Australian footwear business, Emu Australia, has been making waterproof, sheepskin boots for 24 years.
The brand has forged its foundations on classic styles, but diversified the range, expanding into slides, outdoor boots and children's footwear, to appeal to a wider market.
Global director of brand and e-commerce at Emu Australia, Sue Meehan, spoke to to Shoe Trader about the the best-selling styles, the business' approach to social media and the way the business is embracing e-commerce.
Which styles are best-sellers? Why do you think this is?
While our genuine Australian Made classic sheepskin boots continue to sell well, we have seen a lift in sales across all of our categories, including our spring collection.
The Mayberry slipper – a favourite of influencers and celebrities alike – has ridden the slide trend wave, but uniquely for us, being made from premium Australian sheepskin and at an accessible price point, it has proven that you can deliver a fashion focussed product of high quality, that lasts.
What is Emu Australia’s approach to social media?
Everything we do on social media is approached with a sense of wanderlust. A genuine brand experience showcasing the boundless way we make our mark, around the globe.
A key part of what we do is collaborating with influencers on social media activations that help tell our story and engage with our community [while] at the same time producing incredible content.
We recently completed an activation – Emu Travels the World – which saw us track a pair of Emu boots around the globe.
One pair of boots, visiting 18 countries over a two-month journey. The campaign and what it stood for, really epitomises Emu Australia: an Aussie brand, with a global footprint, making its way in the world.
How does Emu Australia battle and/or embrace online shopping revolution?
The online environment is a very important channel for us. As we don’t have our own stores, it is an opportunity to showcase our full collection.
We’ve enjoyed exponential growth with online sales over the last five years.
[Conversely, in the retail space] we opened a record number of accounts during 2018 and continue to work with key partners globally including David Jones, Anthropologie, Free People, Nordstrom and Globetrotter.