Recently, Dr. Comfort’s elderly shoes have once again received two certifications from the authoritative organization Euromonitor International – “First in national sales of elderly shoes for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023” and “National leader in the elderly shoe industry.” From being listed in the “Top 500 Chinese Brands” for three consecutive years not long ago to now being the “national leader in elderly shoe sales” for four consecutive years, this impressive report card undoubtedly serves as the best reward for Dr. Comfort’s ten years of hard work as the brand celebrates its tenth anniversary. It is also a direct reflection of the excellent reputation among consumers.
In uncertain times, Dr. Comfort has always maintained its market competitiveness.
For every enterprise, maintaining market competitiveness continuously is always a challenge. Professor Zhou Qiren from the National Development Institute of Peking University once pointed out that in the current era of uncertainty, if companies want to survive, strive for development, and compete for the long term, they must be good at allocating scarce resources, continuously improving product and service quality, and creating a “seller’s market” through innovation and new technologies. Dr. Comfort’s rapid growth precisely confirms these three key aspects.
Ten years ago, founder Zhang Jingkang noticed the difficulty elderly people faced in finding suitable shoes. He observed that as people age, their feet tend to widen, lengthen, and develop issues like fallen arches. Based on this observation, he established Dr. Comfort’s elderly shoes, pioneering a specialized category of shoes for the elderly. Over the years, Dr. Comfort has spared no effort in investing time and resources into research and development. They established a User Insight Center to conduct in-depth research on the foot characteristics and behaviors of thousands of elderly people. To ensure product quality, they built an intelligent shoe industry park with a complete supply chain, strictly controlling quality to uphold consumer trust. In terms of technological innovation, Dr. Comfort collaborated with Soochow University to establish a Multi-functional Nanomaterial Elderly Shoe and Clothing Application Collaborative Innovation Center, and partnered with Xidian University to introduce electronic science and technology into smart wearable products, enhancing the professionalism and technological content of their products. They have also focused on improving product functionality, practicality, and aesthetics, obtaining a total of 455 elderly shoe patents by the second quarter of 2024. It is the culmination of these numerous advantages that has led to their achievement of being the top national seller of elderly shoes for four consecutive years.
Zhang Jingkang once said in an interview, “To do anything, especially in the elderly industry, one must have enough patience, take it step by step, keep the users in mind, and making money is just a byproduct.” By leveraging efforts across various aspects, this is not only a choice of business philosophy but also reflects Dr. Comfort’s insights into market trends, industry development, business innovation, and more. Only in this way can they ensure a healthy, dynamic, and sustainable development in a fiercely competitive market environment.
Designing products with age-appropriate features wins the hearts of people and gives the products more warmth.
Furthermore, the enduring popularity of Dr. Comfort’s elderly shoes among a wide range of elderly consumers is closely tied to the products’ age-appropriate design. For businesses, the concept of “user-centered design” is not just empty talk but is integrated into every detail of product design. Dr. Comfort collaborated with “China’s top shoe last expert” Chen Guoxue to create more professional elderly shoes for Chinese seniors. The products generally feature characteristics such as slip resistance, durability, antibacterial properties, and a “shoe puller heel.” They also incorporate fashionable elements to enhance the stickiness of elderly consumers and steadily boost sales performance.
In addition, Dr. Comfort’s elderly shoes incorporate natural plant ingredients such as wormwood and mint, catering to the comprehensive needs of the elderly. This human-centric age-appropriate consideration ensures that the silver-haired generation is not forgotten and that the products truly resonate with the hearts of the elderly.
The silver economy presents a vast market, and good products can reach a wider audience.
In fact, the rise of the silver economy has become an irreversible industry trend. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, by the end of 2023, China’s population aged 60 and above exceeded 290 million. The Sullivan “2024 China Silver Economy Development Report” further explores the huge potential of the elderly consumer market. It is estimated that by 2028, the silver economy market size will reach 12.3 trillion RMB, and the retail market size for elderly shoes in China is expected to increase to 112.13 billion RMB. This undoubtedly provides the industry with vast development opportunities.
Faced with such a vast blue ocean market, Dr. Comfort has secured a favorable position in the silver economy field with its forward-looking strategy and high-quality products. However, Dr. Comfort has not stopped at the elderly market but has embraced change and actively sought to tap into new market segments. To achieve this goal, Dr. Comfort has proposed the BCA user growth strategy, focusing on B-class young users and C-class middle-aged users to encourage them to purchase products for A-class elderly people. This approach aims to deeply resonate with the idea of “gifting Dr. Comfort to the elderly”.
Dr. Comfort’s continuous leading sales performance is closely related to its precise brand promotion and marketing strategies. From the strong exposure of past CCTV advertisements to the coordinated development of online and offline marketing strategies, and then to the comprehensive entry into Douyin’s local lifestyle platform in 2024, Dr. Comfort has successfully reached a broader consumer base, forming a multidimensional drive for brand development. Founder Zhang Jingkang has raised higher expectations in his speeches, with the company’s future focus revolving around increasing traffic, creating explosive products, and expanding explosive store openings. They will focus on online traffic acquisition while ensuring quality service offline, closely collaborating with all partners, paying attention to product innovation and content marketing, in order to further consolidate and expand their market advantage.
Dr. Comfort has achieved the top sales position for four consecutive years, a testament to the brand’s ability to overcome market challenges and environmental factors. Despite the constant changes in the industry, Dr. Comfort’s original intention of serving users remains unchanged. While continuing to develop steadily, Dr. Comfort will also maintain confidence, keep pace with market trends, and actively explore more possibilities.
