A low-price tag is often an attractive prospect for companies procuring safety footwear, whereas a high price point can often be viewed sceptically.
This article looks at why when it comes to safety footwear, these two attitudes to cost should be reversed, and how V12 Footwear is helping companies avoid a whole range of hidden as well as obvious costs through their high-quality, award-winning footwear.
The hidden costs of returns
There are a host of less obvious costs that a business can incur by opting for cheaper footwear. And just because they’re hidden costs, it doesn’t mean they’re small costs.
The average safety footwear industry return rate is 4%. V12’s is 0.118. But it’s not just the wearers who benefit from this statistic. Consider the other costs that are avoided throughout the whole purchasing process for all companies involved when safety footwear is built to last.
Time and energy
If less expensive boots need replacing due to a fault – a likely scenario for a cheaper product – the fault must be reported, actioned, documented and then communicated with the manufacturer or distributor, as well as a replacement reordered. And let’s not forget, conversations regarding faulty products can often be challenging and time-consuming.
Furthermore, returning a faulty item is often a largely manual process. Orders must be located, returns forms filled in, paperwork raised and sent. Often, multiple members of staff are required to investigate the fault to confirm it’s a legitimate case for a return, and if the original boots need to be sent back to the manufacturer, shipping must be arranged. If replacements are needed, this can require a new purchase order, which again calls for other colleagues’ time. More time and energy spent on past transactions instead of future progress.
And meanwhile, what does the worker with non-compliant footwear do? In the absence of the correct spec, they’ll stop working – another massive productivity cost.
Hows is V12’s return rate so low?
A return rate of 0.118 doesn’t happen by chance. With high-quality materials, top-level manufacturing and a relentless focus on safety, comfort and durability through innovation, V12 are becoming the safety footwear solution for those demanding tough, reliable protection. V12 Footwear is durable by design – no compromises, no exceptions.
Cost to the environment
What if an employer was to find a £40 safety boot that needed replacing twice a year as an alternative to a single pair of £80 boots that will last the same amount of time? Could they argue that’s the same overall cost for both boots, so opting for two cheaper pairs doesn’t really make a difference? Well, they could, but they’d be forgetting that double the footwear uses double the energy, double the materials, and creates double the landfill.
In a climate where consumers don’t just prefer sustainable practices – they demand them, if it comes down to making an initially high outlay of cash for one product, or buying multiple cheaper boots, today’s customer is going to want the first option every time.
Cost to a brand
For a company serving a safety critical sector, these costs can accumulate into one much more damaging cost: reputation. And just like a poorly made pair of boots, a brand’s reputation is quickly worn away and difficult to repair.
Cheaper boots don’t just lack durability– they can compromise health. Foot protection isn’t just about toecaps: low-cost boots are unlikely to include innovative features ensuring high-performing grip, musculoskeletal support and reduced foot fatigue. Well-made safety footwear protects through comfort too – tight fitting, heavy footwear means distraction through discomfort – and this means a reduced focus on safety.
Buying lower cost safety footwear might be initially effective, but how likely is it that a company’s name will become synonymous with quality and value if the footwear they provide will soon fail, protect poorly and end up adding to the country’s already brimming landfill sites?
So, knowing the hidden costs of cheaper footwear is critical; very often, these costs are much higher than the financial ones.
For more information on V12’s footwear solution, contact Stuart Kyle, V12 footwear business development manager for energy at stuart.kyle@v12footwear.com or tel: +44(0) 1249 651 900.
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