Maybe it’s even you.

Yes, I do have favourite customers. And unlike choosing a favourite child, it’s socially acceptable to choose a favourite customer.

At this point in time, I’m lucky enough to not have so much volume (yet) that my customers are simply numbers in a CRM system. Instead, I know most of my customers in person, and through my interaction with them, can classify them as mostly early adopters.

They will take a ‘risk’ on an unknown brand, search high and low for something unique, do a lot of research before buying. Because of these characteristics, they eventually found Outstation.

If this is you and you’re reading this, thank you.

I would say that for the majority of my customer base, there’s been some form of relationship built through their customer journey. Based on my data, there’s usually a two to three month pipeline between when they first enquire about boots until the date they actually decide to purchase.

Along this path, they tend to have touchpoints with me as they satisfy their questions before deciding to buy. Even after the purchase, they often drop me a message to ask about boot behaviour, care tips, or just to share their experience with their boots.

And I totally love it.

Anyway. From all touchpoints to date, I’ve chosen my favourite customers.

Abang U.

My number one favourite customer. A young guy, just finishing up at law school.

He first enquired about making boots for his feet. And oh man, were they unusual. Extremely wide at the forefoot with a very narrow heel. Incredibly low instep and arch, yet also quite large in size.

Like a flipper. That’s the best comparison. Abang U if you’re reading, sorry. But you know it’s true.

So a made to measure pair was built for him. He didn’t fit at all into the Everyday last, so his Wanderer boot was built on the Frontier last.

Even then, it still needed significant modification. And because of this, the standard wedge outsole didn’t fit either, so it had to be substituted with a customised EVA wedge.

Why he became my number one favourite customer was not because of his boots. In fact, his boots were some of the most pain in the ass builds I’ve done to date.

Rather, it’s because of his curiosity throughout the entire process.

Throughout the journey of customising his pair of boots, he was always questioning. Wanting to understand more about his feet, understand why he could rarely fit into shoes, understand why his feet feel certain ways in certain situations.

Essentially, he was going through a process of building self-awareness about his feet. And how a made to measure boot helps him with his footwear related challenges.

He’d send me pictures of various boots he’d find and ask me about the technical details, why they look different, why the costs were so varied. And if any of their features could be incorporated into his build.

He took a very active role in trying to help himself, which also gave me room to build his knowledge base. So if in the future, he decided to buy made to measure boots elsewhere, he’d have all the info he needs.

I also appreciated his patience. Not everything in the build process went according to plan, but he always took it in stride. This was very helpful for me, because sometimes, especially on very complex builds, that’s just how it goes.

At the end of the day, the amount of customization and teething we went through cost a good amount of money and time. Multiple iterations, a few problems, and lots of getting to know each other.

But most importantly from all of this, he now understands his feet very well.

To date, we’ve replaced his sole a few times. The latest recraft has his boots upgraded to a very sharp looking leather sole, recessed lugged topy and logger heel.

Abang A.

My number two favourite customer. Another young guy, at the beginning of his career.

Quite a different personality and decision making process to Mr U, Mr A had a thousand questions for me before coming to try on boots.

He, just like most Outstation customers, was not a boot nerd, but wanted to learn more about higher quality products and how they’d fit into his maturing fashion taste. Leather types, construction differences, aging characteristics, what to match boots with, how to care for them.

And because of his questions, when he came to the workshop to try on a pair, it was quick and painless. He selected his model (The Wanderer), selected his colourway (Caramel popcorn), selected his size and then it was a done deal. 30 minutes in and out.

And then straight to Japan to buy denim.

I see this more and more in customers these days. The decision making is already done before they set foot into the place of purchase.

This is why the Outstation social media feed is so important. It answers a lot of common questions that people may have, and for any remaining few (or thousand) questions, a DM can usually clarify them.

Most importantly, it gives them enough material to more or less solidify the purchase decision before coming to visit.

So why Abang A is a favourite customer of mine is because of his thousand questions. I liked that he was so interested to get into the heritage boot world.

Through his touchpoints, he was understanding and learning about what makes quality, quality. How his investment – because let’s face it, Outstation boots are not cheap (by Malaysian standards), would last and change over time.

I appreciated the lengths he went to in order to understand the product. It meant that he was prepared for when the patina would develop, the wedge would peel a little and the boot would change shape. All of the ‘unusual’ things that a heritage boot does, that a non-boot nerd may think is a defect.

As of now, he’s bought his second pair of Outstation boots. And this time he went full heritage, embracing it with a roughout choice.

Ms. T.

My number three favourite customer is Ms. T.  A senior working professional in corporate is what she does.

But it’s definitely not who she is.

She’s a footwear enthusiast. Not necessarily of heritage footwear, but she likes what she likes and knows what she likes. And doesn’t care what other people think about it.

Her first Outstation boot purchase was a very customised colourway, because she had a clear idea of what she wanted. They certainly were unique, a pair of Wanderer boots in a one-off Italian leather, with eye popping contrast stitching.

Her second pair was more restrained. Interestingly, last time I talked to her, she said she’s never worn them. Maybe they’re an art piece? Who knows.

Anyhow, her second purchase was another Wanderer boot. This time in veg tan leather with a brogued toe cap.

Aside from her collecting Outstation boots, what makes her my third favourite customer is seeing her journey over time. Her self education and increased awareness of what the heritage boot world is.

As she’s worn her pair of Wanderer boots, she’s become more in tune with what a boot can be. How it feels underfoot, what makes the quality so much higher than most other footwear in the market.

Especially when compared to most off the shelf women’s footwear.

She’s now aware of the difference that leather insoles and arch support add to her stability. And that it’s possible to wear the same footwear in the office and at the factory.

Her third pair of Outstation boots took her new experience into account. This time she wanted to customise the boot chassis.

This was fascinating for me, because based on my experiences, most women are interested in design and colourway only. Quality (generally speaking) is not given much thought– or at least to the same depth or priority that men may have.

Anyway. Like I was saying, Ms. T’s third pair was about the chassis. Or more specifically, she wanted to target a certain feel underfoot.

She customised her new pair to be very firm, with a metal shank and Vibram outsole unit. And even went with a full roughout upper, to really get into the heritage vibe.

Her eyes are very sharp now. From time to time I get sent pictures of boots that she spots out and about, with comments on what interests her about them.

Because of her increased awareness and boot experience, she’s become an Outstation boot tester. From time to time I’ll give her pairs to wear in the field, so her input can form part of the product development process.

They all have one thing in common.

Curiosity.

This is what I observe about the average Outstation customer right now.

At this point in the lifecycle of the business, the early adopters are those that have a natural tendency to learn, whether about themselves (their feet) or their product. That’s why they’re early adopters. Because they’re curious.

I, as a Bootmaker, appreciate this greatly. Knowing that each pair of boots I make is going to a good (informed) home, makes me happy.

That being said, as the business matures and the customer base becomes wider, the average customer will likely trend towards the, well, ‘average’ customer.

Meaning, this closeness with my customers will likely decline, misunderstandings and (potentially misaligned) expectations will increase. It’s inevitable, when moving into a broad base retail world.

So I’m preparing myself for this eventual onslaught.

In the meantime though, every time a customer sends me a picture of their boots in the wild, I can’t help but smile. Seeing how they’ve changed with wear, how pleased people are to be putting the kilometers on them. Building a connection with their boots. This is exactly what it’s all about.

All of these are being etched into my memory, to look back on when times become a bit more rough.

Great stuff.