Stride Rite and Alibaba: A Perfect Fit for Growing Global Sales

Storied American company Stride Rite is going digital with Alibaba. The U.S. children’s shoe company from Waltham, Massachusetts, has a vision to build a global lifestyle brand in the next hundred years, and its partnership with Alibaba is key to this future.

Looking to sell their iconic shoes to China’s rapidly growing middle-class, Stride Rite opened an online storefront on Alibaba’s Tmall Global. Alibaba’s robust sales and marketing tools have helped the shoe brand reach young parents who are increasingly shopping online and looking for a more interactive experience. Every three months, Stride Rite has tripled its customers on Alibaba.

Stride Rite’s online storefront on Tmall Global includes a toolkit that allows parents to measure their child’s shoe size without traveling to a physical store, resulting in a 10% return reduction. Stride Rite also uses Alibaba’s analytics to adjust product lines, such as increasing its selection of wider shoe sizes after reviewing customer observations.

The brand views China and its partnership with Alibaba as key to the future of its business abroad. “Stride Rite will become a global and lifestyle brand for the next hundred years.” Stride Rite Executive Vice President Brian McManus said. “That’s why our relationship with Tmall is critical. It’s about introducing the brand, and we’ll introduce a whole lifestyle aspect over time.”

We have to go with the best in class. And that’s how we ended up partnering up with Alibaba’s Tmall.

—Brian McManus, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Stride Rite