TOMS Shoes Design

After my post on TOMS Shoes , I was so impressed with Blake, the company and the design of shoes that I ordered my wife a pair.

The order came in last week, and my respect for TOMS has grown that much deeper. What really impressed me was the overall design and presentation of the product. They have done a killer job with the packaging. 

The shoes came tucked inside their own TOMS drawstring bag. On the bag there was an indication of the size and a small swatch of the material that the shoes were made from. I’m sure this not only adds to the aesthetics of the product but probably helps TOMS be more efficient in quickly making sure that the right size and style of shoe is sent to the right customer.

My wife said the shoes were, “very comfortable and felt like she was wearing house shoes”. I finally ordered me some last night, but I decided that the “Flower Power TOMS” that my wife got wouldn’t go very well with any of my outfits.

On the drawstring of the bag there was a card with a picture of Blake and some of the kids from the Argentina shoe drop last year. TOMS does a great job making sure that their focus is on their cause first and that it is clearly a part of the product. TOMS isn’t just selling shoes here.

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We can pull the same key lessons out of TOMS Shoes that Seth Godin pulls out of Little Miss Matched’s socks.

The key lessons:

• The product is the marketing.
• Choose a hive of people who seek out products like yours and then talk about them.
• Be true to what you stand for.
• It’s okay not to be serious, especially if you’re selling a want, not a need.
• Be patient. The market will find you.