Kizik - How a Simple Innovation Disrupted a $400B Market

Ramon Vela (00:02.316)
Welcome back everyone. Please welcome Elizabeth Drury, who is the chief marketing officer at Kizik. Welcome to the show.

Elizabeth Drori (00:28.68)
Thank you so much, so glad to be here.

Ramon Vela (00:30.936)
Well, I appreciate you making time. I really appreciate it. I know you're very busy, but I'm very appreciative that you're here because this is a brand that we've actually had on the show. And I brought up the previous episodes and I'm going to have a link to these episodes on our podcast description. But I had your CEO once on the show and the episodes are finding the mission and what you're doing.

and shoes the way they always should have been. And I read those because I think those are going to give us a little, audience and our listeners, a little idea of what we're going to be talking about. And I really love this brand. So just right off from the get go, I have a pair of Kizzix and they are one of my favorite pairs. I wear them pretty much all the time. They've lasted a long time. I think I got them right, what was that? 2021, June 17, 2021.

And I just can't say enough about them. They're just so good. They're so really so good. So thank you again for coming back on the show.

Elizabeth Drori (01:38.322)
I'm super happy to be here and I welcome you to entertain the purchase of a second pair. Sounds like it's about that time.

Ramon Vela (01:44.184)
Yeah, it's about that time. But you know that, but the construction is so good and it's not even, it's just a regular walk issue and it's lasted a long time. Yeah. And they're high quality and they feel good and they're convenient. And there's just so many really cool things to say about them. And there's so much more. I noticed that there's just a lot more, you know, different styles and kinds and everything else. And you've really expanded the product line.

Elizabeth Drori (01:55.038)
They are high quality.

Ramon Vela (02:13.302)
which I can't wait to talk a little bit about. But let's start off with my favorite question, which is my signature question, and that is a question of gratitude. And when we talk a little bit about the journey of the brand, we talk about your journey, we talk about all of that, I always feel like gratitude is a great way to sort of start from a foundation. That's our foundation, it's starting from gratitude, and really then talking about the journey, and I think that really is helpful. But also, just for everyone out there, in case you're new,

to listening to the show, I really want the listener to understand that there's real people behind these products and these brands that we feature on the show. It's so easy just to see a product on the shelf, on a retail shelf or online and just think it's just, you know, it's just a faceless corporation. But there are real people who care deeply about these products, who care deeply about the quality, about the design, about the materials, about everything, about your experience when you're buying these products.

They really do care and they bleed, sweat and tear over the product. They sacrifice so much in order to bring a product to market. It's not easy. There's so many different challenges and we'll talk about some of those today, but really I want you to know there's real humans and we're speaking with one today and one great way of understanding and knowing someone is by understanding what they're grateful for. So Elizabeth, if you don't mind, could you share a moment or a memory when someone did something for you that just made you feel grateful?

because it meant that they believed in you, your vision, or your potential.

Elizabeth Drori (03:43.622)
Yes, I am going to dedicate this moment of gratitude to my sister, Amy. And there are a million stories to tell. It's amazing when you have a sister that feels like, you know, a portal into your soul. But I'm going to share a story of humility too, which is that years ago, I interviewed for my first CMO role and I didn't get it. And, you know, that's something that we all go through and

Ramon Vela (03:57.996)
Mm-hmm.

Elizabeth Drori (04:12.046)
is hard to take. And my sister said, this is amazing news because you will be, you will get one of these roles. Like you're now interviewing at this level and this is going to happen for you. And she gave me both the confidence and the belief, but also the important reframing that, you know, life is a marathon and not a sprint and that you have to think about these.

the journey that you're in in longer terms and be patient with yourself and give yourself grace. And I've thought back to that time, you know, many times because in life, not everything goes exactly your way or you don't have control over every situation. It's good to just be in it for the long haul. So I'm thankful for that moment and that piece of advice in a vulnerable time.

Ramon Vela (05:01.612)
Yeah, and I actually, I like to refer to those times as, and this didn't come from me, it came from another guest and I love the phrase, he referred to those moments when someone shares something with you, some words of encouragement, that at the right time, when you need it the most, when you're kind of vulnerable and you're feeling down a little bit.

It's a transfer of belief, right? Like they're transferring their belief to you at that moment when you're a little bit, when your gas tank is a little bit low and they're kind of filling it up a little bit, telling you like, Hey, you know, things are going to get better or you're going to get it or, you know, just have faith or whatever it is, but it's just a transfer of belief. Um, and it's really just interesting how, like, of course it's fantastic to be grateful about when

someone provides you with resources like money or investment or whatever, but it's also just amazing how powerful just a few words could be to some, especially from the right person, what that can mean to someone. so thank you for sharing that. I love that. And obviously I'm gonna make the assumption that she knows how grateful you are to her, right? You've closed the loop and talked to her and she knows all that.

Elizabeth Drori (06:19.614)
Yeah, I don't know if we we ever struggled back on that moment in particular, but I will send her to the link to this podcast. She will have her moment with me. But yeah.

Ramon Vela (06:25.208)
Yeah. Yeah, please do. Yeah. No, no, it's fantastic. Actually, I once had a founder of a leisure wear company and I think they were in New York, I think. And he thanked his father for being there in the early days and helping them pack, ship boxes and things like that. And so he thanked his father and then...

