Net benefit. How iCleaner sales help drive shoe store revenue

The Russian brand of cleaning products for shoes iCleaner (has been on the market since 2016. Today, iCleaner products are presented in shoe retail in 43 regions of the country, however, according to Igor Dobrusin, there is still room for growth. The company continues its active expansion in the Russian market and provides serious support for the promotion of their brand among end consumers, Igor Dobrusin said in an interview with Shoes Report.

Shoes Report: There are plenty of shoe cleaners on the market. What is special about your iCleaner tools. What are their competitive advantages?

Our products are absolutely unique in their kind. It would be very difficult to say that we, as “those”, are only cheaper.
Firstly, our entire product line has high cleaning performance, leaving no residue and stains after use.
Secondly, it is an environmentally friendly, biodegradable product that is safe even for children - with a pleasant smell and the absence of any harsh components, such as solvent or acetone.
Thirdly, all of our products are self-contained, stand-alone products that can be used anywhere, anytime. For use you only need a bottle with our product and a microfiber cloth. Water, basins or sinks are no longer required - we don’t wash shoes with water, either before or after using our products, no matter how dirty the shoes are. By the way, all our products contain isopropyl alcohol - the main component in antiseptics. Thus, our products not only clean, but also disinfect.
Well, of course, low competitive price and high sales margins. By the way, precisely due to the simplicity and speed of use, the effectiveness of our products is easy to show right in the store. And we will definitely allocate samples for demonstration to our partners.

SR: Where are your products sold? How widely is the product represented in retail?

Today we are represented in 43 regions of Russia - from the Crimea to Vladivostok, as well as in Belarus and Kazakhstan. Basically, these are shoe stores where our products are offered as related products for customers. Both small shops and large shoe chains choose our products. The geography of coverage can be found on our official website icleaner.pro. But I can note that in Zauralye, for some reason unknown to us, we are represented rather weakly and as open as possible to new partners.

SR: Why is it interesting for a retail store to present your product at the checkout? 

Everything is very simple here. Our products really have a high cleansing effect. Especially a product such as Sole-White is a unique, unmatched product that returns white and bright colors to white or color soles in a matter of seconds. In the summer, this is especially true. In addition, now it is a fashion trend. And almost all children's shoes are also made on white soles (I know for sure, being a father three times). Moreover, the price segment of our products is at an “average level” — much cheaper than most well-known shoe care products — that is, we provide premium quality at an affordable price. A lot of important point is universality. For example, with iCleaner’s Nano-Shine, you can either freshen up leather shoes or remove dried traces of slush from textiles, suede and other materials - all in a matter of seconds, right before leaving the house. I think that there are few funds on the market that can boast of such qualities.

SR: How can sales of related products increase store revenue?

Here, of course, a lot depends on the sellers of outlets. In turn, for certain indicators, we monthly reward the employees of our partners - at our expense. We also provide promotional materials, video screens for the cash zone and racks that help highlight our products. According to statistics, the total revenue of stores grows by 7-15%. We constantly collect feedback from our partners, - very often their customers purchase our products without buying shoes - that is, our products are sold as the main, and not related products.

SR: Do you promote your products, brand? What are you doing for this?

Yes, we are constantly advertised on the Internet and in various print media. We also regularly visit thematic exhibitions. By the way, the first serious exhibition for us that we visited was Euro Shoes. I remember how then we mandrapped before participating, but due to the fact that our products are easily used and demonstrated, the result met expectations. By the way, since we are manufacturers, our task is to advertise not only the products themselves, but also points of sale, of course. Every day, our employees receive calls from consumers and suggest where you can purchase our funds in a particular city. We always publish the current addresses of our partners - again on our website icleaner.pro

SR: How well do these products sell online? Is it presented on marketplaces?

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Yes, of course, we also use this sales channel. We are present “on the shelves” of most well-known marketplaces - somewhere we sell better, somewhere worse, but we have good ratings and reviews everywhere. But I will say right away that the main emphasis is on offline sales (through shoe stores of our partners). Thus, at marketplaces we introduce the audience to our products, but do not create competition for our retailers.

SR: What are your development plans?

Of course, only grow up. Our production department is constantly developing new products, as well as improving existing ones. Foreign colleagues from Europe have already become interested in our products, but due to the pandemic, logistics is now limited, transportation costs unreasonable money. Nevertheless, our sales department "keeps abreast". And in Russia there are still a lot of cities where we are poorly represented or not represented at all. At the moment, our efforts are directed precisely in this direction. Now we are looking for new partners and regional distributors. By the way, we already have precedents when our partners shoe retailers got exclusive to their region - and now they not only sell in their stores, but also deliver iCleaner products to their business colleagues.  

Product Reviews

* Elena Afanasyeva, Belaton Company, Kursk 17 stores * 

“Do not underestimate the related products in shoe stores. Shoelaces, insoles, shoe care products are things that our customers constantly need. We have been working with Aikliner for less than six months, and during this short time we were able to satisfy the needs of most of our customers, which, of course, affected the income of our stores. Pricing policy, good margin and high quality are the main points that interest, perhaps, all shoe makers and this is what the Aikliner company was able to give us. Moreover, this brand is gaining popularity, and it becomes much easier to sell it. ”

* Tatyana Spitsina, a network of shoe stores and bags "Sofita", Samara, 15 stores. *

“Our cooperation with Aikliner began in 2019. High efficiency of funds, simplicity and ease of use of products - what we needed. The uniqueness of this product lies in the fact that it is universal for shoes and bags from various materials, which is important for us, since we have a shoe and bag store. It also had a very good effect on the sales themselves, our customers no longer have to buy various expensive bottles that do not always justify themselves. It should be noted that our customers are satisfied with the Ecliner products. I would like to note separately that the guys are great - they will always prompt, help, constantly support us and our customers with additional promotions and gifts. ”

The organizers of the Euro Shoes Premiere Collection exhibition , "Our colleagues from ICleaner have been participating in the Euro Shoes exhibition for several years now and have proven themselves to be reliable partners. ICleaner demonstrates its cleaning properties at their booth, earning consumers' trust. Buyers actively purchase their products as additional items for their checkout counters. This helps increase the average order value and improve customer loyalty in-store. We are always happy to collaborate with ICleaner and are happy to recommend them."