KENYA · GUIDE 0288 · EDITION 4.2
Shoe sole repair in Kenya: Customers and Market Demand
The buyer and the buying decision
Customers repairing serviceable everyday footwear. The offer to test is: Shoe sole repairs selected after checking the upper, sole compatibility and remaining shoe life.
Assess the upper and existing sole construction before proposing repair, agreeing whether the customer wants renewed everyday use or a limited repair to an otherwise ageing shoe.
Separate interest from an accepted order
Test a repair on a suitable pair and record preparation and curing time from product instructions.
The purpose of this test is to establish whether the buyer accepts the specified result, delivery arrangement and payment terms. An encouraging interview does not establish repeat demand. Ask what the buyer currently uses, what would make them change supplier and who has authority to approve the first order. Record a refusal as carefully as an enquiry so that unsuccessful offers do not disappear from the evidence.
Collect evidence specific to this offer
Record original sole and upper condition, chosen repair method, materials, alignment checks, customer walking feedback, and the remaining wear risks disclosed before work begins.
| Question to resolve | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|
| What exactly will the buyer accept? | After completing the repair material’s instructed curing process, inspect alignment, edge finish and pair balance with the customer, checking walking comfort where appropriate. |
| What is included in the first trial? | Assess the upper and existing sole construction before proposing repair, agreeing whether the customer wants renewed everyday use or a limited repair to an otherwise ageing shoe. |
| How will a prospect see the offer? | Offer a clear assessment before taking payment rather than promising every shoe can be restored. |
| What must happen before repeating the trial? | Secure compatible repair with limitations of old materials explained. |
Decide whether to continue
Review the specification with the buyer before committing to tools or stock. A trial is commercially useful only if actual costs, rejected work, time spent and cash collected can be reconciled. A cheap resole can become a dispute when the remaining upper splits shortly afterwards and the customer believed the entire shoe had been restored by the repair.
If a buyer changes the required output, record a new scope and re-cost the test. Do not count a request for a different product as proof of demand for the original one. Keep personal contact details in your private records and use customer statements publicly only with permission.
Turn the example into a buyer test
Fictional worked job: Re-sole one pair of ordinary adult leather lace-up shoes, nominal size42, using two matched compatible soles. Job card records left/right outline, sole thickness at heel/forefoot, upper tears and previous adhesive. Exclude safety shoes, crumbling midsoles, cracked attachment margins and repairs that alter intended gait/support.
| Buyer discussion | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|
| Specification to confirm | Powdering foam or an upper tearing at the welt means no simple sole bond; explain replacement/referral before buying parts. |
| Output to inspect | Any open margin holds the whole pair. No arbitrary walking/load test establishes original shoe strength. |
| Failure that can defeat acceptance | Front edge lifts after cure |
Ask the buyer to describe one acceptable and one unacceptable result. Record the decision maker, price basis, quantity, handover point and payment date privately. A sample request, an encouraging conversation and an accepted order are different evidence. Keep the first commitment within your demonstrated capacity; no customer interview or successful trial is asserted here.
What a failed test should change
Compare actual contamination, material identification and holding/cure record.. If the offer cannot meet that check, revise the specification or process before promising a repeat. Keep rejected offers and reasons in the same register as positive replies so that your record does not exaggerate demand.