Enda Athletic: Overcoming Challenges in Apparel Branding

Building an apparel brand, particularly in the shoe industry, comes with its fair share of challenges, including managing return rates and their impact on margins. Navalayo Osembo, co-founder and CEO of Enda Athletic, shared her experiences and strategies for tackling these challenges while maintaining customer satisfaction and business sustainability.

Navalayo acknowledged the difficulty of managing returns and exchanges, which can eat into profit margins. To address this, Enda Athletic implements a returns and exchanges policy, currently limited to twice within 30 days. While the previous policy allowed unlimited returns, it proved to be unsustainable for the business. The goal is to nudge customers to carefully consider their choices, encouraging them to try the product and commit to a purchase. Navalayo emphasized the importance of viewing this policy as part of a broader strategy that aims to convert customers into long-term, committed buyers.

The key to achieving customer commitment lies in building a relationship beyond the initial purchase. Enda Athletic places significant emphasis on growing its mailing list, allowing for ongoing communication and engagement with customers. As part of this strategy, the brand offers incentives such as a 10% discount for signing up. By providing added value and fostering a sense of community, the company aims to increase the long-term value (LTV) of each customer, ultimately outweighing the costs incurred through returns and exchanges.

In addition to the returns policy and mailing list strategy, Enda Athletic focuses on proactive customer service and effective sizing guidance. The brand offers a comprehensive shoe size guide to assist customers in making informed decisions about fit and sizing. This not only reduces the likelihood of returns due to size issues but also enhances the overall customer experience.

Navalayo emphasized the importance of reliable and accessible customer service. Having a responsive support team that can promptly address customer inquiries and concerns is crucial. By providing timely assistance, Enda Athletic aims to instill confidence in customers and facilitate smoother purchase decisions. Furthermore, the brand prioritizes an easy and hassle-free refund process, ensuring that customers do not face unnecessary hurdles when seeking a refund. This commitment to customer satisfaction helps build trust and fosters a sense of respect within the Enda Athletic community.