Website Closers® presents an eCommerce company operating in one of the world’s most evergreen and lucrative industries, selling products under their own brand name, and attracting sales from both men and women for their stylish Men’s Dress Shoes and related accessories. With lifetime revenues surpassing $8 million, the company has amply demonstrated it knows how to attract and appeal to its buyers.
This is a simple but highly efficient eCommerce model where the company buys Men’s dress shoes from a factory, brands them, then resells them through the advantages provided by social media, email marketing, and a strong SEO program.
The company is operating in a tremendously profitable and evergreen industry. Globally, the footwear industry is expected to earn $133 billion in 2022 and then continue growing by a projected 10% through 2025, when revenues will soar to $178 billion.
Today there is rising demand for fashionable, trendy and comfortable footwear accessible to different age groups, and that includes sports-focused and athleisure footwear that’s particularly popular among the 40+ demographic, helping to drive sales of footwear across the globe.
Recognizing that customers are looking for different things in footwear, there are a lot of notable styles being introduced today by designers and manufacturers, often focusing on seasonal basics and footwear that will have a significant impact on fashion for the upcoming season.
As part of the overall clothing and apparel industry, this is an evergreen industry offering products that are constantly in high demand, including luxury, business and sporting shoes, and sneakers. Footwear remains a necessity for the average consumer, but today style is as important as comfort to millions of buyers, as shoes have become an essential form of expression for so many people around the world.
This brand understood that, which is why their own products have done exceptionally well. Let’s take a closer look at this operation and its successes.
Launched in 2020, the company has become a popular provider of fashionable men’s shoes, with sales both to men (typically 40 years old and older) and women who purchase them as gifts for the men in their lives.
This company developed the custom molds used to make their large and wide-size shoes that are unique to them, and they source from multiple factories, so they are not reliant on one manufacturer.
Their products are sold under their own brand name, and they now have 10 models that include orthopedic leather shoes, dress shoes, high tops, formal dress shoes, and loafers, and accessories such as leather belts and dress socks as well as a pair of pants. Their shoes are designed and tested by their team of professional shoemakers, with their shoes crafted for the highest comfort level possible.
At an Average Order Value of $86, the company is now shipping 275+ orders per day, and their products sell year-round, with a sharp spike in sales during the holidays. The company has demonstrated just how evergreen and in demand men’s dress shoes are.
To reach their customers, the company has taken maximum advantage of social media marketing to drive sales. That includes Facebook (where they have 10,000+ followers) and TikTok (where their posts have received millions of views) to boost organic traffic to their site.
TikTok has been a particularly effective tool for them, helping to drive +10% of their revenue.
They benefit as well from a robust email marketing campaign. With 120,000+ subscribers in their email database, their multiple weekly email newsletters are helping to drive up to 25% of their total revenue.
As part of these thriving marketing efforts, the company has an SEO program that includes doing multiple blog posts and backlinks to generate more online traffic, and it’s working. The company now receives 300,000+ monthly visitors to their website.
Their SEO and social media marketing have become a potent tool to bring on newcomers, and they are starting to enjoy upsells, with 8% of their sales now coming from repeat buyers.
PPC ads on Facebook and Google round out their marketing efforts. Gatsby Shoes has enjoyed a high number of 5 Star reviews from satisfied customers, helping to provide them with strong word of mouth referrals.
This business practically runs itself. The current owner spends just 2-5 hours per week running it, with the assistance of an experienced team of contractors who handle daily operations.
The company has low overhead costs as their main supplier can provide 100% of its inventory, and they have built up strong working relationships with all their manufacturers. All products are drop shipped by the manufacturers to the buyer.
The owner’s regular tasks include checking in with suppliers, monitoring email support and posting on social media. The owner is available to provide assistance during the transition.
This is a company well-positioned to scale quickly. Some of the most appealing options include adding their listings to popular sites such as Amazon, Walmart, and eBay, and making an international push on Amazon’s foreign platforms.
The brand could also boost sales, including upsells and cross-sells, by adding new SKUs to their product line and expanding what they offer their existing customer base. They also have a major opportunity to start taking on wholesale accounts.
The wide appeal of fashionable and trendy shoes isn’t going anywhere, and as this brand has demonstrated, once customers discover a brand they like and feel delivers quality products, sales will keep getting stronger. This company, with low costs and limited competition in their niche space, is in an enviable position for growth moving forward.
