There is a growing divide between the retail and DTC worlds.
I write a lot about brand marketing and give clout to many hypey brands on social but there is an entirely different side of this industry that flies under the radar because they go about their business differently. My last post showed the traction that Satisfy, Bandit, Norda and Tracksmith have gained on social media. No mention of them here. If you go into a run specialty shop, there is an entirely different subset of brands that are top of mind and turning over a lot of product IRL.
In order to dive into the retail side of the industry I called some friends at a running shop. We agreed to do an anonymous interview so their candor could come through and this article could provide as much value as possible without any sugar coating. With this sell-in cycle underway and TRE coming soon this is a timely conversation.
We talked for over an hour and I’ve paraphrased the conversation below. This is of course just one store’s experience but I hope you find it interesting and enlightening. As always chime in on the comments.
Matt: Okay, we’re rolling. Let’s start with footwear. I’ve got some big, general questions: what trends have you seen in running shoes the last few years?
Sales Associate 1: Max cushioning—no question. Over the last 10–15 years the pendulum swung hard from minimal to maximal. A lot of injuries happened with minimal, but I don’t blame the shoes so much as user error—people threw on a new style and immediately ran 20 miles. Now I’m seeing similar problems on the maximal side. Because there’s so much foam between you and the ground, it took longer to show up, but the instability is real.
Matt: What about max cushioning is causing injuries?
Sales Associate 1: Shoes are too soft. It takes more effort to run in something marshmallowy versus a shoe with resilience and bounce. I’m seeing wobbliness and ankle rolls—worked with someone yesterday who badly sprained an ankle in an ultra-soft shoe. Max cushion feels amazing at step-in, but it compresses fast, creates lateral instability, and breaks down quickly.
Matt: So you’re less comfortable putting people into high-stack, max cushion shoes. What are you reaching for instead?
Sales Associate 1: Two favorites right now: the redesigned Brooks Launch—best update I’ve seen in ages, simple $120 trainer (wish they still made a stability version). And the Saucony Kinvara—the last two versions were awful, but the new one basically reverted to what worked a couple versions ago. Odd that they went back, but it’s better than the missteps.
[FWIW I spent a couple minutes on Brooks’ Instagram page to find anything on the Launch 11. It wasn’t easy. The only post I could find was someone playing basketball in the shoe. 🤷♂️]
Matt: What is the state of innovation in footwear?
Sales Associate 1: Stagnant. Everyone’s hyping “supercritical foams,” but when I ask for specifics it’s like someone explaining cryptocurrency. Nitrogen-this, TPU-that—okay, but if your foam really returns more energy, use less of it. Sandwich it smartly and you can bring people closer to the ground with the same ride. There is a market for max cushion, but not everyone belongs there just because their doctor said “get a Hoka.” We try to educate across drop and stack so people feel the differences.
Sales Associate 1: The brands closest to serving an alternative are Altra and Topo—they offer closer to the ground options alongside their cushier models. Not everyone can do 0–4 mm drop or wide toe boxes, but at least those brands stayed truer to their roots.
Matt: Looking at your wall, what do you grab first—and what do you avoid?
Sales Associate 1: It depends on the person, but “core” shoes do a lot of the work: Brooks Ghost/Adrenaline, New Balance 860/880, Saucony Ride (I skip the Guide now; it’s gotten absurd), ASICS Cumulus and GT-2000—though Cumulus has no tread and the new GT-2000 is worse than last year’s. I rarely bring out the super-steroided premium lines (Glycerin/GTS, etc.) unless someone asks; most people prefer the standard trainers once they try them.
Matt: On Instagram you never see a GT-2000—just the hyped up race shoes, but in the reality of the run specialty shop it’s the workhorse trainers that sell.
Sales Associate 1: Exactly. We’re not influencers; we’re sales associates. Hype can move product (e.g., La Sportiva Prodigio Pro sold out on buzz), but day-to-day we sell practical shoes.
Matt: Do customers arrive primed by the buzz they hear/see out in the world?
Sales Associate 2: For sure—especially carbon racers. A new AlphaFly drops and there’s a line out the door. But most of what we sell isn’t hype. Often people aren’t chasing the pumped-up “plus” versions of daily trainers. Comfort, function, and price matter. Prices recently went up across the wall without durability improving, so value is becoming a tougher sell.
Matt: Durability feels like a real pain point given the price increases.
Sales Associate 2: Absolutely. Tariffs bumped La Sportiva prices ~$30 across the board. People still buy but they complain. Our Sportiva assortment shrank—from Bushido/Akasha/Jackal/etc. down to essentially Prodigio/Prodigio Pro and Bushido (inventory constraints too).
Sales Associate 2: Another pain point: color. We’ll spend 30–40 minutes fitting someone and the first question is “Does it come in another color?” If we can’t get that other color quickly, they order online. Brands all gravitate to the same seasonal colors, so variety suffers.
Matt: What are your thoughts on product architecture and naming?
Sales Associate 1: Confusing. “Glycerin” vs “Glycerin GTS,” same names with suffixes for stability - just give them different names. It’s hard on staff and customers. When we show someone a guide-rail their eyes still glaze over. People just want comfortable.