I don't know, maybe it was like two weeks or three weeks after I released the episode, I got this message on LinkedIn and it was his dad and his dad was like, thank you for asking that question. really, it really made my day. so, yeah, so hopefully I get that from, from your sister. so, let's level set everyone and let's talk a little bit about, what is kizik? So people are probably, we have an idea. We talked a little bit about it.

Elizabeth Drori (07:04.35)
you

Ramon Vela (07:20.94)
But why don't you give us, because I kind of feel like Kizzik is not just any shoe company. Obviously there's some really cool tech and I'm sure there's things that have come, have been innovative and involved and things like that. But if you don't mind, share what Kizzik is with the audience and then we'll start breaking that down a little bit.

Elizabeth Drori (07:41.118)
Yeah, so Kisik Putzmpley is the leader in hands-free shoes and really created the invention. It was started by Mike Pratt, who looks at the world with the founder eyes and ability to see solutions to problems that we didn't know we had and asked himself, why do we bend down to put shoes on? Why can't we just simplify?

Ramon Vela (07:52.652)
you

Elizabeth Drori (08:08.146)
this much in the way that, you know, technology simplifies our life in other categories. And it's an incredible footwear disruption. So with Kizik, you put on your shoes without using your hands, you just step into them and the technology is dynamic. So it springs back in it. It stays securely onto your foot. and so it's not only incredibly easy and convenient, but it's also an amazing experience. gives you.

like we call it the aha moment when you step into your shoes and it makes you feel really good and it's sort of fun and multi-sensory. And also, it's incredibly helpful for people who have challenges and then just very, very easy for people who don't.

Ramon Vela (08:53.464)
And as you were mentioning that, I'm wondering what was the reason that attracted you to Kazoo as a chief marketing officer? And maybe some of it was what you just described, but I'm wondering because it is an exciting company and it...

You know, people, it may take a little while for people to really understand the impact of this. And we're going to, that's why we're going to dive into this a little bit more, what you said, but what were the factors that drove you or attracted you to join KISUK?

Elizabeth Drori (09:26.382)
so I've spent a lot of my career in shoes. and I've worked at some pretty incredible brands and a lot of heritage brands and the opportunity at Kizzic was so completely different. was, it was still shoes, but it's really a tech company, that happens to make shoes as opposed to, you know, a global footwear brand with a deep heritage. And it's an, about an experience that changes your life.

versus some sort of vibe or aesthetic or style driven product. And it's super disruptive and there's a ton of IP and it's sort of going through growth from a startup to, you know, a brand at scale. So it presented a super interesting opportunity for me to be able to take, you know, the industry knowledge and the learnings of my past experiences, but.

apply them to a totally new and different problem. And the people that I met along the way at the company, was so incredibly impressed with too, just people who were so passionate about the mission of the brand and what we were setting out to do and the opportunity to disrupt the industry at large. it felt like it was a very fast courtship with Monty in terms of the job opening and taking the...

opportunity, but it felt like a no brainer, you know, and the energy was so palpable as soon as I started to meet the team and get to know the brand a little bit better.

Ramon Vela (11:00.566)
Yeah, and those terms that you use, like the disruption in a tech company, I think a lot of people are thinking like, you what is that all about? And if I remember correctly, I think I had this conversation with Monty and I think it's worth bringing it up.

is that there really hasn't been an innovation around shoes and shoelaces for a long time. don't know, 100 years, 200 years, whatever that timeframe is. And what really struck me when I had this conversation, and I think about this from other places, from other industries as well, that we have...

we have things that are like referred to as intermediary, intermediary technologies. So we had, for instance, the fax machine. So before email was really out there and it's widely used and so forth, and know, not just a handful of people using it, we had fax machines because we needed the ability to send things quickly and digitally, et cetera, over, you know, you know,

geographical locations, et cetera. And so the fax machine was very valuable for a short time. But now, of course, with email, most people, know, like my kids don't even like my daughter the other day told me, she goes, do you, do you believe I had to like for my student loan, I had to like fax use a fax. had to find a fax machine and use it. And I'm like, yeah, that, you know, I think a lot of government organizations still use fax. I said, but that's, that's just the way, you know, people used to do things.

And so it's not, it's not use useful anymore. And, and the way that I look at shoes is that shoelaces were useful at one point. Um, and they're not anymore. And so, and so people do still hang onto them. Like I think Monty was the one telling me, um, where people would say, you know, how am I going to teach my kids shoes, how to tie their shoelaces? You know, they won't know how to shoot, you know, tie their shoelaces. And I think he said something like, well, you don't need to tie your shoelaces. It's.

Elizabeth Drori (12:45.95)
Hmm.

Ramon Vela (13:12.172)
You know, it's an old school technology that doesn't make sense anymore. And that's what really struck me then. I was just like, wow, okay, now I think I understand how impactful this sort of innovation has been.

Elizabeth Drori (13:25.406)
Yeah, we, I mean, I relate to that because I have a nine year old and I think now that I work here, you will never learn to tie shoes, but maybe one day. But we liken it often to the key fob or, you know, even when I had my first car and now I'm dating myself, you know, I had an 87 and I rolled down the windows and we still use the expression rolled down the windows and nobody, you know, you just push a button. So there are some technologies that

Ramon Vela (13:33.186)
You

Ramon Vela (13:51.852)
Hmm.

