How TAF benefits from UGC | Case study

TAF is the biggest sneaker chain in Mexico and Latin America known for disrupting the market with their innovative digital strategies. Learn how they became the first brand in Mexico to leverage customer content in their online store.

Numbers

The Story

As the biggest chain of sneakers specialized in the trendy lifestyle, TAF has a reputation for standing out in the market as a clear benchmark for online brands. 

That’s why they chose to be the first brand in Mexico to launch a User Generated Content strategy, inviting customers to post content on social media featuring their products to be showcased on their eCommerce store. 

“We have always been very close with our consumer and consider them in many of the decisions that we make because we are very conscious of the significance that the clients have in brand communication. In addition, we know that our users form part of a very active community that’s passionate about the world of sneakers and that’s why we wanted to integrate them into our marketing in an innovative way even more. With the implementation of UGC, we have enriched the different pages of the site thanks to our consumers who showcase our products in an organic and unique way.”

Samuel Dario Martinez De La Garza – Marketing Manager at TAF Mexico (Grupo Axo)

Challenge

Within the last few years, TAF began to notice a shift in the landscape of online marketing. Real customers started to look for their own voice within brand messaging over the expected staged aesthetic. Searching for a way to reflect this change in their own marketing, TAF identified that images of products in real life settings were getting more hits on social media than static product images – and that they wanted to create the same effect on their online store.

“We were seeing on our social networks that photos of a product in use had a bigger percentage of interaction to photos of a static product. We wanted images on our online site that replicated this strategy because we are convinced that the best way of recommending a product is by seeing it on a real person that decided voluntarily to share their own experience through an image. This has become something much more powerful than an in-text review.”

Samuel Dario Martinez De La Garza – Marketing Manager at TAF Mexico (Grupo Axo)

Solution

Recognizing the significance of giving customers the opportunity to share their voice through the brand, TAF committed to an authentic User Generated Content strategy. 

“For the fashion industry, and even more so for the sneaker industry, creating and demonstrating statements through what you wear is extremely important. Social media plays a fundamental role in this case, and UGC is the perfect tool for a generation where it is crucial to be seen and heard. The users’ images provide a different vision of the product, one that is much more real and organic.”

Samuel Dario Martinez De La Garza – Marketing Manager at TAF Mexico (Grupo Axo)

With the help of Flowbox, TAF is able to collect the images and videos from customers that feature TAF’s sneakers; using them to inspire and engage future shoppers on their online store.

Thanks to their UGC integration, the brand has encouraged their community of followers, each called a #SneakerLover, to generate content that they can later select to share on their site. Today TAF can choose between more than 37,000 images and videos of their products that are featured in customer content on social media.  

“User Generated Content gives you a perfect idea of how you are able to combine your sneakers and obviously opens up a lot of looks and how the user can actually combine thousands of colors, garments and textures. Thanks to our Flowbox widgets, we can specifically see which products are getting clicks within our customer content, as well as which images are the most successful and convert the best.”

Alan Rojas Romero – Co-ordinator eCommerce at TAF Mexico (Grupo Axo)

With this strategy, the brand is currently seeing that people who interact with UGC convert 2.31X more than people who don’t interact with UGC.

Results