1. What would be the key barriers in the early days of internationalization if TOMS Shoes decided to expand to Europe?

2. What have been the driving forces (motives) for the early internationalization of TOMS Shoes?

3. What are the key drivers of TOMS Shoes’ internationalization today?

TOMS is not a non-profit organization but operates on a One for One mission: For every pair of TOMS Shoes purchased, a pair of new shoes is given to a child in need. At the beginning of 2013, over 10 million pairs of shoes have been given to children in 59 countries under the ‘Onefor-One’ movement, since TOMS launched in 2006. The company name is derived from the word ‘tomorrow’ and evolved from the original concept, ‘Shoes for Tomorrow Project’.

The idea for the shoe company came from Mycoskie’s trip to Argentina. Mycoskie took to wearing the local alpargata shoes (similar to the Espadrilles). After Mycoskie noticed the numerous children without shoes in the poorer villages, he returned to the United States and sold his online driver education company to self-finance the shoe company. Espadrilles became fashionable in USA in the 1940s. Lauren Bacall’s character in the 1948 movie ‘Key Largo’ wore ankle-laced espadrilles. The style was revived in the 1980s, due to the success of Miami Vice – the shoe was worn by ‘Sonny Crockett’. According to the TOMS Shoes website, there are over 1 billion people at risk for soil transmitted diseases around the world, and shoes can help prevent it. The founder of TOMS Shoes, Mycoskie, emphasizes that his company’s goal is to not only give shoes, but to also educate others on the importance of shoes.

In 2013, TOMS is expected to sell around 7 million pairs of shoes, providing USD250 million in revenues. The average retail price for a pair of TOMS shoes is USD50, and about 30 per cent of the total revenues come from direct-to-customer sales via TOMS.com. In 2011, TOMS also began on ‘one-for-one’ sales of sunglasses. Until 2013, 150,000 pairs of glasses have been given to people with need for eye care in 13 countries.