Butt shaper shoes
Just like Crocs, butt shaper shoes aren't the prettiest footwear fad but seem popular. The shoes claim to tone up your derriere. Sellers want to if butt shaper shoe fans are growing or not.
"The economy has made the selling environment much more competitive," said Petro, whose company helps retailers identify trends that are still strong and which ones to bail on before they fizzle.
Shoes that promise to tone your rear-end while you walk around were selling like hotcakes but fads like these can go cold very quickly.
Success for sellers today depends on accurately anticipating what their customers want, he said.
Besides directly polling consumers, Petro's firm also uses an online game to gauge consumer interest in products and prices.
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Last updated March 29 2011: 11:19 AM ET
