The Signal

Slides continue to dominate the women’s open sandal category heading into Spring 2026. Our data shows slides accounting for approximately 62% of total open sandal unit sales at mass retail, up from 55% a year prior. Meanwhile, chunky platform sandals — the darling of 2023-2024 — are seeing declining sell-through rates and growing markdowns.

What’s Working

Minimalist slides with clean lines, contoured footbeds, and subtle hardware are the volume story. The consumer has clearly settled on a silhouette that’s easy, versatile, and price-accessible. Footbed construction quality is the key differentiator — not height, not embellishment.

Thong sandals maintain a steady secondary position, particularly in warm-weather markets. The classic T-strap and toe-post silhouettes continue to deliver consistent units without the dramatic growth of slides.

Sport sandals hold a stable niche. The outdoor/athleisure crossover customer keeps this category alive, though growth has plateaued after the post-COVID hiking boom normalized.

What’s Fading

Chunky platforms are in retreat. After three seasons of strong performance driven by social media trends, we’re seeing:

• Increasing markdown rates (up from prior seasons)
• Declining reorder velocity at mass retail
• Style fatigue among the core customer who drove the trend

Wedges remain a perennial underperformer at mass. Occasional seasonal spikes occur but the silhouette lacks the everyday versatility that drives volume.

The Playbook

1. Double down on slides — particularly contoured footbed styles with clean profiles. This is the volume category for the foreseeable future.
2. Maintain thong programs at current levels. Steady, not growing, but reliable.
3. Right-size platform exposure — reduce SKU count, focus on moderate (not extreme) heights, shift to wedge-platforms for a softer transition.
4. Watch the mule-slide hybrid — early signals suggest a closed-toe slide/mule crossover could be an emerging silhouette for fall transition.

The Bottom Line

The sandal market has voted for simplicity. Slides win because they’re easy to put on, easy to style, and easy to price. Any silhouette that adds complexity — height, straps, weight — needs to justify that complexity with a clear consumer benefit. Most don’t.