Bata’s Path to Success: Adapting to Modern Trends and Demands

Bata is the first company that springs to mind when we hear the word shoes, whether it’s for school, Eid, or Puja. Every one of us has innumerable recollections of Bata Company shoes. Is Bata’s popularity limited to Bangladesh? The answer is “no.” In Bangladesh, Bata is well-liked, but it’s also very popular worldwide.

Bata provides daily services to over a million people globally. In addition to having production facilities in 20 nations, they have stores in over 70 countries. The Bata Company sells over 150 million pairs of shoes annually all over the world. Let’s see how a company that began with just ten employees rose to become the second-largest footwear manufacturer in the world.

The Bata Company’s story

On September 21, 1894, Tomas Bata, his brother Antonin, and his sister Anna started the Bata Company in the small Czechoslovakian town of Zlin. For generations, the Bata family had been cobblers. The eighth generation of Batas is made up of Tomas, Antonin, and Anna. They were early innovators and had ten full-time staff members at the time of their establishment, each of whom had a set work schedule and a weekly salary.

In 1894, Tomas Bata, along with his siblings, laid the foundation of the Bata Company in the village of Zlin, Czechoslovakia. | Photo Collected.

In 1897, the company became the first major shoe manufacturing company in Europe after introducing mechanical production processes, including the first steam-powered shoemaking machine. In Zlin, Czechoslovakia, the Bata Company set up shop for the first time in 1899. With a daily production of 2,200 pairs of shoes, Bata was the biggest shoe manufacturer in Europe by 1905.

The beginning of success

The Bata company’s first major hit was the Batovka shoe. Batovka gained popularity because of its lightweight, stylish, and straightforward design. These shoes, which were fashioned of a novel leather and canvas mix, were of a very high caliber. As a result, Bata’s success came quickly. Bata introduced fine leather shoes for ladies in 1919.

In 1936, Bata entered its golden period. During this period, the Bata business introduced “Bata Tennis” shoes to the market. In the beginning, these shoes were designed for Indian schoolchildren. These shoes rank among the all-time best-selling shoes. This model of shoes is still sold all over the world. They currently have stores across five continents and 70 countries.

Bata and Bangladesh

In 1962, Bata began its activities in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, Bata Company now runs two manufacturing facilities. There is one in Dhamrai and one in Tongi. Sandals, slippers, PVC shoes, school shoes, and shoes made of textiles are all produced in Tongi. Other shoe varieties, like leather shoes and purses, are made in Dhamrai. Approximately 242 Bata outlets are located at the district and thana levels in Bangladesh.

Bata began its operations in Bangladesh in 1962. | Photo Collected.

As to the financial report, Bata Company made a profit of Tk 42 crore from the sale of Tk 754 crore in Bangladesh between January and September 2023. Already, Bangladesh is one of Bata Company’s top ten markets. Furthermore, the company’s plant in Bangladesh produces over 85% of the shoes it sells there. The current chairman of the Bata Shoe Foundation is Monica Pignal.

He made his first visit to Bangladesh on September 20, 2023, to commemorate Bata Group’s founding day. Bangladesh, according to him, is a crucial market for Bata Company. Consequently, they have several ambitions for Bangladesh.

Bata Company Business Strategy

A global fashion icon and the second-largest footwear company in the world, Bata Company was founded 125 years ago. The Bata Company currently has over 20 brands and levels. like Togis, Sandak, Weinbrenner, Bubblegumers, Power, and North Star, among others. We will now take a quick look at Bata Company’s marketing strategy. 

Marketing

Through the application of its innovative marketing techniques, Bata Company has been able to place itself among the finest in the world. For example: “Beware of Dhanushtankar, a small wound can cause death, wear shoes.” People in the Indian subcontinent used to be opposed to wearing shoes. Following that, Bata used this tagline for an advertisement that appeared in the November 1938 issue of Batanagar News. The commercial serves as evidence of how the 130-year-old company helped individuals develop the habit of wearing sandals.

Bata Company achieved success through its creative marketing strategies. | Photo Collected.

Bata has maintained the quality of its products while growing in popularity for its sandals, shoes, purses, and accessories since its founding. Because Bata has a reputation for being durable, people anticipate it. Furthermore, Bata footwear is among the most reasonably priced and long-lasting shoes on the market. Bata’s goal of manufacturing long-lasting, reasonably priced shoes has contributed to their popularity in Bangladesh. The country’s rural residents are looking for durability while still wanting to spend as little money as possible. Local production facilities in Bata have been essential in this. As well, Bata gives discounts on festivals like Puja, Eid, and others. Their strategy for marketing has set Bata apart.

The price

For Bata, price has always been the key to marketing success. Bata bases their pricing approach on psychological pricing. If you look closely, for instance, you’ll see that the majority of Bata product prices end in nine.

In addition to this, Bata generally maintains fair and reasonable shoe prices so that everybody can purchase them. Even now, you can find Bata rubber slippers on the market for less than 100 taka.

Location

A key component of business success is choosing a site for the showroom. Bata’s rural distribution channel is one of its strengths. At the district and upazila levels, there are 262 Bata stores nationwide. Bata showrooms can be found in places like Karwan Bazar, Gulistan, or Tongi, as well as in the more affluent parts of the capital, Dhaka, such as Dhanmondi, Banani, and Gulshan.

The main route in the city is where most of Bata’s stores are situated. The ground floor houses the majority of the shops along the main route. This bottom floor location may have been chosen to make Bata’s shoe assortment immediately visible to customers as they stroll along the street.

Bata strategically selects suitable locations for its showrooms. | Photo Collected.

Promotional Events

Bata initially spent little on the media and associated public relations. Rather, it trusted brand equity to draw more clients to its showrooms. They so concentrated mostly on creating sustainable goods.

Social Media Pages or Images of Their Ads

On the other hand, Bata uses broadcast media to advertise their new products for festive occasions or their discount offers in Bangladesh. In the current digital era, Bata uses social media to advertise their products just like any other company. Furthermore, the sole importer of Adidas footwear in Bangladesh is Bata.

In Bangladesh, Bata Company has operated for the past sixty-two years. The people of Bangladesh are so familiar with Bata that this foreign shoe brand has adopted the Bangladeshi name. Bangladesh might serve as a worldwide sourcing hub for the footwear sector, according to Sandeep Kataria, CEO of Bata. Their innovative marketing strategy has been the main contributing factor to Bata’s global popularity.

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