How DTC brand Rothy’s uses its community as a focus group

Since going to market in 2017, Rothy’s, the direct-to-consumer seller of shoes and bags made from plastic waste, has seen many of its products go viral. One recent bestseller, the clog, has already sold out seven times. Rothy’s was tuning in to customer comments on social media that helped the style expand into the men’s division, according to Jamie Gersch, chief marketing officer. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Amazon Music/Audible. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend! “We kept seeing on the social platforms that it was naturally talked about—‘We want the clog in more colors, ‘We want the clog in more fabrications,‘” she said, speaking on a recent episode of the Marketer’s Brief podcast. “And men were saying, ‘Can you make the shoe in a big size, want to buy it for ourselves!‘” Rothy’s listened; the brand debuted a men’s version of the clog last November. The product is already off to a great sales start, Gersch said. “You start to see the flywheel going of what are the products they’re talking about, how do you feed into it,” she said. “It becomes this flywheel of insights that we’re using from a customer and a product perspective that’s really helped us fuel the business.” Recent news: 6 tips for brands trying to win over male customers View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rothy's (@rothys) On the podcast Gersch, who worked at brands including Old Navy and Charlotte Russe before joining Rothy’s in late 2022, also talks about how the brand found success in recent marketing initiatives. For example, on National Recycling Day in November, Rothy’s hosted a bottle exchange of plastic bottles for a reusable Hydro Flask bottle at its stores. “We had lines around the block at our Nolita store where people started lining up at 4:30 in the morning,” Gersch said. “Nothing makes us happier than to see the community want to engage, not because they’re there to buy shoes—of course we want people in our product—but what makes us equally proud is they just want to participate in the action of keeping plastic out of landfills.” Ad Age Gen Z Contributor Column We welcome Gen Zers to submit fresh takes exploring Gen Z within the ad industry Learn more here

How DTC brand Rothy’s uses its community as a focus group

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