By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Zappos has teamed up with Rover to launch a co-branded online footwear shop that’s designed specifically for dog walkers.
The partnership between Zappos and Rover was brokered by the media relations, marketing and licensing agency, Small Girls PR, on behalf of the Zappos retail company.
“This partnership was a fantastic example of our brand’s commitment to delivering wow and
inspiring joy through unexpected campaigns and partnerships,” said Zappos CMO, Joe Cano. “Knowing so many of our team members and customers love their furry friends, it was a natural connection for us.”
Based on a survey of dog owners and five-star walkers, the Rover-Approved Dog Walking Shoe Shop features a wide range of comfortable and practical footwear from brands such as New Balance, Crocs, UGGs, Hokas and Brooks.
The online store is divided into four distinct footwear types based on the different varieties of dog walkers that were identified through the Rover survey.
These sections include Woke Up and Ready to Roll for slippers and slide-on shoes, 10K Steps a Day for lace-up sneakers, Night on the Town for heels and loafers and Sport Mode for performance and all-terrain footwear.
“As a former competitive runner, including the Chicago and Boston marathons, I know a thing or
two about finding the perfect shoe,” said five-star Rover dog walker, John W. “I’m a retired veteran and currently averaging nine miles a day, roughly 20,000 steps, walking dogs on Rover. My go-to shoe needs to be comfortable, durable and reliable to keep up with me.”
The product and brand selection process for the e-commerce shop was a joint effort from both Zappos and Rover.
Rover was responsible for conducting the survey amongst their pet parent clients and five-star walkers to determine appropriate shoe styles.
Following the results of the Rover survey, Zappos’ dedicated merchandising team selected a range of branded products to match the preferred footwear types of both professional dog walkers and pet parents.
In addition to specialty footwear, the Zappos x Rover e-shop includes a separate section for branded pet apparel, toys and accessories from Vanderpump, KindTail, Pajamarama and Dovetail Workwear.
Throughout the first month of the Rover-Approved Dog Walking Shoe Shop, the collaboration hosted an online promotion for the Instagram social media platform that offered a limited-edition gift card give-away event for pet parents who supported the collaboration.
This official give-away promotion ran from April 30 to May 7 and included a chance to win a 250 dollar Zappos gift card and a 150 dollar gift card for Rover pet care services.
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In addition, every social media comment that tagged a friend resulted in a charitable donation of five dollars to the Best Friends Animal Society.
Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) is an American non-profit organization that specializes in animal welfare through the promotion of no-kill animal rescues, spay-and-neutering practices, pet adoption services and more.
The registered charity accomplishes its work with help from its extensive network of partner organizations that includes a wide range of animal shelters, rescue groups and members that are located across all 50 states.
Best Friends Animal Society was selected as the collaboration’s non-profit partner by Zappos dedicated charitable arm, Zappos for Good.
Zappos for Good is responsible for vetting all of the company’s charitable and non-profit partners to ensure that the organization’s meet all of the requirements for corporate donations and to ensure they align with the priorities and ethics of Zappos employees.
The company and its employees have a long history of supporting animal welfare charities through a variety of monetary donations, food and pet supply giveaways and animal shelter volunteering.
A subsidiary of Amazon, Zappos is a US-based e-commerce retail company that focuses on providing a broad selection of footwear, apparel, fashion accessories, eyewear and lifestyle products from high-quality brand labels.
Initially founded in 2011, the Rover application and website provides a platform that connects dog and cat parents with experienced pet sitters and dog walkers. The Rover platform is currently available to clients across both North America and Europe.
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