BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY – SHOE INDUSTRY

Blue Ocean Strategy

- If we were hired as a consultant in the footwear or shoe industry, we would suggest employing
a blue ocean strategy. As they would say, the easiest way to defeat competitors is to flee
competition, and making use of this allows a company to open up a new market space and
create new demand. It helps a company develop its own market rather than trying to stay in a
saturated market. An example of this is Crocs. The shoe was originally developed as a boating
shoe and was also designed for nurses and doctors. It was actually called the ugliest shoe ever
invented years ago until some other people demonstrated the fashion you could add to it. We
normally see Nike, Adidas, Vans, and New Balance as fashion sneakers but Crocs created a big
new blue ocean market space in the shoe industry with its unique lightweight clogs that
combine comfort and fashion. Another contributing factor to Crocs’ success is they offer a
number of practical benefits that customers care about: ergonomic comfort, lightweight, anti-
skid, waterproof, and anti-microbial. It goes to show that you can be successful in the industry
without even competing with other big brands as long as you know how to innovate. In the case
of Crocs, they offer brightly colored, comfortable branded footwear and accessories for women,
men, and children.