It’s hard to recall if Crocs ($CROX) were ever really in. The company’s signature foam clogs have been on the market for over 15 years, and in that time the brand image has shifted from popular and sensible footwear to fashion faux-pas to ironically stylish and back again. So Crocs may not have a clearly defined consumer, but that lack of specificity seems to be working in the company’s favor.
As per this morning’s earnings report, Crocs’ full-year operating income increased 104.4%, the operating margin improved to 10.5%, and earnings per share went up to $1.66. So people are still buying Crocs! And we have the alternative data to prove it.
Crocs products have remained among the top 100 best-selling clothing items on Amazon ($AMZN) since 2017, and the ranking continues to improve. Just last week, Crocs ranked number one. Lower data points indicate a higher ranking on the chart below. You’ll notice Crocs do well near the holidays and summertime.
Crocs’ Twitter following has grown steadily over the past five years, despite ebbs and flows in the shoe’s trendiness. The brand’s Facebook ‘Talking About’ count has also had its fair share of dips and peaks without any significant change overall. The number is currently at 17,200. Last November, it jumped to 63,600.
Crocs’ Talking About peak last fall coincided with the brand’s collaborations with buzzy meme-adjacent brand PizzaSlime and world-renowned Japanese pop-artist Takashi Murakami. That same month, Justin Bieber was photographed wearing the classic clogs on two separate occasions.
Before the end of the year, Crocs had announced two more limited-edition collections with country star Luke Combs (complete with a bottle opener on each shoe) and Post Malone. Other notable 2019 collaborations include Barney’s, Chinatown Market, KISS (yes, the band), and Vera Bradley.
In the summer of 2018, Crocs’ Talking About count hit another peak with the New York Fashion Week launch of their Balenciaga platform clogs. The KFC x Croc collaboration we wrote about, which debuted at this year’s NYFW, saw considerably less attention at 12,500. Still, these partnerships are clearly drawing attention to the brand, even if people didn't bite on the chicken-scented shoe charms.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
Further Reading:
- This was the worst holiday for Macy's foot traffic since at least 2016
- Saks Fifth Avenue holiday foot-traffic boost is declining every year
- Macy's loses Facebook followers but holds foot traffic as it sets to release earnings
