2025, eTail Boston. Keynote Fireside Chat- Beating the Competition: Winning on the Basics of Product, Price and Convenience

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Good morning everyone. Thanks so much for joining us. We're gonna try and amp up the energy you guys participate along. We're very excited as we were introduced. I'm Susie David Canyon, VP of Content at Market Research Firm, eMarketer, and I'm so excited to be joined by Elizabeth Drury, CMO at Kizi.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: We're gonna talk about everything from product to price to convenience. But before we do, can you tell us a little bit more about the KK story?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: Yes. So Kik is the leader in hands-free shoes. Anybody heard of Kizi or have Kiks? Awesome. Love to see it. Thank you team. And, we were it invented because our founder, Mike Pratt, looked at shoes and said to himself, why haven't they really changed?

And frankly, hundreds of years, we've gone from. Rolling down your car window. For those of us who are old enough to remember that, to just pushing a button, why do we still have to sit down and untie and put shoes on? And so he set out to not just make shoes more convenient, but to eliminate a barrier in our everyday lives.

So Kizi is really founded. On the backbone of innovation, which in a way that's very deeply human, like, how do we help people, make their lives easier?

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Yeah. And it sounds like to solve a real problem, right? So how has that helped shape your business philosophy?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: We, I. We are backed by a parent company called Handsfree Labs.

We have 200 patents. So we have this technology portfolio that's very protected. And at the core of our belief is that actually all things being equal Handsfree shoes are better. Like they not only provide ease and convenience for some who are mobility challenge, they provide independence and autonomy.

And for others they just they let you just move. And so we talk about Kizi being the brand that. That, attracts an active lifestyle that you can step in and go, you put on your shoes and it makes life just so much easier.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: And it sounds like over the years you guys have gone from very functional shoes and silhouettes to much more, emotional style driven brands.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: How did that pivot happen?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: So as the creator of the hands-free category and as the leader in the space, we have had to do a lot of education. So we have a lot of material out there because you put on these shoes so differently, you step into them, you don't use your hands. And so we're constantly having to build and grow this market.

At the same time, we're expanding omnichannel, we're expanding internationally. And we have to build an enduring brand. And so how do you do that best? You connect emotionally with your consumers. So we've been pivoting a lot of our creative storytelling to try to do just that, to not just showcase how do hands your shoes work, but how do they enrich your life?

So we've actually brought our latest brand spot. If I can cue up the video and we can share with you where we are today with that

cue the video.Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: I love that. We talk a lot about this idea around it. Features are important, but an emotional connection is even more critical and you have to be able to balance both. Speaking of balancing, when you're creating a category, you also have to be ahead of everybody else as they're trying to figure it out themselves.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: So how are you thinking about maintaining that momentum and is it new styles, new silhouettes? Is it thinking about fa adjacent categories being more fashion forward, what does that look like for you guys? It's

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: a little bit all of the above. Style and design are really important. We hired a new designer last year, so it's a type of thing where each season we see the assortment and we're like, Ooh, it's getting better and better.

So that's really exciting. But on the other hand, we're thinking about our consumer and we're thinking about their closet and their wearing occasions. And so we're challenging ourselves to provide more of the closet and give them more to wear. A couple of examples that are coming up that we're really excited to, to launch.

One is we've gotten into outdoor, so we're now doing hiking boots, and next month we'll launch our first waterproof boot. And that's a response to customers. Typing into search, like where are the waterproof boots? So you know, it, we're answering to what our customers are looking for and giving them more, elevated functionality like a, a good beefy outdoor boot that also looks good.

And then winter boots have been. A big success for us during holiday. The past two years we've sold out, so this year we have an even bigger assortment and it's quite impressive to see, a tall winter brute that you can step into without using your hands. And, also very convenient. So we look at, really adjacent categories because we think about ourselves as an active lifestyle brand.

We're also having our eye on performance, so you'll see more of that from us in seasons to come.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: That's amazing. And it sounds like you're listening to the customers and so you're making some different decisions. Like you guys started off direct to consumer, but now you're really meeting the customer where they are.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: You're moving into stores, your own stores. You're thinking about all the different online touchpoints and offline touch points. Can you tell us more about how you guys thought through this next chapter and how you're riding that wave?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: Yeah. We really. Took off on kizi.com. As I would say a digital native.

