$24k In Sales This Year Just From Fomo!
Xero Shoes creates lightweight, versatile shoes and sandals that let you enjoy the fun and freedom of natural movement. Steven Sashen and Lena Phoenix launched the company in late 2009.
“Do your feet feel better at the end of the day than they did at the beginning? If not, it’s because your shoes aren’t letting your feet do what’s natural. Xero Shoes are so lightweight and comfortable that people have emailed us to say that they almost went to bed still wearing them, because they forgot they had them on!”
Meeting The Founders...
Steven is the visionary and marketer for Xero Shoes. He is a Masters All-American sprinter (one of the fastest men over 55 in the US) and former All-American gymnast.
He was also a professional stand-up comic, cognitive psychology researcher, and taught Tai Chi and Zen Archery. Steven is also the creator of Scriptware, the industry-standard word processor for film and TV writers.
Lena is an avid hiker. In her previous life, she created and sold a home mortgage company, and has managed the back-end of numerous companies.
“She’s the glue that keeps Xero Shoes from bursting at the proverbial seams as it grows, taking care of all things logistical and numeric.” Steven says.
Steven and Lena appeared on Shark Tank for their Xero Shoes.
Xero Shoes' designs come from industry veterans who've worked for companies like, Crocs and Nike (with input from Steven). Plus, Xero Shoes are backed with a 5,000-mile sole warranty.
Steven says, “I started this company after I got into sprinting at the age of 45 after a 30-year break. And for about two years, I was getting injured constantly.”
“A friend suggested I try barefoot running as a cure for my injuries and he handed me a copy of Born To Run, the best-seller by Christopher McDougall (at that time it wasn’t a very popular book). I poked around online and found the Boulder Barefoot Running Club and saw they were holding a class that weekend!”
“It was a good class, taught by Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee (of RunBare.com). I was so fascinated and transfixed by the feelings of having my bare feet on the ground, of experimenting with my gait to see what the effects would be, that I didn’t even notice that we’d run over 5k.”
“Now that may not sound like a lot to some of you, but I’m a sprinter. I run the 100m. My longest run until then was about a mile… and I didn’t like it.”
Steven began making sandals for his wife to try and soon the fire spread from there.
Here’s a clip of them sharing the story of how they began.
“From starting in late 2009 on the floor of a corner in a spare bedroom in Boulder, CO, to now, almost 10 years later, there are 35 of us in one of the fastest-growing companies in the US, helping people discover something simple about footwear…”
“That true comfort and performance come from letting your feet do what’s natural, what they were designed to do: bend, flex, move, and feel the world!”
Interview time…
What are some of your favorite apps and tools for increasing conversions?
“Exit-intent modal pop-ups joined with a sweepstakes app, retargeting advertising, browse and cart abandonment campaigns.”
Outline a couple of specific conversion-related problems you’re experiencing.
“We have a broad range of products that people use for MANY different activities -- running, walking, hiking, weight lifting, yoga, CrossFit, travel, and casual wear.”
“If the goal of a website is to make people land on a page and think, “Yes, this is for me,” then that’s hard to do with such a varied product line and so many different types of customers.”
What other methods and strategies did you try to address those issues before using Fomo?
“Lots of CRO testing -- messages, images, video, the arrangement of the story, what pieces of the page are/aren’t necessary, and many more.”
How did you learn about Fomo?
“We had another similar application, but it stopped supporting our e-commerce platform, WooCommerce, so we did an extensive search to find Fomo.”
What prompted you to move forward with Fomo?
“Features, WooCommerce compatibility, pricing.”
How are you tracking Fomo conversions?
“We track through GA.”
Xero Shoes has processed $24k in sales this year from Fomo notifications alone.
“We’re touching our customers with SO many types of creative in so many channels that we can’t effectively give credit to any one of them. Suffice it to say, when we turn OFF Fomo, conversion typically drops... so we leave it ON!”
What, if any, plans do you have in terms of using Fomo?
“We have a few interesting ideas that can help increase the ‘trust factor’ with Fomo. I’ll let you know what they are after we see how well they work ;-)”
Thanks to Steven from Xero Shoes for chatting with us at the Fomo team. If you’re in the market for some new shoes, then give their store a visit.
If you’ve got a killer story to share on the Fomo blog email lynz@fomo.com.
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