Sales Associate 1: My selling style is simple: I bring out one shoe, not fifteen. More choices = more confusion. Treadmill gait videos? Mostly a sales prop because not enough people are used to running comfortably on a treadmill and it affects their stride. We send people outside to run.
Matt: Who actually benefits from that mega-cushion?
Sales Associate 1: Hard to generalize. People buy Bondi, Nimbus, Glycerin and come back for them, so there’s a fanbase. I personally ask not to even stock the ultra-max “plus-plus” models; they cause problems for too many people.
Matt: Do you often feel like you’re fighting against the marketing from brands?
Sales Associate 1: All the time. Example: heel counters. I rip them out of my shoes and for a lot of customers—they cause more problems than they solve. Altra originally had no heel counters; added them because people equate stiffness with quality. That perception battle is real. We modify shoes constantly.
Sales Associate 1: Also: Ortholite sockliners—great “step-in feel,” smashed flat in a week. Old EVA sockliners lasted. Saucony made sockliners too thick without adding volume, so toes get cramped; we swap in thinner sockliners and—boom—the fit works. Years ago I showed Saucony’s North American Sales Lead a pile of removed EVERUN inserts; he was mad about cost, but the punchline was we sold more Sauconys because we could tune the fit with/without them.
Matt: What else do you see related to brand marketing?
Sales Associate 1: Carbon-plated injuries. People train in them daily but they’re race tools. Foams are soft; 150–200 miles and the ride is gone. Plates don’t want to bend so the shoe design has to lock your heel to keep the shoe from pulling off, and we’re seeing Achilles insertion issues because that point bears the extra force. We warn folks, but some come back 500 miles later, injured and blaming the shoe.
Matt: Any thoughts on lifestyle/fashion footwear?
Sales Associate 1: On has some good models, but many are fashion to me—compressible pods, holes that trap rocks/mud. Great post-run coffee shoes, not my first pick to run in, especially on trails.
Sales Associate 1: Trail picks that work: Saucony Peregrine, Hoka Speedgoat, Altra Lone Peak. Hoka Mafate used to be good but they raised the stack height too much. The Altra Experience Wild is a great 4 mm drop for road-to-trail, though it needs grippier tread. Rumor is it’s improving in future versions.
Matt: Is trail big in general for you?
Sales Associate 2: Yes. Right after the pandemic we measured ~27% of our footwear as trail at this store, granted we are close to great trails. It’s drifted down a bit but we’re still high. We just hosted a big trail running event~150 people; ~60% were first-timers. The vibe is “event/adventure” over “race” - like gravel biking’s rise.
Matt: Let’s hit hydration/nutrition/apparel.
Sales Associate 2: Hydration is booming—more packs, handhelds, soft flasks. Surprise hit: quivers for poles (Salomon, UD)—we kept selling out. Most people buy vests with bladders, then buy soft flasks separately for drink mix. Rule #1: don’t put drink mix in the bladder; cleaning the hose is a nightmare.
Sales Associate 2: With nutrition, influencers create curiosity, but stomach tolerance is the determining factor. We walk people through testing on short runs, what the race supplies, taste/texture preferences. Maurten is #1 for many (easy on gut, low flavor). SIS does well on price. GU remains a staple due to sponsorships and breadth (gels, chews, drink mix). Honey Stinger waffles sell because, well, they’re candy-adjacent. Spring used to fly (Awesome Sauce) but then the calorie-count controversy hit—we don’t even carry it now.
Sales Associate 1: Palates differ. Younger runners often tolerate sweeter stuff; I can’t stand gels, I’m old school and Snickers and a Coke on a long day are still the best.
Matt: Apparel is always tricky in run specialty. What is your experience there?
Sales Associate 2: This store location is our #2 apparel seller out of seven stores—even though we can’t carry Vuori or Patagonia here because of brand-proximity rules with a nearby outdoor shop. Our mainstays are rabbit and Nike, plus seasonal Oiselle/Janji and Craft with winter apparel. Group runs really drive apparel sales, we tack on a bit of a discount and people shop like crazy.
Matt: What is it about rabbit that is winning for you? They aren’t as hyped online but are clearly doing very well.
Sales Associate 2: rabbit wins because of feel and function: soft fabrics, smart pockets/waist loops, sun hoodies, winter “cocoon” pieces—men’s and women’s. With apparel, people want performance and softness first; looks matter but less than with shoes. The biggest miss in apparel generally is color depth—key pieces need 3–4 colors. A lack of variety in shop pushes people online.
Matt: What other broad trends do you see in both the industry and the runner that walks through that door?
Sales Associate 2: Partnerships with major local races massively broadened our clientele—from walkers to Olympians—and it feeds our community: Our Wednesday night run club is ~100 people year-round, rain or shine. Since COVID, the social piece is huge—events like that recent trail event we mentioned fill up instantly. The “sigh” is footwear innovation feels stuck; we are looking for a brand willing to zig while everyone zags.
Otherwise, running keeps me sane. I don’t race much anymore, but I love seeing people come in glowing from Chicago or New York—PRs or not, it’s the story that matters.
Matt: Love that. Anything I missed?
Sales Associate 1: That’s the big stuff.
Sales Associate 2: Call if you need more!
Matt: Absolutely—thanks so much.
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