Elizabeth Drori (13:55.332)
advance and you never go back. And that I think that's what's so interesting about it. Like why would you go back to the fax machine if you could just send an email? And with hands-free shoes, we strongly believe that all things being the same, if you took two shoes and one was hands-free again, everything else being the same, why wouldn't you want the hands-free version?

so much easier and faster and convenient to put your shoes on or take them on and off. mean, there are a million use cases why they would apply, but even just getting out the door, it is just easier for your life. So we do believe that this is the future and that eventually all shoes will be hands-free, which is a really interesting conviction.

Ramon Vela (14:44.6)
Yeah. And if I remember correctly, you have two sides of the business. One is you have shoes. And I think at the time that I originally interviewed Monte, your CEO, you only had a handful of designs. Now you have much more.

And we talked a little bit about both sides. So you have the side, is the sort of B2B side, correct me if wrong, right? And what's cool about that is that you guys are actually licensing this technology to some pretty well-known companies. And so these well-known companies see the value of this innovation. And it's not just for casual shoes. know, like a lot of people think, you know, and this is what I thought.

Elizabeth Drori (15:24.232)
Right.

Ramon Vela (15:35.076)
is, know, no shoelaces. So I thought, slip-ons, I thought maybe, you know, casual shoes or some dress shoes or maybe, you know, something where, you know, you're not going to be very active and so forth. But that's, that's, that's so limiting. Like the shoes that I have, I walk with them all the time. they have not laster, lost or sort of like spring action or the elasticity or whatever you call it. They, they grip to your feet. They, don't need to tie your shoe.

I use them for walking and, they're perfectly, great for an active lifestyle. So it's not like, I have to wear this and then, you know, my shoes are going to slip off or, you know, things like that. so you have these like really great names. So, I mean, to me, like, that's a testament that these shoes and using them for whether it's active or non-active lifestyle, whatever. I really are, I mean, are game changers.

Elizabeth Drori (16:32.624)
Yeah. we, so our, our parent company is called Hands Free Labs and our parent company, we basically see a few different paths. There's, there's the brand Kizik, which is, you know, what, what we're known for and what we've grown so rapidly. And, Kizik itself is pretty elastic. We started off, I think we actually started off with, with, with more men's casuals, but got quickly into athleisure and scaled that business. then,

dabbled, started dabbling with winter boots that became success. And now we have a pretty big outdoor business. We're thinking about things like performance and just other adjacencies to, you know, to, to, offer up more of someone's closet. But then there also might be room for a brand outside of Kizzic, where we say this is a different category, a different audience. And therefore, you know, we might launch another brand ourselves.

And then there's the third part of it, which is that Hands Free Labs licenses our technology to some pretty big brands. And that's a growing business for us too. And if we take a step back and say, the world is going hands free and we can't get there fast enough with just our Kizzik brand, that gives us room to think about it a little bit more big picture and do more licensing deals. we like that because

our experience relative to other competitors that have started to get into the hands-free space is so much stronger. And we have this incredible patent portfolio because our team obsesses not just one way to make a shoe hands-free, but all the ways. And we have a lot of protection around it. And we want to make sure that when someone has a hands-free shoe, they have the best experience with it.

And that's your point. It springs back and it stays on the foot and it's comfortable and it's durable. And so it is an interesting, you know, multifaceted business model.

Ramon Vela (18:35.096)
Yeah, and these other companies that are using the technology and the patents, are, you know, I see more more hands-free shoes coming out from them as well. And for me, like that's when I, you know, when I remember the interview that I did with Monty and I think about what I'm seeing on the market.

more more shoes are hands-free. And it's not just walking shoes or leisure shoes. There's running shoes and all sorts of other things that are now hands-free. Things that you just never would have thought of. It's like, it's really changing it because I think in a lot of people's mind, or at least maybe it's just my, I'm a little older, I'm dating myself too. I always just think like slip-ons or slippers or, you know, dress shoes that are sometimes don't have, you know, don't have laces. But this is a whole new world. Like, this is like, you don't, you know,

That's the wrong way of looking at it because these shoes are just like regular shoes. They don't lose that elasticity if that's what you call it or the grip or whatever it is. they're just regular shoes that look great. And the ones that I have, I don't remember what the names were, but it's a black walking shoes, just a very basic shoe. It looks great. And it does have shoelaces.

So it does allow you to, you know, you can lace them up, but I hardly ever touched that. And it's just a slip on and it's just, and it's not just about the, the, it feels once you have them on. It's also, there's a convenience factor. like we're, for instance, we're home of. We leave our shoes in the foyer area and then, you know, and then we walk around the house and so forth. So we have like our outside shoes and we have our like inside shoes or inside, you know, footwear and.

Elizabeth Drori (20:05.362)
Well, it's a good thing.

Ramon Vela (20:20.66)
I can't tell you. mean, it's a small little thing, but how convenient it is to be able to, you know, take on and take off my kizzix and then put on whatever I'm going to put on around the house. And then if I have to leave, it's just simple. And it's just a small little thing and it's not necessarily an annoyance, but it's just, it's just makes it so convenient. And that's, that's the other thing I love. And again, it's not like you're not putting on a slip on per se. You're putting on a regular shoe.

and it fits great and it's just so convenient. I mean, from that perspective, just an everyday life. And I know there's people who really require that kind of convenience, but for me, it's like, even my, I know my kids would love that kind of stuff too.

