Sharpening E-Commerce Competitiveness
Dr. Martens took home the Grand Prize in the marketing innovation category at the Web Award Korea 2019 held at Jamsil Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Dec. 12.
The Web Award Korea gives prizes to excellent wired/wireless-based websites currently in operation. They are chosen by the Web Award Evaluation Committee consisting of 3,500 leading internet experts of Korea. The website award program has the highest authority in Korea as a web expert festival that has been held for 16 years since 2004.
Dr. Martens made a sensation among consumers with its sandals in the first half of this year and its successful run has not stopped. Entering winter, a season of boots, Dr. Martens, an original brand that represents winter and boots, has been drawing much more attention and accelerating its upward trend, according to boots market observers.
In fact, Dr. Martens Korea's sales this year have grown more than 15 percent on year, with the pace of growth accelerating over time. Its global sales have been soaring for three consecutive years and its future growth potential is huge as it is penetrating the Chinese market.
Dr. Martens’ explosive growth is attributed to steady collaboration with high-end brands, the balanced growth of iconic products and new products, a strong brand identity and trendy global fashion.
Above all, the brand has enjoyed a remarkable growth in the e-commerce sector. Dr. Martens Korea's e-commerce sales have increased a whopping 56 percent since a renewal of its official website on July 30 this year. Especially, Dr. Martens picked up the award in about four months after the renewal of the website. It is noteworthy that the company provided consumers with optimal shopping experiences by stabilizing the website in such a short period of time.
“Dr. Martens has boosted its business efficiency and secured growth engines by revamping its online distribution,” said Song Ji-won, director of marketing and e-commerce at Dr. Martens-Airwair Korea who has made this year a turning point for the brand's leap and has systematically prepared for it.
“We have been making efforts to improve the quality of real benefits for our customers by improving our membership policies. We will also steadily seek to make various changes to find out our customers' hidden needs so that we can help them experience Dr. Martens' unique brand value online as well," Song said.
In the meantime, the recent website renewal in Korea, which was carried out as one of Dr. Martens’ efforts to strengthen the core of its brand, acquire new customers and secure e-commerce competitiveness, was done first among 60 countries where Dr. Martens has advanced.
“Renewing our website for Korea, an e-commerce power, is quite meaningful in many ways,” said chief digital officer Sean O'Neill who led the project as a whole. “We have made continuous development through repeated self-verification to ensure that Korean consumers enjoy new shopping experiences. Furthermore, we have established a foundation to sharpen our global e-commerce competitiveness by securing a bridgehead in the Korean market, which has the greatest growth potential in the world."
Fashion industry observers are watching the moves of Dr. Martens with keen interest as it is blowing a fresh breeze into the global fashion market.