Footfolk, a barefoot footwear brand in Denmark and Norway, started with a small budget and a big ambition. Knowing they couldn’t compete on scale right away, they took a strategic approach—focusing on a niche market: kids’ barefoot shoes. By doing so, they provided a highly curated selection that resonated deeply with parents looking for quality, natural footwear for their children. This targeted strategy made their advertising highly effective, but also limited the number of potential customers, making rapid growth a challenge.
The Challenge: Scaling Beyond a Niche
With only kids’ shoes available, order values remained modest—most purchases consisted of just one or two pairs. Footfolk knew that in order to scale, they had to think bigger.

Expanding to Adult Footwear
By the end of August, they decided it was time to expand into adult barefoot shoes. The results were beyond their expectations.
Adult shoes were priced at roughly twice the cost of kids’ shoes, and to their delight, customers weren’t just buying for their children anymore. They were buying for themselves too. Orders that once contained a single pair of kids’ shoes were now including two or three pairs of adult shoes on top.
The average order value skyrocketed by 300%, and this change set off a chain reaction that would take Footfolk to an entirely new level.
Supercharging Advertising Performance

With a higher AOV, their digital ads became dramatically more profitable. Their return on ad spend surged, allowing them to bid on more competitive, high-intent clicks without sacrificing profitability. More clicks meant more traffic, and more traffic meant even more sales.
The business hit a tipping point where growth started feeding itself. Within just three months, Footfolk had increased their turnover tenfold.
The Key to Success
Their story is a powerful lesson in smart scaling. By mastering one niche before expanding, they built a solid foundation. By increasing their AOV, they unlocked exponential growth. And by timing their expansion right, they maximized their momentum, proving that sometimes, the key to explosive success isn’t just about selling more—it’s about selling smarter.