Elizabeth Drori (21:05.22)
Yeah, I mean, I think you're exactly right in that the idea is that there are no sacrifices. You don't have to, and you know, we just hired a new amazing designer too. So, you know, excited to see how the product evolves over time, but you don't have to sacrifice style or, you know, the look that these are like sort of regular shoes that you would want to wear anyway, but they happen to be hands-free and

Yeah, it's incredibly convenient. mean, and we talk a lot about use cases that are, you know, can be taking out the trash, taking your dog for a walk. There are cultures where people take their shoes on and off, you know, very regularly for religious reasons, for, you know, for cultural reasons. So there are definitely places where you start to hone in. My boyfriend is an ER doctor and

He loves them for work because the last thing you want to do is touch your shoes after you've been in the ER. So, you know, there are so many reasons that make them especially convenient, you know, not to mention the people who could really use them.

Ramon Vela (22:03.603)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (22:16.352)
Yeah, well, like I said, and for me, I think at the time there wasn't any kids versions, but to me also kids is also a great use case because I my kids are a little older now, but even still, like I still see them with with other shoes tied and I that bug stack out of me. I'm like, how can you be walking around or running around or whatever with your shoes untied? Like, please just tie your shoe. Just make me happy for some.

Elizabeth Drori (22:27.207)
Yeah.

Elizabeth Drori (22:35.643)
Yeah.

Elizabeth Drori (22:42.654)
Yes, the shoe tying, the shoe tying is one thing, but also just getting kids out the door. mean, I think my neighbors around the block can hear me in the morning like, come on, get in the door. It's amazing because my nine-year-old, we'll just put them on and be like, let's get ready to go. And then the 12-year-old is taking his time. It's like, just step in, get out the door. Yeah, they're great for kids.

Ramon Vela (22:53.195)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (23:08.054)
Yeah. Well, yeah, and you won't have to fight them anymore about tying their shoe or whatnot because it's just so easy. for kids, I think almost naturally try to use every shoe they have as a slip on. Like they just like to just.

Elizabeth Drori (23:15.602)
Right.

Elizabeth Drori (23:23.878)
Yes, we do. we call it heel crushing. We call it heel. And know, adults do this too, where you just want to shove your foot in and then sometimes the back starts to fold and becomes uncomfortable and you have to throw them away. Like shoes are not made to be used like that, but we want to be able to do that. And actually during the pandemic, know, brands like Crocs and other, you know, more naturally slip on brands started to take off because people wanted ease and comfort.

And that's exactly what Kizzik can offer, but without sacrificing style.

Ramon Vela (23:59.446)
Yeah, no, I agree. So, what I did not talk to Monty about last time was really just at the point at that time he was working on patents and he was bringing, they were bringing out some designs. Now I noticed that you have, and just for everyone out there in case you want to take a look at what we're talking about, you can go to kzik.com and it's kzik singular. So not with an S, kzik.com and you can go to, and it's K-I-

Z I K dot com kidsic.com and you can take a look at the shoes they have there. They both they have Shoes for women for men for kids. They have accessories etc And we'll go over what you're gonna find on the website in a second but when I was there last time I interviewed Monty you only had a limited range and so what I didn't talk to him at that time was about the awareness so obviously

marketing, you know, a year ago, two years ago is different than what it is now. you know, and if you're like me, I've used to run marketing campaigns when we had direct mail. like I wouldn't want to date myself, but you know, there's a lot of ways to. Yeah. I know, I know it's not completely out. but you know, things have changed, right? So there's a lot of, there's a lot of innovations, you know, tick tock, for instance.

Elizabeth Drori (25:13.31)
We still do a little direct mail.

Ramon Vela (25:25.474)
huge, but now we don't know sure where it's going to go. And then you've got Instagram, you've got all sorts of really short form videos and everything else. What are you doing in terms of building awareness and reaching those consumers who really need to know what Kisix is and also introduce them to the brand and what it actually can be for them?

Elizabeth Drori (25:48.35)
Yeah. So, um, uh, a big question that I'll answer in a few different parts. One is we, we really want to lean into video because the product is so demonstrable. You, you, you see it and you understand it much, much better when you see someone stepping into the shoes. If you show a static image of the shoes and you don't say they're hands free, you just don't know that there's something so special about them. Um, and so.

High impact video is an incredible media tactic for raising brand awareness to begin with, but of course also, you know, really works for us in terms of being able to tell that story. We're trying to move to just building a more emotional connection with the brand. I think the brand grew so quickly and so successfully on the back of, you know, Facebook and early adopters and incredible content that was filled with humor and clickbait. And we're trying now

especially as we grow internationally, we're growing and expanding into wholesale as well. How do we build that emotional connection and get into someone's consideration set, you know, before they're ready to buy a pair of shoes? From a messaging standpoint, the brand a year ago tried to update our positioning and lean into a campaign that just didn't obviously pay off hands-free shoes. And

there was a lot of good in the revised direction, one of our big learnings was that we really need to make it clear again, either through showing video or alluding to or saying hands free shoes. We have to make sure that that goes hand in hand because if you're not aware of the brand, you don't know that again, that that's the special sauce. And so we've been really trying to layer on that messaging in different ways. And it's tricky because

If you don't know anything about hands-free shoes, we get to tell you that we're hands-free. If you do know about hands-free shoes, but you know, you've discovered it through a competitor and it's not the same, you know, quality or experience, then we want to tell you that ours is better. And then if you already know that, you know, you love Kizzik and you want another pair, then we can sell you into one of other styles and talk about traction and comfort and some of the other benefits. So it definitely becomes a bit of a juggling act, but we're trying to.