And two things are a play. One is, if you look at the footwear market, most of it still is done in wholesale distribution. So you're leaving a commercial opportunity on the table if you don't enter that channel. But then more importantly, for a product like ki. It's so demonstrable, it's best experienced live.

We do what we can online, but really you have to try them on. You have to see them, you have to experience them, and then you get it. And then once you start wearing them, you don't wanna wear any other kind of shoes. You can take my word for it and also go buy some and see. Yeah. So we, have started to expand into wholesale and then we opened some of our own stores last year.

And what we saw in our own stores was. Our conversion rate was 75%. Once you tried on the shoe. So the tryon is so critical. Yeah. Once you do, you get it. And so we've been using that stat to really broaden our strategy.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: And it sounds like that triumph piece is so critical that you've taken that on the road.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Yes. And you're trying to figure out how do you meet customers where they are if they can't make it to one of your distribution points or to your own store. Tell us more about that. How did that idea come, how did you guys think about defining success with your try on tour? I was very excited to learn about this.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Yes.

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: So we launched a Tryon tour the summer, which, was a unique experience for us. And what we wanted to do was have an in real life activation, but really have it focus on the try ons with that stat of 75% conversion rate once you try it on. So we took this mobile experience to eight cities and we had two main goals.

One was, let's get as many people to try on the shoes. We had 1500 people step in and try them on, which was great. And two, we centered the tour around cities where we had. Good in-store penetration. So wholesale partners, our own stores because we wanted to create communities and halos of the brand in those marketplaces.

It's been very well received. We were able to extend it with a lot of amazing social content with, influencers and other partners that came by. So we're, it's an asset that we actually bought and we're already thinking about how to use it next year.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: So how many people did you say came through the doors of the 1500?

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Tried them on. Wow. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. And we have to think about our budgets and how to repurpose things. So how are you using that experience? You were saying in other assets. Can you give us some examples of that?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: As an example, we're entering with different wholesale partners.

We took our try on tour to Mall of America. Where we have our own store, we had it in the parking lot and we drove conversions in the store because people tried them on. They were like, okay, be right back. I'm heading to the mall and buying some. So what if we took it to a wholesale partner and we were in the parking lot, we got them to try it on, and then they went and purchased.

We also have a partnership with Parkinson's Foundation. And so what if we took this, try and experience to Parkinson's moving day events and got people to be able to try on the shoes there. So there are different ways and, it's a brand move we're, that's how we're evaluating

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: it.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Yeah. That's amazing. And it sounds like it's not just in the stores or in real life, but you're also trying to recreate some of these moments digitally. QVC is an example of that. Can you tell us more about that?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: Yeah, so we do really well with first person testimonials and that's why it goes back to the education when someone tries it on.

And we use a lot of UGC content, influencer generated content, PR testimonials, someone can try them on and show you how they work, but also how it enriches their lives, how they're using them, why they're meaningful to them. And so QVC is one of those experiences where you have a host who's introducing the product.

Showing you how it works, stepping into it and talking about it, with a little bit more of an infomercial angle. But that's really helpful for a product like ours that just works differently than other shoes. So that was the motivation behind testing something like QVC. It was another channel where we could really do that testimonial and the.

The video activation

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: and it, and having the right people doing the testimonial and the activation really helps too, right? Yeah, for sure. We talk a lot about livestream shopping. This is another angle of livestream shopping where people can even ask questions. Yeah. They get answers in real life.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: And when it is something that is so complex for the first time when you almost can't believe your eyes about this magic moment of trying it on. Yes. Without even. Having to do anything but just slip your foot in, right? That translates well when someone's showing it to you on QVC, for example, or with a try on tour.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: But what about online? There's always that. A difficult sort of translation of feature and brand love when you're looking at assets online. Can you tell us a few examples of things that you guys are doing online to help translate that?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: Yeah we lean into a lot of video, so everywhere from video on the homepage to a video on the PDP where you see someone stepping it in.

