?
Men: Work Boots?
Men: Socks?
Men: Gifts & Jewelry?
Women: Dress Shoes?
Women: Closed Comfort Casual?
Women: Sandals (all types)?
Women: Clogs?
Women: Orthotics?
Women: Apparel?
Women: Athletic Performance?
Women: Athletic Leisure?
Women: Weather Boots?
Women: Fashion Boots?
Women: Work Boots?
Women: Socks?
Women: Gifts & Jewelry?
Children: Dress Shoes
Children: Closed Comfort Casual?
Children: Sandals (all types)?
Children: Clogs?
Children: Orthotics?
Children: Apparel?
Children: Athletic Performance?
Children: Athletic Leisure?
Children: Weather Boots?
Children: Fashion Boots?
Children: Work Boots?
Children: Socks?
Children: Gifts & Jewelry?

Total $:

Department Level Questions

55. What were your 2024 Sales for department:

Option	Value
Shoes-Women's?
Shoes-Men's?
Shoes-Children's?
Jewelry?
Handbag & Leather Goods?
Socks?
Hats?
All Other Accessories?
Apparel?
Footcare Items (OTC Orthotics etc.)?
Gifts (household items)?
All Other departments?

Total $:

56. What was your 2024 retail $ Inventory on December 31st, 2024 for department:

Option	Value
Shoes-Women's?
Shoes-Men's?
Shoes-Children's?
Jewelry?
Handbag & Leather Goods?
Socks?
Hats?
All Other Accessories?
Apparel?
Footcare Items (OTC Orthotics etc.)?
Gifts (household items)?
All Other departments?

Total $:

Additional Financial Questions (Company-wide. Store-level questions will be asked in a later section.)

58. What was your initial markup percent for 2024 (Average)? %

59. What were your total markdowns for 2024?

60. What was your annual inventory shrinkage % in 2024? Shrinkage includes theft (employee and shoplifting) and clerical errors, etc. %

61. What is the total number of employees in your company working full-time (30+ hr a week) during 2024?

62. What is the total number of workers in your company working part-time during 2024?

64. If health insurance is provided, what percentage is paid? Put 0 if not provided. %

65. For Sales Staff Only, estimate what % of their compensation on average comes from: Salary %

66. For Sales Staff Only, estimate what % of their compensation on average comes from: Commission %

67. For Sales Staff Only, estimate what % of their compensation on average comes from: Alternative forms of payment (product discounts, discounts to family) %

68. For Sales Staff Only, estimate what % of their compensation on average comes from: Bonuses %

69. For Sales Staff Only, estimate what % of their compensation on average comes from: Other %

70. What was your staff turnover rate over the last 12 months?
(Turnover Rate = [Number of staff who left ÷ Average number of staff] × 100) %

71. What was your manager turnover rate over the last 12 months?
(Turnover Rate = [Number of managers who left ÷ Average number of managers] × 100) %

72. Please rank on a scale of 1-3, what you believe are the most significant impacts on your business over the next three years? (1 is non-applicable, 2 is somewhat significant, 3 is significant)

Access to Financial Capital

Cash flow

Tariffs

Cost of Healthcare

Employee Morale

Culture/Skills training

Environmental Impacts

General Business Costs

Government Regulations

Industry Mergers and Acquisitions

Capital Expenditures

Market Conditions

Online Competition

Recruiting/Hiring Skilled workers

Retaining Employees

Succession Planning

Supply chain issues

Tax policies

Technology/E-commerce

Other

73. Estimate what % of your 2024 sales were by Payment Type:

Option	Value
Cash
Credit card
Debit Card
Check
Apple/Pay/Google Pay
Buy Now Pay Later

Total %:

74. If yes to Buy Now Pay Later, specify which buy now pay later providers are used (Klarna, Afterpay, etc.)?

75. Are you considering expanding payment options?
Yes
No

76. What were your total pairs of Shoes sold in 2024?

77. What was your total pairs of Shoes sold in 2023?

78. What was your (shoe only) sales volume in dollars in 2024?

79. Do you plan to make a major technology upgrade in the next two years? (Select one)
Yes
No

80. Do you plan on installing QR codes in the next 2 years instead of barcodes? (Select one)
Yes
No
Already Installed

81. How do you mark your inventory at the end of 2024? (Select one)
UPC Codes/Vendor Barcode
Your Own Barcodes
Other

83. Estimate what percentage of your vendors provide fill-ins %

84. What Percentage of your open-to-buy dollars do you allocate to: Initial/advance %

85. What Percentage of your open-to-buy dollars do you allocate to: In-Session/fill-ins/replacements %

86. What Percentage of your initial orders are placed in advance of delivery by:

3-4 months

5-6 months

More than 7 months

87. What Percentage of your at-once or fill--in orders do you place via:

Fax/Scan

Phone

Third Party (NuOrder/Joor/etc.)