Elizabeth Drori (28:12.904)
you know, have more consistency, elevate our storytelling a little bit more, and even as we expand the product line, stand for, you know, fewer bigger product stories that both romance the technology and experience as well as showcase our new products.

Ramon Vela (28:29.692)
And how about the message for demographics? Because you're, so the shoe can be viewed by different age groups for different reasons, similar reasons, but maybe for kind of different. So you have kids, right? You have parents who can see the value in these shoes for kids. You've got...

individuals who maybe have some sort of like impairment or, you know, require really look for shoes like this because it's simply just more, it's easier from a physical standpoint to put these shoes on. Then you've got, of course you've got older folks who might look at this and say, that's pretty convenient too, because I can bend down the way that I used to blah, blah, blah. And then you've got just regular people who can really see the value in this and it being really cool that you don't need to tie your shoes.

slip them on and they stay on perfectly and there's a there's a story to be told with several different age groups. How do you kind of keep that, how do you keep each one of those messages alive and vibrant and exciting for each one of those folks?

Elizabeth Drori (29:39.75)
Yeah, it's complex. I think we've been trying to have a pretty clear core in terms of just our brand messaging and trying to emphasize the experience, emphasize the ease and the comfort and the joy really of Kizzik. But then we've done really well having

targeted creative and messaging that goes to targeted audiences. So an example is pregnancy. Our shoes are amazing for pregnancy. I mean, there comes a point where you can't even see your feet, let alone bend down to put your shoes on. And then the beauty of pregnancy is you get someone when they're a little bit younger and then you convert them for life because again, once you...

Ramon Vela (30:12.418)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (30:15.746)
Okay.

Elizabeth Drori (30:29.534)
put these shoes on, don't really see the point in wearing others. So we've had a lot of success using user generated content, example, influencers or other content creators who are pregnant speak firsthand to the product and how they're experiencing it. And then we'll serve those ads to, we'll try to find those people out there using the Facebook algorithms. And I think...

you know, from a differently abled perspective. I mean, I would say it's similar with different segments. There's a lot of word of mouth too. It's a brand and a product that gets recommended pretty heavily from people who know, know, my father would love this or my pregnant sister would love this or, you know, my cousin with Parkinson's, you know, would really value this. And so.

There's a lot that gets, there's a virality to the product, which is pretty special too. And then we're working on, we're very close to announcing a couple of partners with some organizations from a little bit more of a cause marketing standpoint, but a strategy that we call made to move where we're partnering with organizations that again, really value the product in terms of what it can mean for people who need it, who need the support.

Ramon Vela (31:39.0)
Hmm.

Ramon Vela (31:45.38)
and

Elizabeth Drori (31:52.818)
And therefore it doesn't just give them ease and convenience, it gives them autonomy and independence and freedom. And that's like really wildly incredible.

Ramon Vela (32:01.748)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, I mean, I understand it. It's complex, especially you have the product that is, I mean, theoretically, it's so adaptable to so many different people's lifestyles and...

And really, again, it's kind of like just, it's almost like the no brainer. It's like, if you look at it as shoelaces, as a technology that just doesn't make sense anymore, then why do you even need them? Right? Like you mentioned a second ago with the pregnancy and that's perfect. I love that example because...

the mother will see how comfortable this is, father will see how comfortable these are. And then they'll realize like, okay, why do we even need shoelaces to begin with? Like, let's just stick with these shoes and then their kids start wearing them, et cetera. And so now you've got this ripple effect going across different people.

Elizabeth Drori (32:40.734)
Mm-hmm.

Elizabeth Drori (32:53.79)
Thanks

Ramon Vela (32:57.622)
Yeah. So I can see how complex it is, but it really is exciting. And it almost feels like, you know, it almost feels like, you know, there will come a time where that messaging really has to be like, I don't know. the messaging will have to be, I don't know, maybe I'm thinking like, you know, for instance, like, you know, you know, like, will you be getting into any of those sort of like that, performance where.

like athletes.

Elizabeth Drori (33:28.452)
Mm hmm. We have some things up our sleeves.

Ramon Vela (33:32.642)
See, cause that, cause now you're talking about even like not an age group per se, but now you're talking about a personality type in an active, you know, person. So that's another complexity added to your job.

Elizabeth Drori (33:44.67)
It's interesting. mean, we, part of it too is like we have people, you know, we have, a handful of our own retail stores in the U S now and people come in and they say, you know, which ones are for running, which ones are for this, which ones are for that. So there's certainly, you know, servicing and existing customer with it. But as we've been noodling on consumer insights and, you know, really brainstorming where to go next, there's something about.

the product that lends itself to a layer of motivation. Like, you know, I've got an hour to go do my power walk or get my run in or, you know, be outside for my mental health or for my physical health and having, you know, a hands-free product like Kidzik where you can just, you know, step in easily and get that and fit that into your day. And it's that much more motivating. And that's a super compelling place to

to play where, you know, Kizzic as a brand wouldn't necessarily come at it from, you know, like win the race. Like it's, we're more about the journey than the, than the destination, more about the, experience in your life than the, than the achievement necessarily. So, I mean, don't get me wrong as, as we're developing our line, we're, we will again, no sacrifices. So it's, they're not going to be limited to like only people who, who

who wanna be, you know, casually active. They could be seriously active, but there's definitely room for, you know, for something like this in our lives. So it's pretty exciting to think about where we can go next.

