Different Choice-MBT Shoes Outlet

The shoe industry at the moment is seeing one of the biggest new markets ever – that of the ‘toning’ or ‘fitness’ shoe. Originally a niche product produced by a small number of producers, this type of shoe has exploded into the latest footwear must-have.

One of the first companies to produce this style of shoe was MBT. Created in 1999, the company’s ‘Masai Barefoot Technology’ shoes mimicked walking on soft, uneven ground, with the intention of promoting the body’s ‘natural instability’.

For many years, MBT Goti developed a loyal following, however the product remained a very niche product. Retailers were very carefully selected and all underwent training specifically on this product. Only traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ stores were allowed to become MBT Maliza stockists.

In 2007, a new player emerged. FitFlops were the brainchild of Marcia Kilgore. She originally created them as a solution to fight cellulite.

Skechers entered the market in the middle of 2009, with their ‘Tone-Ups’ and ‘Shape-Ups’ ranges. Looking similar to FitFlops and MBT Kisumu, the products were backed up by a huge marketing campaign. Previously mainly a fashion shoe retailer, the fitness part of Skechers range has now become a core part of their business.

Undercutting the traditional brands and welcoming online retailers, Skechers took a large section of the existing market and open up this kind of shoe to the masses. According to a survey published recently, Skechers now have around fifty four percent of the toning shoe market.

Not to be left out, many other retailers have also developed their own styles of toning shoes, including the Truebalance range from New Balance, the EasyTone from Reebok and Puma’s Bodytone.

FitFlops and Skechers have also expanded their ranges dramatically since launch, with the fitness platform now used on anything from Flip Flops to Ugg-style boots.

From a niche product created by just a handful of manufacturers, over the last few years, the toning shoe has expanded into a huge part of the global MBT Nuru footwear business. In 2008 this market was worth $17 million, it increased to $145 million in 2009 and an estimated $1.5billion in 2010.