While online giants battle for dominance in the online-shoe-sale business, Vancouver entrepreneur Gaurav Mehra believes he can compete in the sector by going ultra-high end.
Mehra’s niche is to sell ultra-expensive brands, such as Gaziano & Girling, Corthay, Enzo Bonafè and others, that are not available elsewhere in Vancouver.
His shoes start at about US$550 and range upwards of US$1,750.
Mehra launched ShopMehra.com in late summer and is working at making his one-person business an omni-channel retailer by finding kiosk space within a menswear store.
His website currently lists shoes in U.S. dollars although he would like to tweak the site so that visitors from Canada are given the price in Canadian dollars.
One competitive advantage he has compared with buying shoes directly from manufacturers is that he ships faster and there are no hidden costs, such as duty, for those who buy within Canada, he said.
Vancouver visitors can also contact him via the website and ask to have him come to their office or home to ensure that the shoes fit properly.
“I can also do special orders and customize shoes to a customer’s exact specifications,” he said.
“If I bring Gaziano & Girling shoes and the customer determines that a size 8 1/2 fits, then they can choose any style, any colour or liner or sole. They can combine all of those things.”
Customized shoes take about eight weeks to make and deliver.
Sales have so far been a trickle with only about 22 pairs sold as of mid-January.
His startup costs included spending about $100,000 to buy a wide range of sizes within his brands’ shoes.
Selling shoes that are so pricey will be a challenge, said DIG360 retail analyst Raymond Shoolman.
“I come from a luxury-retail background so I know how hard it is to sell a $500 pair of shoes in any volume at all,” he said.
“To sell shoes for $800, $900 or $1,000 you have to do an extraordinary amount of marketing and customer development. He has a chance, absolutely, but he has to do it just right.”