vendor website

88. In 2024, did vendor-in stock positions: (Select one)
Improve
Remain the Same
Worsen

Marketing and Advertising Questions

90. How much was your advertising and marketing spend for 2024 in dollars all in?

91. What was your vendor coop contribution in dollars for 2024?

92. What was the total dollars provided by vendors paid directly to advertising entities on your behalf for 2024?

93. What is the % of your total advertising spend in 2024 for the marketing channel:

Option	Value
newspaper/magazine (includes inserts)
radio
television
direct mail
email blasts
text messages
social media
internet (marketing store via sites other than own)
your own website
influencer marketing
billboards

Total %:

94. What percentage of billboards are digital in 2024? %

95. What percentage of billboards are static in 2024? %

96. How much did you spend on an external marketing agency in 2024? If you don't use an external marketing agency, put 0.

98. What Percentage of vendor funds were allocated to brick and mortar stores? %

99. What Percentage of vendor funds were allocated to online sales? %

100. Please rank the most important aspects of your customer service offerings (1 = most important, 2 is second most important, etc.)

Easy-to-find location(s)

great parking and access to store(s)

large selection/assortment of product

knowledgeable/courteous staff

special sizes and widths

pedorthic services available

store hours that match customer's needs

liberal return/exchange policies

free delivery

website that provides product and store information

customer buying options: in-store/online/via phone/email and curbside

101. Do You use social media to connect with your customers? (Select one)
Yes
No

102. if yes to #101, do you use Blog sites? (Select one)
Yes
No

103. if yes to #101, do you use facebook? (Select one)
Yes
No

104. if yes to #101, do you use facebook live? (Select one)
Yes
No

105. if yes to #101, do you use instagram? (Select one)
Yes
No

106. if yes to #101, do you use linkedin? (Select one)
Yes
No

107. if yes to #101, do you use tik-tok? (Select one)
Yes
No

108. if yes to #101, do you use twitter? (Select one)
Yes
No

109. if yes to #101, do you use other? (Select one)
Yes
No

110. How does your company use social media and what positive impacts, if any, have you experienced from it? Provide at least 2-4 sentences.

111. Do you currently practice clienteling in your digital marketing strategies? (Select one)
Yes
No

112. Do you currently use AI to generate digital copy? (Select one)
Yes
No

113. Do you currently track marketing performance analytics? (Select one)
Yes
No

114. Do you currently pay for SEO tools like Serpstat or SEMRush? (Select one)
Yes
No

115. How long are your standard marketing campaigns? (Select As Many As Needed)
1 month or less
1-2 months
3-6 months
6-12 months
12+ months

116. Do you participate in joint marketing efforts with your vendors? (Select one)
Yes
No

117. Do you automate marketing with your Customer Relationship Management system (CRM)? (Select one)
Yes
No

Additional Questions and Short Answer Questions

119. What was the average US shoe size sold in 2024?

120. What was the average European shoe size sold in 2024?

121. Provide Your % sold For US Shoe Sizes For Men in 2024

Option	Value
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
10.5
11
11.5
12
13
14

Total %:

122. Provide Your % sold for US Shoe Sizes For Women in 2024

Option	Value
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
11
12
13

Total %:

123. Provide Your % sold for EU Sizes For Men in 2024

Option	Value
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48

Total %:

124. Provide Your % sold for EU Sizes For Women in 2024

Option	Value
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43

Total %:

125. What percentage of your products are private label? %

126. What percent of your shoes are private label? %

127. What was the total Number of Transactions in 2024 (Company-wide)?

128. What was the total Number of Transactions in 2023 (Company-wide)?

129. What was the total Number of Units Sold in 2024 (Company-wide)?

130. What was the total Number of Units Sold in 2023 (Company-wide)?

131. If you use a store counter, estimate your conversion rate? (Conversion rate is the percentage of total visitors completing a sales transaction) %

132. Estimate your attachment rate (insoles sold with athletic/athleisure shoes as a percentage)? %

133. How many new stores did you open in 2024?

134. What business apps do you use (separate each with commas as like example 1, example 2)

135. Do you offer: BOPIS (Buy-Online-Pick-Up-in-Store)?
Yes
No

136. Do you have an internal training program for sales staff? (Select one)
Yes
No

How many store locations do you have?

Business Performance Survey 2025

Business Performance Survey 2025

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