How TKEES Transitioned from Wholesale to Ecommerce

Daniel Abramov, Chief Digital Officer

In 2017, TKEES was a thriving wholesaler with a popular range of Brazilian-made sandals and flip-flops designed in neutral shades—but the company had never sold its footwear online.

Daniel Abramov’s appointment as Chief Digital Officer that year helped change the game and set TKEES on a journey of ecommerce success. Today the brand offers an ever-expanding range of footwear and apparel directly to a global audience of consumers.

The drive to go online came from the top—CEO Jesse Burnett—and Daniel says it was a gamble that has paid off big time.

“In 2018, we pressed the pedal to the metal, pressed that gas, and really accelerated the company,” he says.

TKEES nude metallic flip-flop collection
TKEES’ nude metallic flip-flop collection is amongst its bestselling products.TKEES

“People are looking for your website and, until you create one, they’re reaching your competitors, or they’re reaching your wholesale partners. They’re reaching someone, but not you.”

Daniel puts TKEES’ growth down partly to new ecommerce marketing strategies. The company worked with direct mailers, affiliates, and influencers, and also ran a number of digital ad campaigns as part of a more holistic approach.

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TKEES最终想发现当re it could best reach its customers and the ideal way to communicate with them.

TKEES nude apparel line for men, women, and children.
TKEES makes a line of effortless loungewear consisting of wardrobe essentials.TKEES

“If you recognize that the customer lives and exists in the real world just as much as they do in the digital space, you can gear your marketing toward that,'' Daniel says.

TKEES’ retail success set it apart from other online merchants and dictated how it developed its broader ecommerce strategies.

“We’re constantly reinventing ourselves,” Daniel says. “We’re always looking at new categories and vertices to go into.” The company now sells different clothing ranges online alongside its well-known footwear.

A model wears her TKEES flip-flops with a matching sweatshirt and sweat short set.
At TKEES you can find timeless, barely there pieces that you’ve always been looking for.TKEES

“When I first joined TKEES, online was about 10% to 15% of the business. In the [past] five years or so, we are now doing about 60% online.”


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