TOMS Has Expanded From Shoes To Many Other Fields.

Now TOMS has gone through ten years. It has extended from shoes to coffee beans, glasses and bags business. The latter two are simple and practical styles. They seem to be suitable for people who love to travel, be willing to give and share, and this is exactly what Mycoskie told us when they interviewed us.

More than 10 years ago, Blake Mycoskie took a vacation in Argentina, and noticed that almost everyone in the country wore a traditional cloth shoe called alpargata, which was comfortable and light.

Business experience, he immediately thought that such shoes would probably have a good market in his native America.

Later, following a charity organization's trip to the poor areas to donate shoes, let Mycoskie know that the barefoot children who are poor and barefoot are infected, sick or even unable to go to school. And with the idea of building TOMS one, every time they sell a pair of shoes, they donate a pair of (one for one) to a needy area, that is, a profitable social enterprise.

TOMS means "Tomorrow 's Shoes" (tomorrow's shoes).

Before that, Mycoskie founded four companies, from the laundry service of university students to the Outdoor Advertising Company, all of which achieved little success and quickly switched to new ideas.

A reality TV show may be the most failed experience of Mycoskie.

After TOMS was founded in 2006, Mycoskie produced 250 pairs of "lazy shoes" similar to alpargata, which are mainly made of canvas and made of pigskin and cow hide. At the same time, the rich color and printing options have been injected into the fashion elements of California.

Compared with traditional philanthropy and non-profit organizations, the TOMS profit and charitable gathering form is quite new at that time.

The initial stage of the business attracted a lot of attention, especially a report in the Losangeles times, which made the TOMS fire rapidly, and almost all the mainstream media reported. The number of orders received at that time even reached nine times of the inventory, and ten thousand pairs of shoes were sold in the first six months.

This story did help TOMS to become a hot brand. Wearing it means that you have helped a child who can't wear shoes.

People buy and share everything at the same time.

Public figures, like Hollywood stars, who need to set up a good image and bring positive influence, are not only comfortable, but also because of their public welfare and social responsibilities, which are placed on TOMS.

Their street photos are all over the world, virtually reaching the effect of promoting TOMS.

It also includes famous brands such as AT&T, Ralph Lauren, and so on, who also focus on corporate identity. They also come to TOMS as partners.

After its popularity, there are various kinds of cottages on the market or shoes borrowed from TOMS designs.

Driven by these reasons, sales of TOMS increased by 300% in 2011, and the annual income of TOMS in 2013 was US $250 million, compared with 5 billion billion in 2014.

Now TOMS has gone through ten years. It has extended from shoes to coffee beans, glasses and bags business. The latter two are simple and practical styles. They seem to be suitable for people who love to travel, be willing to give and share, and this is exactly what Mycoskie told us when they interviewed us.

These concepts are shared by TOMS. The concept of "buy one get one" is expanded. Every pair of glasses is sold to help a poor person in need of vision correction or eye surgery. A pack of coffee beans will donate 140 water to the water shortage area.

Mycoskie calls these aspects "lifestyle".

Recently, the founder, Mycoskie, arrived in Shanghai to talk about this way of life as well as before.

He said: "a truly good lifestyle brand should start with a very clear view and positioning from the very beginning, instead of blindly following the trend.

So whether or not they are in fashion, the most important thing is to maintain consistency and uniqueness.

"We receive a lot of messages every day. It's hard for a brand to stand out.

The key is to find out what the information conveyed by this way of life is and keep clear and clear so that people can see consistency.

Often changing the information you convey will be confusing and difficult to express. "

TOMS's business entered China at the end of 2014.

Mycoskie said that opening up the Chinese market is most concerned about the expansion of stores.

"First of all, it is to ensure that more consumers understand the story behind the TOMS brand, and know that their purchase can make other people's lives different."

So Mycoskie recently came to China with her first book, Start Something that Matters, the Chinese version of "changing the world with a pair of shoes" and took part in some public lecture.

In the future, you will probably see WeChat's thank you cards on WeChat. They hope people will share their TOMS stories while expressing their gratitude.

