The explosion of ecommerce has changed the landscape of retail and created new opportunities and challenges. Read on to learn more about how three companies in the footwear industry have used data to develop their businesses and for some top tips to increase revenue as an online retailer.

New Republic

LA based New Republic is a footwear company focusing on style and affordability. CEO Josh Kaplan is a serial entrepreneur, with previous successful fashion brands. Kaplan consistently uses data to inform his sales strategy and address the unique challenges associated with online footwear ecommerce.

Tip #1: Help customers buy the correct size

When customers aren’t sure what shoe size they should purchase, they often check out multiple pairs of the same style in different sizes. Customers will then return the shoe that didn’t fit – but this makes a sale unprofitable for footwear brands. To fix this issue, Josh implemented a prompt at checkout that would assist customers with sizing alongside a link to a live chat with the customer service team.

• Results: A potentially unprofitable sale become profitable and customers get the product they wanted

Tip #2: Tell customers what discount codes exist

Using Solve to track individual customer journeys, Josh found that New Republic customers would leave the checkout page and (presumably) search for discount codes before purchasing or abandoning their carts. Josh explains that they added an instruction on the checkout page that said “there are no currently active discount codes beyond any current promotion on the New Republic website.” Simply providing the customer with more information limited this behavior.

Results: Providing the customer with information about discounts increased the conversion rate and decreased the number of abandoned carts

Bobux

Bobux is a children’s footwear brand dedicated to crafting shoes for kids at each stage of development. 30 years ago, the brand was the first to create soft soled shoes for babies and has gone on to design hundreds of different shoes for toddlers and children. Bobux has undertaken an incredible growth journey and alongside this growth, data has become increasingly important to the business. Bobux has improved customer retention and increased revenue using a sophisticated understanding of their data.

Tip # 1: Collect raw website data directly to increase identification for abandoned carts

Using Solve enables Bobux to identify more users to its websites, which in turn enables more customised experiences for each shopper. For example, more users now qualify to enter the brand’s Abandoned Cart Email Program.

• Results: According to Milly, Head of Ecommerce and Digital Marketing at Bobux, these changes “dramatically increased revenue from [the] Abandoned Cart journey, in some regions it has even doubled.”

Tip #2: Improve retention by anticipating customer needs

Using comprehensive data, Bobux is able to ensure that the relationship with each customer doesn’t end once a purchase has been made. Milly explains “we can anticipate when it might be time for a customer to begin thinking about buying a replacement pair (little feet grow fast!). We can even use bulk data to streamline the shopping process by predicting which size and styles customers might be most interested in next.”

• Results: Customers feel nurtured and you encourage them to return to your brand

StrutFit

One of the key challenges faced by online footwear retailers is returns. Sizing across brands can be inconsistent, and customers often struggle to purchase the correct size. Enter StrutFit, an online sizing tool for footwear retailers. Retailers that use StrutFit enable customers to effortlessly find their size for any style on the retailer’s website. Dhruv, an account executive at StrutFit has shared with us his top tips on how online footwear retailers can increase customer retention and use data to improve their businesses.

Tip #1: Display relevant and accurate size charts

Different brands fit differently, and different styles within a brand often also fit differently. Dhruv suggests you “curate accurate size charts which map the customer’s foot length to the size in this particular brand or style. If you’re a brand, often your factories can help you with this. If you’re a retailer, this sizing information should be made available from the brands.” 

• Results: Increase online sales by giving customers confidence over their chosen size. Reduce returns by ensuring they are getting the right size the first time.

Tip #2: Use feedback to update sizing information and retain customers

“[Contact] customers after their purchase and find out how the fitting was – this data can then be used to add sizing tips to the product display page such as ‘This shoe runs true to size’ or ‘This shoe runs one size big – order one size larger than your usual size’” 

• Results: Showing customers you care about their experience encourages them to shop with you again, and their feedback helps future customers with their purchases.

Wanting to drive more sales from your customer data? Book in a demo today at solve.io