Ramon Vela (35:25.64)
And I do want to into a little talk about the design and things like that. But I also wanted to ask about

from a marketing perspective as well, talk to us a little bit about how, where it's available. Is it just available in the Kizix? Is it available on the marketplaces like Amazon or Walmart, anything like that? Walk us a little bit about what that strategy is in terms of getting it out, because you mentioned also stores, so retail outlets.

Elizabeth Drori (35:58.642)
Yeah, yeah, we do a, know, kizik.com is the biggest and best expression of the brand. We sell on Amazon too, so for Prime members out there, you can check us out there as well, of course. We're expanding our wholesale distribution. So we already have some, we're in great independent shoe stores, we have some great partners like Shields and Chuler and Von Maurer and,

kind of testing our way into more and more retailers. We're launching at DSW this spring, which is pretty exciting. So the idea is, you know, we want to make it easier for people to discover and fall in love with Kizzik wherever they shop. we're, you know, we're expanding smartly, but with some great partners that will let us tell our brand story and get in front of some new audiences, which is pretty exciting.

Ramon Vela (36:33.046)
Yeah

Elizabeth Drori (36:56.69)
And then don't know if I mentioned that we have five or six of our own stores. We're opening up another one this summer in Tyson's Corner. So that's also, you know, just an opportunity to learn more and get in front of the customer and engage with them a little bit, a little bit more. And then this season is the first season we're in some international markets. So I believe like today we just launched in Taiwan and, I

That's really exciting too because there's so much opportunity and so many reasons for so many different people to love the brand. it's really fun. It's been a fun part of the transformation of the brand to be a part of.

Ramon Vela (37:38.038)
Yeah, and I kind of feel like, you know, eventually every shoe is going to go the Kizzix way because it just, again, it just makes sense. mean, maybe if you're, if you have a very specialized job, like, I don't know, like you're in construction and you require shoelaces or something like that, maybe that's something. But I just feel like pretty much in every walk of life, this, technology can be can be utilized.

Elizabeth Drori (38:04.318)
But remember that the shoelaces actually can still be a part of it. our shoes, most of them still have shoelaces and that can be used for more of an adjustable fit. But to your point, like you could fit your foot once and then never tie them again, never untie and tie them again because you just step in. imagine a construction worker who's in and out of people's homes, who's on and in and out of the job site, who could just...

you know, put his or her foot into a pair of tall boots. Like that's a pretty special opportunity too. So, you know, and we're, we're, you know, we, we have had a lot of success with our, our snow boots, which is obviously again, more of a lifestyle use case, but to see a tall boot, be able to step in and have that fit is pretty awesome. So, you know, you never know. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (38:40.726)
Yeah

Ramon Vela (38:58.586)
yeah, you just did me wrong. that's that's fantastic. I'm glad you did because you know, yeah, there's much more use cases than I thought. But that's what I mean. It's like it's such a great technology. I just don't see like from a you're right. The shoe laces can help you tighten it up and adjust a little bit. And then also from a static standpoint, you know, it looks they look cool sometimes depending on the shoes and so forth. Like if you're wearing.

Elizabeth Drori (39:02.566)
Yeah, we've got some things up our sleeves, that's all I'll say.

Elizabeth Drori (39:19.997)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (39:23.736)
You know certain shoes or whatnot, but yeah, that's fantastic now walk us through a little bit of the time just so I understand so people understand that this is not just your your Slip like a slip on or a slipper anything like this. There really is some technology now. You don't have to go You know, don't have to go to too detailed but because I know there's a lot of tech involved and all sorts of other stuff or science involved but Walk us through a little bit of with this innovation the patent

and then there's something you said earlier that I, I can relate to. You mentioned, what was it about the back? How like, if you, if you take a regular shoe and you try to stuff your foot in there, the back, the more that you bring it down, it almost breaks at some point. And I've had that happen before. Yeah.

Elizabeth Drori (40:09.552)
Yeah, exactly. So there are some competitors that have entered the market after us that have used what you could call like a stiff heel counter. So maybe they'll make the back more rigid so that you have some friction to slide your foot into and it won't break down. But our technology is dynamic. So it flexes. and if you go to, you can go to kizik.com.

Ramon Vela (40:34.348)
Hmm.

Elizabeth Drori (40:39.448)
and navigate to our innovation and learn more. But the dynamic technology is what sort of creates, like it creates a little pop sound so that you know you're in, you're confident you're in, and then it bounces back and stays securely on your foot. So again, it's a very different experience than if you just had something that you were pushing yourselves off against. And in some of our shoes, it's visible.

So we just launched the, we launched two new products this spring. We launched the Athens 2, which is an update to our, one of our best sellers, the Athens. And then we launched a shoe called the Monaco and they're both great. And they're very, they're successful for us. They're both in our top 10 since we've been launching them on the site. But you can see how the technology is actually integrated into the design and you see it on the outside.

