Online and in-store footwear retailer Shoezone has launched its first social shopping channel on TikTok Shop.
Joining brands such as Puma, Soletrader and EGO on the platform, the retailer is leaning into a social-first approach, allowing creators to link directly to products through TikTok Shop. The retailer also hopes to drive growth with the launch of new ‘street-interview’ style content on TikTok, featuring real consumers discussing their fashion preferences and relationship with the Shoezone brand.
Initial objectives for the strategy include increasing social reach and engagement, driving follower growth across Shoezone’s channels and continuing to grow product sales through TikTok Shop integrations and creator partnerships.
A spokesperson for Shoezone said that the move was aimed at engaging younger consumers: “TikTok continues to play an increasingly important role in how younger consumers discover brands and products. By combining vox pop content with creator-led TikTok Shop partnerships, we’re able to create engaging social content while also delivering strong commercial results. The strategy allows us to react quickly to trends, connect with Gen Z audiences and continue growing awareness of the Shoezone brand.”
A digital strategy built around efficiency and scale
The move is the latest step in Shoezone’s low-cost-first digital strategy, which has seen the digital business climb steadily, achieving revenue of £35.2m in FY2024, up 14% despite overall revenue decline. As physical footfall to its stores declines, Shoezone has designed its digital channels to pick up the slack.
The company is known for its low cost, high volume sales model, and it has designed its digital strategy around this, targeting reduced friction and increased conversion efficiency at scale. This is supported by free next-day delivery with no minimum spend, heavy promotion visibility, and long returns windows.
Last year it launched its Shoezone app, which performed strongly from the outset, with conversions and downloads outperforming the website. However, the company is platform-agnostic, selling through marketplaces as well as DTC, and also credits “strong Amazon sales” for the success of its digital business in 2024.
Layering social commerce on top of a proven model
The launch on TikTok shows that the company is now layering demand creation into its digital strategy, on top of efficient conversion through its own platforms, customer retention through push notifications, discounts and offers, and demand capture through Amazon and its DTC channels.
Items priced between £7 and £10 are well suited to TikTok’s ‘haul’ culture, and with less reliance on brand trust, value retailers are often able to outperform premium brands. Teaming up with TikTok content creators also allows Shoezone to reach new Gen Z audiences without heavy spend on advertising or marketing, fitting neatly with its low-cost premise.
In that sense, TikTok isn’t a drastic change in direction but a natural next step. Shoezone has built a digital business around making it easy to buy cheap shoes. Now it’s finding new ways to get those products in front of people in the first place.
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