My Bombas Journey

Kellie Jacobs
Nov 1 · 4 min read

I hate socks! There, I said it. I don’t wear socks unless I absolutely have to. I know, I’m weird. So, given my dislike for socks, I thought I would dive into Bombas and see if they could change my mind. I also wanted to see what is so unique about these socks that my friends obsess over!

Bombas Unique Selling Points

What makes these socks so unique? The first place I checked out was their website. Right as you open the site you see that they pride themselves on being “super soft + super cozy”. As I scrolled down the page the next thing I saw was an “items donated” ticker. For every Bombas clothing item that is purchased, a specially designed donation clothing item of the same kind is donated to someone in need. This is a very purpose driven company; which is important to gen z and millennials.

As I researched the sock further, I discovered that they put in several years of research into the technology of their sock. What? A sock, is a sock, right? Well, Bombas wanted to make sure that they created the most comfortable sock that you have ever worn. Now they have my curiosity! Finally, they guarantee 100% happiness! If you are not happy then they are not happy! Sounds like great customer service.

Their Target Market

Given all their unique selling points, how does or would Bombas determine their target market? One of the more important things to do is to consider the demographics of your customer(s). Demographics include the customers age and gender, race, location and employment status. I believe Bombas’ demographics narrows down to employment status simply because of the cost of the socks. Let’s just say I was ready to buy a pair of the socks until I started looking at the price! A 4-pack of women’s lightweight calf dress socks costs $53.20; and that is before tax and shipping! So, their target market is going to be narrowed to individuals (not just men or women specifically) that can afford to buy these socks. So, given that demographic alone, you have really narrowed your target market.

So, let’s think about individuals in that target market and some of the other products Bombas has. These are high end quality products. Some of the specialty products they carry are high end cotton sweatpants & hoodie sweatshirts ($88), t-shirts ($36), ski and snowboard socks ($91.20 for a 4-pack), basketball socks for youth (3-pack for $30). You get the idea. They are targeting middle aged families (probably Caucasian) that have children and are active, and that are financially stable, probably middle to high income families.

How to Market to Their Audience

I have to say that the only marketing I have personally seen for Bombas has been on paid ads on Facebook and word-of-mouth from a few friends. That made me wonder if I met any of those demographics. We do have an active family lifestyle and have a middle-aged family and, we are considered a middle to high income family. So that does explain why I have seen the ads on Facebook.

The next question that I asked myself is why I have not just bought a pair. Honestly, I have considered it. I have seen the ads and was curious, but I was never really in need of a nice pair of socks, and it just was not important enough to me to do the research. I have been in the early stages of the customer journey. I have been learning about the brand. However, I have never been curious enough to click through! So that tells me that they need to change something in their advertising to get individuals to take the next step, the mid stage where customers are considering buying the product. Because of writing this post about Bombas I have been researching the company (not due to their marketing efforts however) so now I consider myself in the mid stages of the customer journey. I am considering buying their product. How do they get me to the late stage of buying their product? For me, it is going to take a reduction of price!

I think Bombas’s strategy of utilizing social media (Facebook and Instagram) is a good strategy. They promote their mission of helping those in need, which hits home with a lot of the younger generation. I also think that the paid Facebook ads are hitting the demographics they are targeting. However, I know for me, I thought they just sold “athletic” socks, so I never really researched the product. So, in my opinion, they should shift more focus on their “dress socks” and target the business professionals that are purchasing their socks that also have families that are active.

In the end, did I buy a pair of socks? Did I transition into the late stage of the customer journey and buy their product? Yes, I did, but it was not because of their marketing tactics. Had it not been for this post, I would still be in the mid stage. I am excited to get my new socks though!

#ufcjconline

Kellie Jacobs

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