Ten Little, Shaping the “New Normal” Through Predictive E-Commerce
Over the past few months, the world has grappled with an unfortunate new reality that has left us re-evaluating the ways we interact in our daily lives. We’ve each had to make drastic changes to the way we work, learn, shop, and connect with others. In response, we’re seeing companies roll out creative strategies to better reach/serve new & existing customers, and we’re witnessing firsthand which companies are best positioned to adapt to the circumstances.
As early-stage consumer investors, we’re fortunate to have partnered with companies that have been at the forefront of new consumer behaviors in various verticals (e.g. online retail, mental healthcare, social media & more) and have proactively offered convenient options as consumers maneuver through these unprecedented times.
Today, we’d like to celebrate one of the companies in our portfolio that has approached e-commerce in a way that fits in perfectly with our new reality. Enter Ten Little — a company that’s bringing peace of mind to parents, whose kids’ growing feet never got the memo that stores are shut, and who have become increasingly busy as they’ve taken on the role of full-time nanny, teacher & personal chef.
The company’s founders, Fatma and Julie — both e-commerce experts & parents themselves — are tackling the giant children’s clothing market by transforming children’s shopping into an infinitely more intimate & efficient digital experience that makes more sense for the modern family both today & tomorrow (/post-pandemic).
This year, Ten Little launched its first product: pediatrician-recommended, PETA-approved vegan shoes that are guaranteed to fit & are delivered straight to your home.
Early on, the team understood that the key to retaining their customers was to deliver a better experience for both parent and child. They set out to eliminate the painpoints of online shoe shopping by offering an easy-to-use sizing tool that lets parents accurately measure their kids’ feet from home. The company also built out a proprietary algorithm to determine when a child will most likely need to upsize. That’s right — gone are the days when children’s shoe shopping felt like a complete (not to mention frequent) guessing game! Instead, Ten Little sends parents a gentle & actionable nudge (via text) when it’s time to order a new pair of shoes and lets them reorder through the same platform. With sustainability built into their DNA, Ten Little also lets parents donate their children’s outgrown shoes for free when they size up in partnership with non-profit, Soles4Souls.
What’s more — every pair of shoes is delivered with a batch of ~trendy~ sneaker stickers, so kids can proudly customize their own shoes — a bonus arts & craft project for children and their parents to enjoy together while stuck indoors.
When COVID19 became a global crisis, Ten Little was determined to stay true to their mission of making parents’ lives easier and keeping kids happier & healthier. In March, the company partnered with the non-profit, No Kid Hungry, to help support families around the country who could no longer rely on school meals for their little ones. Ten Little pledged 10% of all proceeds to the cause, and ultimately doubled their goal — donating 20,000 meals to children in need in April.
While the business ramifications of COVID-19 are yet to be fully understood, we’re confident that Ten Little will play an important role in shaping the ‘new normal’ for e-commerce! In the meantime, if you’re a parent of a young child, take a moment to check out their website.
