By Sara Germano 

These days, looking like you run is more popular than actually running.

Sales growth of running shoes shifted last year away from high-performance technical shoes designed for athletes in favor of cheaper models aimed at casual wear, a move that is altering the economics of the largest athletic-footwear market.

There are a number of factors at work--including confusion over health claims for unstructured technical running shoes. But the broader cause is the so-called athleisure trend that is reshaping the retail landscape as fitness blurs with fashion.

Sales of running shoes priced above $125--mostly performance-focused models-- fell 18% for the year ended April 11, while sales of running shoes under $125--including most fashion-focused pairs--rose 8% over the same period, according to industry tracker SportsOneSource.

The result is the market is becoming a numbers game, with volumes of casual lines doing more to drive sales than higher prices from performance shoes.

"For the first time that I can ever remember, and I've been in the business for 14 years, unit sales are outpacing dollar sales overall," said Neil Schwartz, vice president of business development for SportsOneSource.

Running is the largest U.S. athletic footwear category by retail sales and grew 3.5% to just over $6 billion in 2014, according to data from SportsOneSource.

It is a broad category encompassing high-tech training shoes aimed at marathoners that can approach $200 a pair, as well as retro and casual sneakers worn mainly for fashion, which tend to sell for under $100.

"Now, because this whole athleisure business is growing, casual is growing and it's now being further segregated from the performance side, " Mr. Schwartz said.

There have always been people who would wear running shoes for purposes that didn't involve breaking a sweat. What's new is that shoppers are turning to lower-priced models that are more sporty looking than sport-specific in such numbers that it is prompting manufacturers such as Adidas AG to rejigger their lineups and sports retailers like Finish Line Inc. to make room for more fashion fare.

"It's a penetration shift, slightly away from running toward less technical, more lifestyle sneakers," said Lauren Blanda, general manager of merchandising for City Sports, a chain of athletic stores mostly in urban areas "We call it 'sport-style.'"

Kohl's Corp. is doing big business in lower-priced performance shoes and casual athletic shoes from companies like Skechers USA Inc. Glenn Lyon, chief executive of Finish Line, said his stores are "absolutely, absolutely doing more casual than we have done in the past."

Running is the largest category at family footwear retailer Famous Footwear, president Rick Ausick said. He recently has noticed that customers have been favoring casual running shoes over performance models.

"In other words, we think the majority of our customers are buying the shoe to spend their weekend in versus hitting the pavement for a three-mile run," he said.

Technical running hasn't had a huge hit since the heyday of minimalist running footwear. The trend surged at the turn of the decade amid claims that barefoot-style running was healthier, but sales collapsed last year as those claims came under scrutiny. Since then, sales of more structured and padded technical running shoes have grown, but not yet with the same fervor.

"The consumer is really confused right now about what they should run in, and they're not sure that they trust their retailer," said Matt Powell, an industry analyst for NPD Group.

Adidas has had some success with its line of Boost running shoes, but at upward of $150 a pop, they were too expensive for the mass market. Paul Bowyer, U.S. director of running for Adidas, said the company expects to roll out two new lines of running shoes within the next year, priced between $50 and $100.

Last month, Nike brand President Trevor Edwards said that "running-inspired" shoes like the Roshe are selling well, but the company is working on challenges in its core running category, which "isn't performing as well as we would like."

Insiders say that is because we may have passed the peak of the Nike Free. Having been on the market for roughly a decade, the Free sneakers became a best seller for both Nike Inc. and the running industry overall.

"In the athletic fashion spaces, they're just not wearing Nike Frees anymore," said Ms. Blanda of City Sports. She added that the newest model of the Free, released earlier this month, is selling well, but the strength of the line as a whole "is not quite what it was a year ago."

The slowness in technical running has prompted traditional athletic retailers to retool their offerings. It has helped City Sports stores, according to Ms. Blanda, since the typical lifespan of a technical running shoe can last between one to two years, while casual shoes will cycle in and out of stores in about 12 weeks. By ordering lifestyle shoes in more limited quantities, it keeps their inventory fresh, she said.

Still, it's taken some getting used to. A few weeks ago, City Sports had to retrain its employees on how to sell its newer casual-looking goods.

"They were a little confused at what we were trying to achieve," Ms. Blanda said. "Like, 'OK maybe we're not just technical sportswear.'"

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