TOMS Case Study:
When you first think of TOMS, you probably envision the classic slip-on shoe that everyone was wearing in the early 2010's; You then think of the "One for One" business model, where a pair of shoes was donated to someone in need for every pair purchased, which is really what made these shoes and brand so trendy to begin with. Though this style may have been just a fad, TOMS efforts to promote their shoes and give back to those in need would actually raise the standard for businesses today. Today, many consumers search for brands that are sustainable and ethical, whether it comes to their products, employees, or overall business.
Even if TOMS is not as popular as it once was, the brand still continues to create products and be involved in the community, they just must find new ways to attract consumers online and stay relevant. In this case study, we will see the different efforts TOMS uses to bring new visitors to their e-Commerce website and increase conversions.
Social Media and SEO
Since this brand was first introduced, TOMS has always heavily relied on social media and storytelling, making a connection between brand and consumer. This has been relatively effective, since TOMS’ demographic audience is pretty much all about digital media. The use of social media has allowed TOMS to tell their own brand story, as well as hear and share the stories of their consumers. When dependent on social media and engagement, some important tools that TOMS might use are:
Social Media Tracking
Social Media Posting
Brand Monitoring
With these tools, TOMS can be up-to-date with who is mentioning and interacting with their brand online, and even schedule and post content to your social media channels. These are all very important for TOMS to use, especially since they are constantly posting on their social media accounts and often repost user-generated content that mentions or models their brand/products.
On TOMS’ official website, it is primarily image based, but includes fun photos and several sections that highlight their products and their current philanthropy: Donating ⅓ of their profits to grassroots good. TOMS also includes their own official “Impact Report”, which shares all of the numbers and ways that they have given back to the community, just within that year (You can find TOMS’ Impact Report for 2019-2020 here). Rather than focusing on just selling their products, it seems that TOMS is invested in promoting their new efforts of giving back to the community.
“Tom”
“Toms shoes”
“Shoes”
“Slip on shoes”
“Wedges shoes”
(“Organic Research”, 2021).
Because TOMS’ website is mostly image-based, this means that there isn’t as much text to work with to optimize their site. The only times that we ever really see these keywords on TOMS’ website is either on the product name or description, and even then sometimes the products don’t list the specific keywords that relate. But where TOMS’ lacks in website text, they make up for in alt image text. Most of the images shown on TOMS’ website has their own alt image text to describe the photo and include keywords:
Having so many images on one website or webpage to manage can be overwhelming, and it would be beneficial for TOMS to use a Site Audit to find errors or ways to improve, if they haven’t already.
Pop-ups and Email Marketing
One tool that TOMS often utilizes are pop-ups. During a previous shopping experience, TOMS had a pop-up for new website visitors offering discounts off their next purchase if they choose to sign up for email updates; The pop-ups can appear several times during a session, especially when users are showing exit-intent, which gives them multiple chances to sign up for the emails, in case they change their mind. It’s always beneficial to offer some sort of discount, because most likely the consumer is going to respond better to the deal (Hutchinson, n.d). Currently, you can enter for a chance to win a free pair of shoes if you sign up for TOMS’ email list.
When I first visited the TOMS website, I had signed up for their emails in case I ended up buying something - which I didn’t and was honestly a bit disappointed that I never used the discount. It’s okay though, because the emails that I receive from TOMS usually always offer several discounts or deals, which can motivate subscribers to make a new purchase, or return to where they had originally left off in their consumer journey. TOMS’ emails also include the brand's efforts to share their message and philanthropy, as well as other business updates. The more people that sign up for TOMS email list, the more likely they are to feel more connected with the brand and shop again.
Remarketing Visitors
Since I had left my initial session on TOMS’ website, I had begun seeing ads for the shoes that I was originally looking at (and then some others as well). It’s more than likely that TOMS uses Google Ads and Facebook/Instagram Ads to remarket to users that had left in the middle of their session. I applaud TOMS for using this approach, as remarketing allows the business to target certain audiences and re-engage them with specific display advertisements. Remarketed advertisements can improve visitors' recollection of the brand and product, which I’m sure isn’t too big of an issue for TOMS, but can also increase their website conversions overall (“Benefits of Remarketing”, 2016).
Conclusion
For a brand that was only trendy for a short amount of time, it is impressive that TOMS has been able to stay relevant even afterwards and to this day. TOMS was able to establish themselves and earn the respect of consumers as a business by committing to giving back to their community, which has influenced many other companies to follow in their footsteps. Since then, TOMS now is able to reach their consumers and earn high rankings by having a simple, but attractive website, and utilizing triggered pop-ups, targeted remarketing, and email marketing. Though TOMS may not reach the same status that they once had, the brand still seems to be doing well now making sales, building relationships, and continuing to promote their good deeds.
References
Benefits of Remarketing. (2016, January 17). https://www.ironpaper.com/webintel/articles/benefits-of-remarketing/
Hutchinson, C. (n.d.). How TOMS turns email marketing basics into a revenue machine. https://www.sendlane.com/blog/case-study-toms-email-marketing-basics-revenue-machine
Organic Research. (2021, April 19). https://www.semrush.com/analytics/organic/overview/?db=us&q=toms.com&searchType=domain&date=20210418
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