So oftentimes on A PDP, you'll have different angles and you might have a video of what it looks like, on a person, on an out, in an outfit. But really we're showing you how to step in and that's a big part of it. And then I would say remember, there's what's on the site and then there's the media that's driving to the site.

So if you imagine a customer journey where we have a paid ad that features UGC and someone is giving you that first person testimonial and then we're sending them to the site and it's just about closing the deal, you can think about content living out in the ecosystem that's all working toward moving someone along the journey.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: I love that. Close the deal. Convert. Yeah. So how are you leaning into social media in that, for that.

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: Social media is really important for us too. We are really lucky to have built a really loyal following. We have customers that, are their own ambassadors of the brand. They've bought nine shoes.

They buy shoes for everyone in their family. They're really active about our brand and I think that the question to our team is. How do we fan those flames and get them to be those advocates and spread the word to their friends and family? I think what's unusual about Kik and the product is that there's a virality native to it.

Kik makes you think of someone who would want them. I don't know. Raise your hand if you thought, wow, my pregnant sister could use these. My dad. Hands come on. My dad would then aching back, my, hey, I have a dog. I probably could use these shoes too. So it makes you think about these different use cases and who could use them.

And so turning, using social media and the community that we're building there and turning those. Fans into ambassadors is really the unlock. Yeah.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: And I think, the visual of someone using a shoehorn to put their shoe on. Yeah. And you're like, there are so many different ways of doing that now, especially with kiza.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Yeah. The shoehorn market. Is dead. Yeah. I don't love it for them, but I love that you're solving this problem and it brings us to, I'm pivoting completely. Price is something we talk a lot about. This is a universal need. So it is clear that people should want it, but it is also a little bit at a premium price.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Yeah. And you have a very broad customer base. So how do you tailor the message of value? Because it means so many different things to different people.

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: That's exactly right. Value. What we've learned is that value is. Highly personal, and we have, call them different use cases, call 'em different personas.

People will value the product for different reasons depending on how they need it in their life. So for example, a healthcare worker would value the all day comfort that the shoes have, as well as not touching their Jeremy shoes at the end of the day. A pregnant person would value them. You get to a point where you can't even see your feet.

So like putting on hands-free shoes is really important. A parent would value them for their children, who, my 10-year-old doesn't know how to tie his shoes and never will now because, he just will work kissing. So I think value is different from, for all of us. And so the challenge to us is how do we like put out and fuel the content so that we're telling all these different stories that can reach these different segments of the population.

And then of course there are people for whom, value and price are more sensitive and they need a little extra conversion boost. If anyone is curious to try on the shoes, I do have some 20% off codes. We have a store on Newbury Street. Above the nuts factory between Dartmouth and Clarendon.

So I do encourage you all to check that out this week while you're in town and try them on and see what the bus is about.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Yeah I can't wait to get my pair. I'm very excited about this. I'm gonna stick to this theme a little bit longer around premium pricing and better understanding product.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Yeah. We know that is a core value for people, but that there's also lots of other ways to measure value. We just talked about this. One of them is finding the flames, like the super fans and figuring out how to build a sense of community where then the product is. So amazing that price is almost secondary.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: How are you guys, I mean you touched on this throughout a little bit, but how are you guys thinking about converting a one-time purchaser into a constantly coming back and purchasing again and again? And also even thinking about it we've talked about this before, footwear is not typically giftable, so how do you turn that into some, someone who's now starting to buy gifts, whose word of mouth goes so far beyond any kind of.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Sort of marketing asset that we could potentially do?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: Yeah, we are, we, we, everybody has holiday on the brain. And so I think for us, shoes typically aren't a great get, you have to know size and it's very personal style driven. But Icks are a great gift because they're so useful.

So it's actually unusual for the category that footwear could be such an amazing gift. So we definitely do lean into that. I think it's, we, I would say we lean into the normal suite of tactics probably every year. Where year does we have. My CR manager is in the audience and, we have a loyalty program and we try to keep people engaged and we follow those flows to, see what's the window between buying your first purchase, second purchase or purchase, et cetera.

And, we do a lot that, helps promote social proof and reviews and, we lean heavily into that to try to again, amplify the voices of people who love the product.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: I love that. Amplify the voices. And you also have a sense of community too, right? You're doing a lot within the community.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Tell us more about that.

