And I Wonder

Idea

Introduction

And I Wonder offers customised bridal shoes.

Our business is based on an innovative customisation web platform combined with a network of passionate Shoe-Advisors that provide a personalised service in multiple international locations.

AIW stands for customised design of bridal shoes and is second to none in comfort. Brides wear our shoes with comfort for over 12 hours! And they often become brand ambassadors.

AiW is a web-based business, and has been developing a strong engagement with its online community, with very positive customer feedback: we have more than 70k followers on social networks.

Please our Instagram account here: instagram.com/andiwondershoes

Intended impact

Choosing the perfect wedding shoe means finding the right color and the right model, the right heel type and height, and the right size and width. There are many variables that make choosing dream shoes very difficult in traditional retail.

In a wedding, comfort is paramount. However, the majority of people don’t have a standard foot. And I Wonder solves this paradox by providing a new shoe shopping experience through mass-customisation, ensuring the bride’s comfort.

Substantial accomplishments to date

2013 - The company holding the And I Wonder brand – Vanguardpassion-LDA. – was founded.

2014 - And I Wonder started with a team of highly skilled and experienced artisans manufacturing customised bridal shoes.

2015 to 2017 - And I Wonder consolidated expertise in shoe making, enlarged its production team and developed a flexible production system and management to efficiently handle customised shoes

2017 - And I Wonder became market leader in the segment in Portugal and started looking for international markets.

2018 - Aiming scalability, a strategic shift was made in two key factors.

Production Outsourcing

In partnership with selected factories, our manufacturing team was outplaced, And I Wonder Production System was implemented in factories and shoe production became outsourced. Outsourcing resulted in more flexibility and gains in cost efficiency. And I Wonder kept the essential HR for design, marketing and sales, customer service, IT, QC and supply chain management and control.

Mass Customisation

A customisation tool was developed for an enjoyable and effective online customer experience which enhances business scalability.

2019 - And I Wonder enhanced its omnichannel strategy by launching a Shoe Advisor program to complement the online experience with an in person customer support and advice. This allowed And I Wonder to consolidate in the domestic market but, more importantly, to expand with Shoe Advisors in Geneva, London and NYC.

2020 - The Shoe Advisor network expanded to Vigo, Spain.

During the March and April containment, due to the pandemic, And I Wonder quickly adapted the customer journey to strictly online with significant success. Shoe Advisors meet customers online, listen to their needs, advise and when needed ship samples of materials and shoes to the bride’s homes to finish the decision making. From May, And I Wonder’s Shoe Advisors return to physical meetings with brides but the online meetings became an interesting new channel to potentiate global growth.

Reviews:

Google: 4/5* - 56 comments
Casamentos.pt: 4,3/5* - 172 comments

Monetisation strategy

The company's main source of revenue is the sale of custom bridal shoes.

We invest in digital marketing to generate highly qualified leads. These leads are followed by our network of shoe advisors who meet with the client and close the deal.

We also participate in wedding fairs to grow our b2C but also b2B business with designers and stores.

Our strategy is to grow in the network of shoe advisors and gradually increase investment in digital marketing in their locations.

Use of proceeds

We are focused on increasing revenues by enlarging our market through going abroad at the same time maintaining the company financially and economically balanced and profitable.

Besides Portugal, AiW already has Shoe-Advisors in Switzerland, UK, Spain and the USA. Other markets will follow and we aim within 4 years to be the main platform for bridal shoes worldwide with a global network of Shoe-Advisors.

For such endeavours we decided to raise capital to invest in Marketing and Technology. Our strategy is to increase the network of Shoe Advisors in Spain, UK and France. Digital marketing is key to capturing new Shoe Advisors as well as leads for this network.