In this episode of The eCommerce Profitability Show, host Dan Little is joined by Mark Chellingworth, Founder of Apostle Shoes.

Join them as they:

Mark stands out in the entrepreneurial landscape through his unconventional approach to business. His journey to founding Apostle Shoes is anchored in a 15-year background in investment banking and company analysis. Before his current venture, he sharpened his expertise in Equity Sales at Numis Securities and Peel Hunt in London.

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Episode Highlights:

06:09 - 08:48 - Rethinking Men’s Fashion: Relying on a single best-selling product, like a durable show, could potentially limit a company's profit growth. A better strategy would be to expand into other essential items like shirts, recognising the specific shopping habits and preferences of men compared to women. The fashion industry's wasteful practices, showcased by producing various products, are ultimately destined for landfill.

08:48 - 13:55 - Personalisation and Bulk Buying in Online Shopping: While physical stores offer multiple products, attracting customers with variety and visual appeal, online stores capitalise on focused, personalised shopping experiences. They use data and browsing history to present a curated selection, especially targeting individual preferences, and focus on best-selling items. For Mark, it's all about providing high-quality, popular products at affordable prices by buying in bulk and cutting out unnecessary costs. The final goal is to create a buyer's club where collective demand leads to better deals on sought-after items.

25:05 - 29:41 - A Fresh Approach to Men's Fashion Marketing: One key challenge for customer acquisition in men's fashion is that men generally don't engage in viral marketing or social media endorsements like women might. As a result, traditional methods like promotions or Black Friday deals aren't as effective. Instead, Mark focuses on slow, quality growth by investing in Google and Meta ads. He also explores innovative strategies like co-branding and inserting campaigns with compatible businesses, such as technical clothing companies. Moreover, Mark considers rewarding customers for referrals.

35:52 - 39:20 - Mastering eCommerce Success: Setting up an online business today is relatively easy with tools like Shopify. The key is to focus on product quality over marketing gimmicks. While marketing-led strategies can initially boost sales for mediocre products, long-term success relies on the product's value. For that reason, a product-led approach that prioritises solving customer problems and delivering on promises is recommended. It may lead to slower growth, but it's more sustainable.