Bangkok--22 Jan--Montree PR
O&B, a Thai footwear brand, takes its success to another level by strengthening its online market presence. Recently, it has joined forces with Thai and foreign partners to expand its customer base and create 360-degree awareness, with an aim to grow its sales by 100% to reach 400 million baht.
Rarin Thongma, owner of O&B, said, "Online market in Thailand has grown significantly and consumer behaviour changes. There are more options for online shoppers, and this year, we will adapt our business to be more than just an SME or a shoe shop. We will offer new products and position our brand clearly as a lifestyle brand that suits modern consumer's lifestyle. We have a big customer base and we have the capacity to develop new products. Therefore, we're confident that our business can grow sustainably."
The brand's success over the past seven years is thanks to its ability to understand its target consumers, which are working women and teenage girls who spend a lot of time on social media, want to be themselves, and want to choose what's best for them. The brand has grown significantly and steadily. Recently, much to the owner's and Thai people's pride, O&B was chosen by the Miss Universe 2018 team to design a special collection of footwear for contestants from around the world to wear throughout the pageant. This helped market the brand and create awareness among consumers worldwide. As a result, after Miss Universe, the brand became well-known not only among customers but also investrs. This year, the brand has selected Thai and foreign partners to expand its markets and distribution channels. Currently, many investors have expressed their interest in the brand, both foreign investors and private equity. Talks are in progress at the moment.
At the moment, the brand will focus on its digital marketing strategies to introduce new experiences and drive engagement with its consumers on social media, as well as attract consumers with the brand's know-how in fashion ecommerce and B+ female consumers, who are behind the brand's success. Today, O&B has more than a million Facebook followes and its posts have been shared and reposted to reach more than 3 milion users each day. Meanwhile, its Instagram followers are more than 300,000, and its Line@ Broadcast each reaches 100,000 users. In terms of online business, O&B is strong and has a solid customer base. Its customers have spending power and can help suuport the brand's business growth sustainably. Additionally, the brand is looking to expand its lifestyle offerings to cater to urbanites. Its customer database from its online channels will help O&B improve its business and branch out to new products beyond footwear, meaning it can expand its target consumers even further both in Thailand and overseas.
Currently, 95% of its customers are Thai and 5% are foreign, but when it comes to engagement on social media, 70% are Thai and 30% are foreign. This means there are opportunities to expand its target.
"For 2019, we will focus on selecting Thai and foreign partners to invest and expand our online, retail and wholesale markets. We are confident that having the right partners who are experienced in their respective field will help our business, develop new products, and expand distribution channels locally and internationally. It will also help us reach new markets and strengthen our business, paving the way for us to become a lifestyle brand for woman, a brand that is globally recognized and sustainable. We aim to increase our sales by 100% or reach 400 million baht by the end of 2019," said Rarin Thongma.