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: We have, in addition to the standard social media channels, we have a Facebook inside, it's called the in sliders. I love that. So it's for our super fans. And that's amazing. And we actually are pretty light touch in that network because we let people ask each other questions, we'll chime in if needed, but it's a forum where they can say, I'm going to Disney World.

Which are better for walking around there all day. Or we, that I saw ki just upgraded the Athens one to the Athens two. How does that fit? What do you think? Sometimes it's about you. Commenting and connecting the dots and sometimes is about you taking a backseat and letting your community discuss.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: Yeah, and I think we don't talk enough about social listening in a non-creepy way, right? Yeah. How do you listen to what your consumers are asking for and doing so that you could potentially make the product better?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: Yeah, we our social response team is great. They do a great job and, we, we have different systems.

We'll flag certain things, sometimes it's. It's great to be hypothesis led. Okay, we're launching a new product. How does it fit? Let's do some overt listening so that we get that feedback. And sometimes it's just oh gosh, people really want wide widths, and then we have to fight with the product team, open it up in a wide so it's a little bit of a combo, but it is really important to listen to your consumer wherever you can get that information.

Yeah,

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: absolutely. So speaking of, I'm pivoting again to partnerships you were talking about. You need to broaden your distribution. You're also thinking about your own stores. How do you pick partners to work with that have that sense of community like you do that have that same sort of value system that you do?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: So to date, we've picked partners that can have a heavier touch when it comes to the experience. So we're in a lot of independent Photoshops because in those shops, the store associate can say, oh, Susie, lemme introduce you to this brand and let me show you how you wear it and put it on and why you might like it.

It is challenging to have a product proposition that's so unique and sit on a wall of other shoes and not have something stand out to say this one's different. And this is why. And to your point, it does have a price premium, but it's because it has technology in it. So if you're not being clear about that, you could get passed by.

So we look for partners that will help us story tell, that will give us the space to, put together some sort of. In store presentation or who can have that heavier hand at the selling. At the, on the other hand we're learning as we go. We just launched in DSW, we redid our shoe boxes so that the shoe boxes could do some of the education for us.

Like they say, hands free all over them, and then they give you like a 1, 2, 3 when you open it up so you know how to put them on. And yeah, we're, we're having conversations with launching in Nordstrom next year, and so it's the same thing, like what are the right doors? Where can we have the best expression of the brand and presentation so that we're educating and bringing people along the journey with us.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: And it's amazing, right? It's so important to remember. You don't have to have the same exact packaging, every door that you're in. 'Cause everything needs a different touch. Exactly. So with that, the time flew by, I have a rapid fire question. I'm super broad. If you think about something you guys just tried recently, whether it's content or product or packaging, what did you learn?

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: What did you try and what did you learn?

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: So we just launched a brand new product for us and a brand new technology called Squeeze It. And it's a shoe for baby toddlers and it works two ways. One is that you pinch it and it opens up. So when you think about a fat little square baby foot, it can pinch and enclos the foot, making it really easy to put on a baby.

But then also when your baby becomes a toddler, you can actually, the baby can step in themselves, talk about putting your shoes on when you're like two. It's pretty amazing. And what we've seen is. It's a higher price point. Again, the technology it's new from us. It's the best we could do.

And so if people are buying it, it's very giftable. So I think it'll be a winner for holiday. But the amazing thing that we're seeing is it's a huge traffic driver right now. So people are getting the ads and then we're looking and the a OV is higher than. The price. So they're not buying that, they're buying something else, but they're coming to the site on the back of this new product.

So that's always interesting to see, sometimes you do something and it creates energy for the brand. And even if they're not converting on that, but they're coming and they're checking something else out, like all the better for it.

Moderator: Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: I think that's a great way to end. The halo effect is really a it's really important to measure and sometimes success comes in different ways.

Suzy Davidkhanian, Vice President, Content, eMARKETER: And the KPIs, we originally thought sales. Yeah. And maybe not the ones that are driving. Yes. I love that. Thank you so much for sharing this story with us

Elizabeth Drori, CMO Kizik: everyone. 20% off coupons. If anyone wants come find me.