Pune, August 21,2023: Aretto, the pioneering kids’ footwear brand, has announced the opening of its inaugural flagship store at Phoenix Marketcity, Pune. This strategic milestone marks Aretto’s transition from its digital roots to an immersive, on-ground shopping experience, continuing its commitment to holistic customer experiences for modern parents seeking authentic and tangible innovations for their children.
In the span of a year, Aretto has gained recognition for its innovative design-approach and remarkable achievements which include securing the patent for it’s sole technology and winning the Global Footwear Award in the Kids and Overall Category 2023. Aretto’s strategic expansion into key digital marketplaces, including Nykaa and Amazon, solidified its position, and the brand’s exceptional offerings have earned it prestigious accolades, including the Bestseller and Amazon Choice tags in the highly competitive kids’ shoe category.
In addition to tapping into the potential of digital channels, a key highlight of Aretto’s journey has been its impactful on-ground experiences. The brand has hosted over 100 days of immersive events, such as pop-ups, exhibitions, workshops, and festival/flea booths across 5+ cities in India. Reaching out to over 100,000+ parents directly allowed Aretto to understand the customer better and conduct R&D for building a holistic product pipeline. This hands-on approach has yielded a remarkable trial-to-conversion ratio of up to 50%.
Satyajit Mittal, CEO of Aretto, commented, “We started sales through dedicated digital channels, while simultaneously running on-ground shopping experiences for customers around Pune. Our on-ground trial-to-conversion ratio surpassed all our expectations and gave us the confidence to take a crack at a brick-and-mortar store. Observing parents connect with our offerings, witnessing the instant delight on their kids’ faces, and watching them experience the comfort Aretto shoes provide is a realization of our vision. We firmly believe in the power of trials; once a child experiences our product, convincing the parent of its merits becomes significantly more effortless.”
Sanjay Mittal, Advisor at Aretto, Ex-Vespa, further added, “The retail channel in India is a whole new playground that we are thrilled to explore. It is an exciting space, with a lot of room for growth and development, which we hope reflects in our top-line business performance. Our focus continues to be on building a trustworthy brand that offers value and credibility to the marketplace while garnering the goodwill and love of our customers.”
Located strategically within Phoenix Marketcity Pune, right beside Hamleys, the 300 sq. ft. thoughtfully designed store boasts an inviting 40-foot facade, drawing in both parents and children alike. It’s an exciting experience for kids, complete with delightful treats like balloons, sponge balls, and stickers. Inside, an interactive zone provides children the chance to first-hand feel the comfort and traction of the shoes, and reassure the parents of the brands truth.
Aretto aims to offer broader access to its products while solidifying its presence across various retail landscapes including malls, airports, highstreets etc. In the coming phases of its journey, Aretto is set to venture into distinctive retail formats, each designed to cater to varying customer preferences and locations. Exclusive Brand Outlets which are dedicated spaces showcasing Aretto’s innovative footwear range, will offer an immersive brand experience. Multi-Brand Outlets will feature Aretto products alongside other brands, to further boost the brand’s visibility and accessibility. Aretto also plans to establish Shop-in-Shop and kiosks to provide a convenient platform for customers to explore Aretto’s offerings up close at high density locations.