And on the Athens two week, we call it a cage and that's like, you has become a little bit iconic for us, but we also have shoes, you know, not everybody wants this tech. Some people want it to be, concealed. so we have some best selling shoes like our Lima, for example, which has the technology on the inside. So you can't see it, but it, it, it works in the same way. And some of these technologies are, different. the cage, we have the flex arc, you know, we, again, we have.

Ramon Vela (41:39.992)
Hmm.

Elizabeth Drori (42:05.714)
different technologies we deploy for, know, depending on the silhouette and what works best and what functions best. But they all have our patented hands-free technology and that's how they work.

Ramon Vela (42:18.7)
Yeah, and I love it. the designs are, there's a lot more designs than there were last time when I interviewed, but they're really great. I see, I'm actually trying to look for the ones that I have. You guys may not make that one anymore, but I love the idea of having the technology on the outside. It kind of makes it look a little cool, a little different. And I actually appreciate that.

Elizabeth Drori (42:40.435)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (42:44.438)
but there's a lot of wider shoe. and you do have, what is it? The Boulder?

Elizabeth Drori (42:51.662)
Mm-hmm. But yeah, some boots. Yeah, see Ramon is shopping live. Look at that.

Ramon Vela (42:53.852)
yeah. that, yeah. And there's, there's, there they are. Wow. and then, there was another one that I saw here. so you have the Juno mid, which were those boots that you mentioned earlier as well. And then, did I, did I see some hiking boots and for everyone out there, I'm looking at, kizik.com kizik.com kizik.com kizik.com

Elizabeth Drori (43:14.173)
Yes.

Ramon Vela (43:23.937)
those women's wasatch mid is that right nasif those look like hmm

Elizabeth Drori (43:26.558)
Yeah, the Wasatch. The Wasatch is a hiking boot, the London AT. AT stands for all terrain. And this fall we're actually launching a London all terrain mid height that's waterproof, fully waterproof, which is something our customers have been asking for. So we're all pretty excited about that too.

Ramon Vela (43:47.35)
Yeah, those look fantastic. So from a listener standpoint, who's kind of new to Kizik and hasn't really learned or hadn't heard of you before, where do you want them to start? Or is it just really a matter of what function or what function they're looking for or maybe their lifestyle? How would you help someone decide where to start in the journey of the brand?

Elizabeth Drori (44:13.278)
Such a good question. mean, I think it does depend what's your personal style. Get what you're gonna wear a lot and then get a second pair. I mean, I think if you're, what I've been telling people about is the Athens 2, I think is like a great expression, super wearable, everyday shoe that is comfortable and best reflects our technology.

So that's been sort of my number one recommendation, but it really depends. We have enough where people can find what feels like they, what fits their personal style. And of course, if they like to be outdoors, check out the outdoor products, winter boots. We've got more coming this fall, which is exciting too.

Ramon Vela (45:03.522)
Well, and I'm looking at the site and I see that the men's, and I don't know if I'm pronouncing it correctly, wasach or wasach? Men's Walsach Mid. Wow, I love that shoe. That's a good looking shoe. I love the design. And that seems like an outdoors shoe.

Elizabeth Drori (45:15.954)
Blanc French.

Elizabeth Drori (45:20.114)
Yeah.

Elizabeth Drori (45:29.222)
Yeah, that's more of an outdoor style and it's pretty size broken now because we're in the spring. you have to, you might have to wait until the fall if there's sizes in there. But we also, sell a lot of wide widths, which is great and super inclusive and helpful to customers. That's one thing that we offer, I would say pretty differently from some other brands. But yeah, it's.

Ramon Vela (45:38.006)
Yeah, I noticed that too.

Elizabeth Drori (45:59.482)
It's a great time. It's a great time to think about buying a pair for your mother for Mother's Day.

Ramon Vela (46:06.172)
Yeah. Oh, I mean, I think this would be, I mean, in a different stages too, because like you mentioned, and I hadn't even thought about that. If you know of a woman who is pregnant and expecting this shoe, sounds like it would be amazing for them. So if they're an expected mother and you want to get a Jump on a Mother's Day gift for them, that would be, I think this would make a huge, huge difference for them.

And and even if they're just, you know, busy mom, this is like you said, this is going to be a great addition to their to their wardrobe. And the shoes are just amazing. You have to look at them. for each. So everyone out there, you go to kizik.com, kizik.com and you just look at the shoes, you click on whatever shoe looks good for you. And like the men's Vegas, actually, that's the closest one to I think to what I had.

Elizabeth Drori (47:01.404)
Yeah, that's a classic.

Ramon Vela (47:02.602)
Yeah, and it was, think mine was black. It is black, but I mean, I think this is the design. It's the closest one to what I was looking to when I used. And when you have these, they have videos. on each, I noticed on each page, they have a video so you can actually take a look to see what it looks like. Having someone slip on the shoes and you can see them and they move around and so forth.

So just go to the website, find a shoe that you like, and then take a look at the video so you can see it in action and you'll see how it would potentially fit within your lifestyle. And then of course the kids, you've got the Orlando, you've got the Anaheim, the Brewster, the Phoenix, the Truckee, all really cool designs and all work similar to the overall design. So this is fantastic. And then you have some loyalty.

