Hot cakes
A bunch of D2C shoe brands have come up
Direct to consumer
A bunch of D2C shoe brands have come up
Shoes industry is doubling down on digital. Direct to consumer(D2C) is the next big thing in the shoe industry. Even Nike aims to become a D2C brand. Earlier it depended on retailers such as Zappos, world’s first online shoe retailer.
Zappos was the first chapter of online shoe industry. It became the market leader, beating Amazon at the time. It sold shoes from multiple brands. It succeeded in focusing on exemplary customer service and company culture. One customer called up its customer care to order a pizza. Zappos executive placed the order. Amazon bought it in 2009 for $1.2bn. The next chapter is D2C shoe brands.
As per CB Insights: We identified four broad areas where these D2C companies set themselves apart — in design, how they launch, the customer experience they build, and how they market themselves.
Allbirds was the first D2C breakout shoe brand. It used wool, wood and sugar to make shoes. Within two years of the launch, it was worth $1.4bn. Businesses in India are busy building the next Allbirds. They are Neeman’s, Flathead, Eleavar, Toesmith, Akreti, Fitflop and Saye.
Watch: How wool and wood become shoes Link