According to the data of the Turkish Footwear Manufacturers Association (TASD), Türkiye is the largest shoe production center in Europe with a production capacity of approximately 550 million pairs per year. With this capacity, the country stands out as the sixth largest shoe producer in the world. The sector continues to be one of the important business lines of the country's economy, providing employment to more than 300 thousand people. Shifts in global supply chains create new opportunities for countries with strong production infrastructures. These situations create a favorable basis for Turkish manufacturers to become more visible in international markets.
This strong production potential in the sector, when combined with digital trade infrastructures, offers the opportunity to reach wider markets. It is of great importance for manufacturers to have access to the right technological tools in order to utilize this potential. At this point, Bulkoon Founding Partner Cem Arguvanlı makes the following assessment: "Türkiye's production power is indisputable; however, in order to find the real equivalent of this power, the manufacturer must reach the right buyer, at the right time and on a safe ground. While traditional methods make the manufacturer dependent on a limited number of buyers, digital infrastructures eliminate these limits. We turn technology into a bridge that protects the producer's cash flow and brings him together directly with thousands of buyers."
"Digitalized manufacturers will compete more strongly in the global market"
According to Grand View Research's research on the global footwear market, the market is expected to reach $588.22 billion in 2030. The same research predicts that the market will grow at an average annual rate of 4.3 percent between 2025 and 2030. The report shows the rapid spread of online shopping and e-commerce platforms as one of the most important driving forces behind this growth. The shift in consumer habits to digital is radically transforming not only retail but also wholesale supply processes. This trend indicates that countries with high production power can get a larger share of global demand through digital trade channels.
Arguvanlı states that this increase in global shoe demand opens an important window of opportunity for the Turkish manufacturer. According to him, the fact that growth occurs through digital channels will take manufacturers who established their technology early one step forward. "The world is increasingly buying and selling shoes through digital platforms; the manufacturer who is ready for this transformation will win," he says. Acting with this vision, Bulkoon brings together manufacturers with an infrastructure that combines secure payment, digital order management and logistics processes in a single panel. The platform brings together manufacturers in Türkiye's different production centers at a single point, allowing buyers to reach reliable suppliers more easily.
Digitalization of wholesale trade opens a new era in the sector
Wholesale trade in the footwear industry has for many years relied largely on face-to-face relationships and traditional methods. While manufacturers mostly put their products on the market through a limited number of wholesalers, buyers had to deal with long and messy processes to find reliable suppliers. The spread of digital trade infrastructures in recent years has begun to rapidly change this picture. Manufacturers can now reach buyers beyond geographical borders, and buyers can compare products from different manufacturers on a single screen. Solutions such as secure payment, digital order management and transparent pricing make wholesale trade more predictable and reliable. This transformation gives small and medium-sized manufacturers, especially those with limited marketing power, the opportunity to take part in the same digital showcase with large brands. Thus, competition in the sector is moved to a more fair ground and new growth areas are opened for the manufacturer.
"We are establishing the digital infrastructure that carries domestic producers to world markets"
Bulkoon stands out as a completely B2B-focused digital wholesale trade platform, established by combining generations of knowledge in the shoe industry with modern software technologies. The platform was implemented after approximately two years of analysis, development and testing; It brings together manufacturers, stores and entrepreneurs in a single ecosystem. Cem Arguvanlı explains the future goals of the platform as follows:
"Our priority in the short term is to create one of the most comprehensive B2B shoe supply ecosystems that brings together manufacturers across Turkey under one roof. While doing this, we are constantly improving the user experience with solutions such as artificial intelligence-supported product discovery and smart matching. In the medium term, we aim to connect Turkish manufacturers with buyers abroad by opening up to international markets, especially the Middle East, Arab and Slavic countries. We are building this journey step by step with multilingual infrastructure, different currencies and new technologies that facilitate exports. Our ultimate goal is to lead the digital transformation of the domestic manufacturer and take it to the world "To be a technology-focused trade brand that carries its products to its markets."