Crocs has been expanding into sandals. (Photo Illustration by Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
For decades, Crocs was defined by a single product: the brightly colored clog that became one of retail’s most unlikely success stories. Now the company is betting that its next phase of growth lies beyond the iconic clog.
After spending years transforming its flagship silhouette from functional footwear into a fashion and cultural phenomenon, Crocs has been expanding into sandals, a category that has quickly become one of the brand’s fastest-growing businesses and an increasingly important growth driver in the U.S. and internationally.
“We’re a global brand and our DNA is really based on the classic clog,” Anne Mehlman, president of the Crocs brand, told Forbes. “When you ask people around the world, everybody knows Crocs.”
That association has helped fuel global growth but, with the clog firmly established, Crocs has begun looking for ways to broaden its appeal and attract new consumers and the answer, it believes, is in sandals.
While Crocs first introduced sandals in 2010, the category has become a major strategic priority only over the past several years. The shift came after extensive consumer research revealed that shoppers already viewed the company as having what Mehlman describes as “permission to compete” in the category.
“When we were listening to consumers and how they use the clog and how they think about it, a lot think about the summer, the beach, water and those kinds of occasions, very similar to how people think about sandals,” Mehlman said. “Our consumers thought we had a really high right to play from a sandals perspective and when we started looking, it’s highly fragmented. And we thought this is a market where we can really provide some innovation and give consumers a compelling proposition.”
Crocs Sandals March Forwards
That strategy is beginning to pay off. Crocs’ sandal business generated around $450 million in revenue last year, making it one of the larger players in the category. The company is now targeting breaking through $500 million. Despite that growth, sandals still account for only around 13% of Crocs’ overall revenue, while its stock price has risen strongly this year.
“Clogs are still a huge piece of our DNA and by no means are we walking away from that,” Mehlman stressed.
Instead, the company sees sandals as complementary, encouraging repeat purchases among existing customers while attracting new shoppers to the brand.
“What we see with sandals is it brings a lot of new consumers into the brand,” she said. “They’ll come in on a sandals purchase and then buy something else.”
The U.S. remains central to that strategy. Crocs began by targeting female consumers, who tend to purchase multiple pairs across different occasions and styles. The company built its assortment around four key occasions: everyday wear, fashion, adventure and sport. From that framework emerged three major sandal franchises: Getaway, Miami and Brooklyn.
The Miami collection, in particular, has become a breakout success among younger shoppers and social media users and the brand’s digital-first marketing approach has helped accelerate adoption. Crocs was an early adopter of TikTok and continues to use the platform as a key customer acquisition tool.
“We started to see that a lot of our sandals went viral on TikTok, especially our Miami franchise,” Mehlman said. “That consumer is definitely younger than our overall consumer and we over-index there with new consumers. I think about half of all of our TikTok consumers in the U.S. are new to the brand.”
Crocs Gets Personal
Personalization, already a defining feature of the clog through its Jibbitz charms, is increasingly becoming part of the sandal strategy as well. This year Crocs launched the Saturday sandal franchise, featuring customizable Jibbitz holes and fashion-oriented buckle details. The company has also introduced dedicated sandal charms that allow customers to customize styles from collections such as Miami.
“We started testing those online and in some of our top retail stores and have had amazing success,” Mehlman said. “We’re planning on expanding that.”
The company maintains a roughly even split between direct-to-consumer sales and wholesale distribution, while investing heavily in physical stores that showcase customization opportunities.
International markets, especially those warm year-round, have become key growth regions. (Photo by Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
“Physical retail is really important for us because it is the best place for the consumer to experience Crocs. If you go into one of our stores and watch the personalization bar, consumers love it. People come in looking for shoes specifically so they can add charms or Jibbitz to them,” Mehlman said.
Crocs recently opened a new full-price store in Westfield Stratford, London, designed to highlight the brand’s evolving identity and international markets are becoming increasingly important. Outside the U.S., Crocs identifies Western Europe — particularly the U.K., France and Germany — alongside China, Japan, South Korea and India as priority growth markets.
Weather naturally influences demand and year-round warm-weather markets offer particularly attractive opportunities, with India standing out.
“India is a really key market for us because sandals are a natural silhouette for consumers there,” she said. “They’re used to living in sandals. It’s hot there year-round and our brand is strong there.”
The company is preparing new product launches including the Rio sandal, a customizable flip-flop designed around Jibbitz personalization, as well as additional extensions of its fast-growing Saturday and Miami collections. It is also launching a sport-focused slide targeting consumers before and after workouts.
And as those consumers increasingly seek products that combine comfort, self-expression and social-media appeal, Crocs believes sandals can become a powerful gateway for its brand.
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