The Comfort Shoe Market and Changes in Consumer Awareness

This chapter examines how JIF’s activities targeting shoe retailers that caused the spread of shoe fitters changed the awareness of foot health in Japan and gave rise to the comfort shoe market. The emergence of the comfort shoe market was an intended and indirect consequence of JIF’s activities. The chapter also reveals that despite the consequence, some foot health issues remained unresolved. Challenges within the shoe fitter system surfaced, revealing consumer needs that were not adequately addressed. This sets the stage for the unintended market dynamics discussed in Chaps. 8 – 10 .