Is it like a subscription program or a purchase program? Walk us through that loyalty program.

Elizabeth Drori (48:03.102)
Um, there is a loyalty program. There are benefits for, uh, referrals. And I think if you get into certain tier of the loyalty program, you get like a discount for shopping event and a, and a birthday event. So yeah, definitely check that out and sign up for our emails. Cause then you'll get notified for new releases and, um, product promotions and, things like that.

Ramon Vela (48:29.728)
Yeah, well, definitely a beautiful shoe and just really the technology to me is one of the greatest. It's the greatest aspect of all this because the technology is fantastic. Believe me, I when I when I first heard about this, I thought in a very limited way, I started thinking, it's just like a slip on and this and that. But really, this shoe and I don't want to, you know, I don't want to embarrass you guys, but I really do mean this.

I try a lot of products on the show and so, and there's a lot of really good products, but I'm going to tell you that kids, excuse me. Um, maybe they're your competitor trying to stop me from, speaking. I got choked up. about that. Everyone. Um, I, I try a lot of products and so, um, and there's a lot of really great ones out there, but I will say.

Elizabeth Drori (49:13.758)
I think you just got so choked up because you love them. You love them so much. It happens all the time.

Ramon Vela (49:29.848)
that of all the shows that we've done, there's only a handful of products that I kind of feel very strongly about that I think, you know, um, really like I would just personally recommend someone buying it and not just talk about it, but personally recommend. And Kizik is one of those. They, that shoe is just an amazing shoe. I mean, it's already been what five years, four years. Uh, when was that? 21, one. Yeah. So it's four years or so since, since

Elizabeth Drori (49:46.91)
That's awesome.

Ramon Vela (49:58.908)
since I've had them, they still look great. They haven't really worn down. mean, obviously they have some wear and tear, but it is time for me to get another pair. But they're so good that I wear them all the time. They still are great. They still, I just, you know, they get a little scruffed up a little time, but I just kind of wash them up a little bit. But beyond that, they are a great pair of shoes. So anyone purchasing them will...

buy a shoe that's well made, will last a lifetime, especially if you take care of it. But again, it's just so convenient. I I just, like, I love that shoe. I really, really love that shoe. You walk into my house, you will see that shoe, right, when you walk in. And like, can't say enough about it. So thank you so much for coming on the show and for sharing that and just kind of just updating us as to where you are. Any other information or anything else you want to leave with the audience?

Elizabeth Drori (50:58.206)
I think we covered a lot. Yeah, this was great. Thank you for having me. I think the Wasatch has your name on it. So it's going to be your next pair.

Ramon Vela (51:06.252)
Yeah, no, I love that. Well, Father's Day is coming up too, so I'm gonna mention it to my wife. Yeah, and actually my birthday is actually next month too, so that's even before Father's Day. So for everyone out there, we have had Elizabeth Drury, who is the Chief Marketing Officer of Kizzik. This is a shoe, again, you have to go check it out. I know you're thinking, I don't really need this, but really, once you buy this, will not, yeah, you'll not want to go back to anything else. You'll wanna...

Elizabeth Drori (51:10.662)
Yeah, exactly. Put it on the list.

Elizabeth Drori (51:17.084)
There you go. Yeah.

Elizabeth Drori (51:31.548)
You do.

Ramon Vela (51:35.8)
You'll actually be bugging them and telling them like to make more styles and make more different types Because you're gonna want it for pretty much anything that you wear because it's so convenient. It's just comfortable It's well made it will last a while So, you mean mine has already lasted four years and I wear it almost every every day. It is such a great shoe I can't tell you enough buy it go check it out. Go to the website kizik.com and what is this social media handle?

Elizabeth Drori (52:03.972)
kizzik. Yeah. Easy enough.

Ramon Vela (52:05.112)
And then you can go to I'm sure all the different socials but go to the website sign up for the newsletter and that way you under you know What's promos and what new product? Launches are gonna happen and so forth sounds like there's some more coming down a little pike. So definitely go visit this place. This is an amazing shoe again, I Once you buy it, won't you won't want another shoe. So go check it out Thank you so much for being on the show. Say hello to Monty for me

and you guys are welcome back anytime and I'm gonna do some videos. I'm gonna bring my shoes. I always hesitate bringing my shoes because there are some wear and tear so they're maybe not the best reflection of the shoe now but I will create a video to talk about this and maybe I'll pull some more some pictures and videos from your website or maybe you can send me some if you don't mind but yeah I want people to know about this. This is a product that I personally recommend so definitely go try it.

This fits our tagline, products worth buying, brands we're supporting, great brand. I love what you guys are doing and thanks so much. So everyone out there, we're have all those links on our podcast description, which you can find at Apple, Spotify. While you're there, please leave us a rating or a view because that really helps us gain more customers, more listeners. And we just really appreciate it. It makes more people aware of the show. Beyond that, everyone stay safe, stay sane, stay healthy. And one last thing, we've all been going through some really difficult times and politics and wars and all sorts of other stuff going on and stressing people out.

Let's just do ourselves a favor. Let's remember that everyone is stressed out. Everyone is feeling something and let's just be kinder to each other. Let's remember that everyone might be going through financials, troubles or just whatever, but if we're kinder, I know we can make this human experience a better one. Beyond that, thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to another episode of the story of a brand.