Lovethoseshoes.com is a business that knows the importance of
nurturing a niche. Launched in 2003 as a place to buy shoes with
a health benefit, the profitable business turned over £1.2
million in 2010. For 2011, managing director Glen Berd forecasts
£1.8 million thanks to more brands and a bigger product
selection. All the products “do something”, says
Berd. Even when selecting mainstream brands like Skechers or
Reebok, Lovethoseshoes will only sell those that have
“technology”-like muscle toning-built in.
Another sales driver this year has been the launch of localised
websites for the spring/summer season. The business employed
native French and German speakers to carry out translations and
act as customer service representatives for customers in France
and Germany. After the autumn/winter season stock is translated
and live, Berd will start work on launching Italian and Spanish
sites, which she says will also open up the business to customers
in South America in addition to widening its European net.
Berd has considered local-language sites for the Nordics too, but
decided to put them on hold as she says Lovethoseshoes.com’s
Scandinavian customers are accustomed to shopping online with
English-language sites. “I’d also love a Japanese and a
Chinese site, but the business would need to be much bigger in
order to manage them,” she adds.
Although predominantly an online business, print remains a key
part of the mix, with Berd claiming the catalogue is
“terribly important” to her customers. She says the
business experiences a definite surge in online orders after a
print catalogue is mailed. As a result, this autumn sees
Lovethoseshoes produce its biggest edition to date. “We
used to put all the brands in it, but this season, because there
are so many new additions, some things are being cut.” Gone
are sandals and specialist training shoes, to focus on everyday
footwear, with the remainder becoming “online-only”
brands.
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