However, international expansion and diversification are now in the company's business plan. In addition to the idea of communication, another possibility is the commercial pressure it faces.

In August 2014, private equity firm Bain Capital bought half of TOMS's shares, valued at $625 million.

As we mentioned before, its sales amounted to 5 billion billion in that year. Considering the performance, the number of valuation is not high.

The core of TOMS's business is whether people are willing to pay for a sense of morality.

Organizing public welfare activities with various charitable organizations is the most common form of publicity for TOMS.

Every year in May, TOMS will launch a "barefoot day" activity through social media. Last year's form was that every netizen released a barefoot photo to participate in the event. TOMS donated a pair of shoes. At the same time, Mycoskie also came to China to lead everyone to climb the Great Wall with bare feet, calling for attention to the poor and poor families. Mycoskie has been the best spokesperson for the brand, and the image of optimism, success and social responsibility has appeared in various charitable activities and public speaking.

But Mycoskie also knows that the popularity of TOMS is closely related to the characteristics of the product itself.

Apart from the promotional benefits brought by star wear, the traditional lazy shoes themselves are especially suitable for the sunny California, which is breathable, soft and comfortable.

The design with California characteristics is varied, whether it is surfers everywhere, or casual occasions on weekdays. TOMS shoes are quite suitable.

Mycoskie is also aware of this.

"Charity makes our brands different, especially among young people, but at the same time, we also have great designs. This is a combination."

He told the curiosity daily.

It is worth emphasizing that the selling price of Toms determines its popularity.

The main style is basically between 200-500 yuan and yuan, which makes it possible to popularize products quickly.

Imagine a pair that includes both comfort and fashion.

Shoes like public interest and other key words, or parity, will always be more attractive.

But the same pattern is difficult to expand to bags, glasses and coffee beans. There are too many competitors in these areas, and there is no lack of charitable direction.

According to Mycoskie, 90% of the sales of the company are still from shoes.

This may be the reason for TOMS to open the "Toms Outpost" store. When a single product fails to show its individuality, it might be a good idea to assemble them.

Before 2012, most of the sales under its line were located in the stalls and stores of the mall until the first Toms Outpost was opened in the Venice area of Losangeles, which is in Mycoskie's space called "community Outpost (community outpost)", apart from the display.

The products include coffee shops, people's Yoga lessons, handmade and movie backyards, and free Wi-Fi and seats.

The concept of community embodied in "Toms Outpost" reflects the prosperity of online retailing business, and brands are striving to achieve it.

"Mobile phones and networks are highly connected, but people are looking for opportunities to connect with real life. People can share coffee, snacks and so on in the coffee shop. At the same time, there is more communication, so Toms Outpost is very effective."

In addition, Mycoskie also mentioned that the effect of offline activities is obvious. It is easy for people to be encouraged to participate.

He thinks such stores will form communities, and young people will recognize this kind of community with values.

The core of all is still the output of values.

The view is to maintain the consistency of life style.

In fact, the risk of consumption based on morality is very high.

Make a Stand, which has worked with TOMS, is also an enterprise that combines charities with profits. It was founded by a pair of fathers and daughters. From the selling lemonade stall, it began to raise funds for ending child slavery. At that time, it raised $100 thousand.

Coupled with the fermentation of social media, the 8 year old daughter became a small celebrity on the books and on the show. After that, she even raised nearly $100 in seed wheel financing.

However, the business is really unsustainable. At present, the website is closed, and it is still seeking investment. Everything is almost quiet.

It seems that after that period, charity and morality did not make lemonade better.

For Make a Stand, the product itself and the mode are not attractive enough. We must know that only by virtue and charity can not be a reason for consumers to pay.

After that, it quickly turned to the platform for raising funds on line. It seemed that there was no connection between them, such as Mycoskie's repeated emphasis on maintaining consistent characteristics in this case.

This can also explain why TOMS's story moves from shoes to the community, and the latter's Association is obviously a more telling story than a single commodity.

Maybe when you walk into its Chinese shop, you will also draw a sum of money for this concept.