Level Shoes, the innovative concept from Chalhoub Group, is the largest destination dedicated to designer shoes and accessories in the world. The Dubai-based luxury retailer caters to women, men and children with more than 250 brands and best-in-class service through its omnichannel experience, which includes its luxury app, website and active social media presence.
The company’s chief executive officer Elisa Bruno sat down with WWD’s Middle East bureau chief Ritu Upadhyay to discuss the Saudi consumer, connecting with the community and the importance of social media.
Now more than a decade old, Level Shoes has always been very active within Saudi Arabia, including strategic pop-up shops in the past. Through its e-commerce interactions, Bruno said, the company learned more about its Saudi consumers and saw that it needed to evolve its operating model and become faster, bolder and bigger. Last year, Level Shoes began operating directly from Riyadh with a multi-fulfillment center, which is open 24 hours and quickly became a huge asset in catering to clients in a way they wanted to be reached. This model, said Bruno, grew the company’s business significantly.
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Notably, with the new fulfillment center in place, Level Shoes recently launched two-hour delivery services that meet consumers’ expectations for a luxury experience through fast, digital transactions. With a full fleet of delivery employees, the white-glove service is door-to-door and successfully provides a hybrid experience for those who live in the region.
The consumer in Saudi Arabia, agreed Bruno and Upadhyay, is not only young (70 percent of the population in Saudi Arabia is under the age of 30) but also ever-evolving, buying into trends and technologies with sights on social media and social commerce operations. Notably, while the company does have some high-level brick-and-mortar locations, including a large store within the Dubai Mall, Level Shoes is primarily digital, which Bruno said allows the company to remain incredibly agile.
Through e-commerce and social media, Level Shoes is focused on building a strong relationship with its communities. Level Shoes currently operates 10 active social media accounts in English, Arabic and Chinese. These accounts, said Bruno, rely on a “team of teenagers.” While this sometimes keeps her from sleeping at night, the concept has proven to be highly successful with clients who love authenticity, organic content and “engaging with loved brands in a way that is not pushed but rather presented to them.”
“They need a personalization, they need a feeling of being different because they own something that makes them feel, you know, not a part of the crowd,” Bruno said. “Any media for us is an opportunity to communicate, to connect and to receive feedback.”
As Level Shoes grows, Bruno said the company will continue to engage with brand ambassadors and put forth efforts that build community. With an impressive list of luxury brands already active and loved on its platform, there will be work to champion local, emerging brands as well. Bruno said this is exciting not only for the local community to see but also has proven to strengthen relationships with clients.