Interview with Sneakerlum

We had a little chat with the Sneakerlum guys, an e-commerce platform that offers on-demand Sneaker Care services in Rome, Milan and Turin, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sneakerlum.com is an Italian start-up launched last June which offers pickup, washing and delivery of sneakers with guaranteed order fulfillment within 72h. The platform offers to all sneaker lovers an on-demand washing service: once registered, select the desired washing service for their sneakers, address, date and time, both for collection and for delivery.

#1 What does Sneakerlum mean and from what does the name draw inspiration?

Sneakerlum is composed of the word Sneaker, today a symbol of lifestyle, worn by more and more people in every occasion, and the word Lum that recalls the quality and brightness we want, with our dedicated washing service, give back to sneakers. Our logo is a "light" colored sole, which represents the common denominator of the diversity of sneakers: from limited editions, for lovers, to the tireless evergreen. Our payoff is 'Brighten up your sneakers'!

#2 In recent years the sneakers market has undergone considerable growth here in Italy, creating various job opportunities. Where and how are Sneakerlum and the idea of putting on this startup born?

The idea of Sneakerlum.com was born in January 2017, in Italy, from the combination of three elements:

1) passion for on-demand services and smart solutions;

2) need to clean several pairs of sneakers never cleaned in all their existence;

3) from the discovery of the World's First Drop-Off Shoe Care Service by Jason Markk in Los Angeles.

From the simple idea the potential market in Italy was analyzed for a washing service dedicated to sneakers, the feasibility of the project was evaluated, a "hand-wash" service was studied, and finally we launched last June the platform. On June 10 and 11, 2017 Sneakerlum has been present at GINNIKA, in partnership with Crep Protect, offering a free washing service to all participants. What motivated us to create this startup was the fact that we believe that Sneakerlum is of high value for those who love sneakers of any kind, given that in Italy, but in general throughout Europe, this type of online proposition with pickup and home delivery is non-existent.

Un post condiviso da Sneakerlum (@sneakerlum) in data: Giu 14, 2017 at 10:25 PDT

#3 The pickup and delivery service that you offer is certainly one of the most attractive features of your service. Do you ever find it difficult to manage everything and how much do customers appreciate the option you offer?

Compliance with pickup and delivery times is one of our strengths, we have developed an advanced logistics system that optimally manages the last mile in the big cities. Our couriers give us the sneakers within a couple of hours of pick-up, and within a couple of hours they collect them clean and deliver them directly to the customer. The 72 hours are mainly used to manage different orders that have the same days of collection / delivery and therefore for the manual washing service with particular attention to detail, and for drying. Customers appreciate that within 72 hours we collect, take care of their sneakers and also deliver them to different (collection and delivery) addresses within the same city.

#4 Your service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in Milan, Rome and Turin. Which is the city in which you have more requests? Are you going to expand the service in other cities too?

We certainly have more requests in Rome, considering the partnership with the well-known sneaker stores Holypopstore, Suede and I love Tokyo. Second city in terms of demand is Milan, and we are also working here on some collaborations. Third is Turin. Our goal is to work well on these three cities and then move also on some European capitals - first of all Paris and Berlin.

Un post condiviso da Sneakerlum (@sneakerlum) in data: Nov 23, 2017 at 10:04 PST

#5 Do you already have a fixed clientele and what is the average age of this?

We have some regular customers, who often require service with a minimum of 2 pairs of sneakers at a time, and we generally reward them with promo codes, which they can use personally and as referrals for their friends. Our customers are of all ages, from 20 to 40 years and are both sneakerhead and fashion oriented.

#6 The shoe that until now you have treated more frequently and the one that is more difficult to clean?

The Yeezy is the sneaker that we clean more often and we understand that is a must have that regardless of the degree of passion towards sneakers. There is not a sneaker model that is more difficult to clean: the sneakers worn so much and never clean are more difficult to clean, which have scratches or wear where the dirt settles well.

#7 The most expensive sneaker on which you worked?

The sneakers that require our services are almost always worn sneakers, experienced, almost never dead stock or those that always remain in their box without ever seeing the sun light.

#8 Without revealing the tricks of the trade, any tips to keep our sneakers clean?

Take care of it with a simple shoe-spider or with paper inside when not worn, and take advantage of one of our services on Sneakerlum.com for a periodic washing are the perfect solution!