Game-Changing Aretto Marketing Strategy - Kids Footwear Brand 2025

Before diving into the marketing strategy of Aretto, I’d like to inform you that the research and initial analysis for this piece were conducted by Jill Rawal. She is a current student in IIDE's Online Digital Marketing course (December 2024 Batch).

If you found this case study on Aretto’s marketing strategy, feel free to reach out to Jill to send a quick note of appreciation for her fantastic research - she’ll appreciate the kudos!

About Aretto

You know how kids outgrow their shoes every few months? That’s the problem Aretto set out to solve. It’s a Pune-based brand founded in 2022 by Satyajit Mittal and Krutika Lal, and they’ve created smart shoes for kids that grow up to three sizes as their feet grow.

Source: YourStory.com

You can find their shoes on their website, on Amazon, and even at their offline store in Pune. What makes them stand out isn’t just the idea of shoe sizing that grows.

Designers build them to be super comfy, tough enough for active kids, and create them with care for the environment too.

At its heart, Aretto is all about making life easier for parents and better for kids. They are not just selling shoes, they are building a brand that connects with families. They do this through smart digital outreach and helpful content.

Marketing Objective or Business Challenge

Despite having a strong product, Aretto faced significant hurdles. The brand operated in a highly competitive segment where established players dominated consumer trust.

The key challenges included limited brand awareness, a new product category requiring consumer education, and poor domain authority, which reduced visibility on search engines. Parents were unaware that such expandable footwear even existed, making education a vital part of their strategy.

Additionally, the brand had to overcome high bounce rates and low session durations on its website. 

Aretto had a clear goal: to build trust through education. They wanted to increase visibility with SEO and paid ads. They also aimed to boost direct-to-consumer sales by providing a seamless online experience.

Marketing Channels Used by Aretto

Aretto followed a well-rounded marketing strategy that blended performance marketing, SEO, influencer campaigns, and an omni-channel retail presence.

On the digital front, they invested in:

• SEO and content marketing to increase organic reach
• Google Ads across Search, Display, and Performance Max for targeted visibility
• YouTube Shorts to educate parents with quick, engaging videos
• To build trust, Aretto partnered with parenting micro-influencers on Instagram and platforms like Momspresso, helping them connect directly with their core audience (modern Indian parents).

They also gained traditional media exposure through features in the Times of India, Financial Express, and other reputed publications.

When it comes to sales, Aretto kept its focus on direct-to-consumer (D2C) through its website while also listing on marketplaces like Amazon and maintaining an offline presence with a flagship store in Pune.

This multi-channel Marketing Strategy of Aretto helped it spread awareness, educate its audience, and turn traffic into loyal customers.

Aretto Marketing Strategy Breakdown

1. Content Marketing & SEO

Aretto's marketing strategy placed a strong focus on SEO-driven content to grow its organic traffic and educate new-age parents. 

They published blog articles, such as “7 Things to Know Before Buying Shoes for Toddlers,” targeting both informational and transactional keywords.

Some of the keywords they ranked for included:

• Best shoes for growing feet
• Expandable kids shoes
• Ergonomic toddler shoes

They also implemented smart internal linking, connecting blog posts with product and category pages to pass SEO authority. 

On the technical side, they fixed key issues like broken links (404 errors), duplicate content, and mobile speed problems. 

Within a few months, Aretto’s domain authority rose to 28 (not bad), and they reached over 15,000 monthly organic visits.

2. Influencer Marketing

Jo dikhta hai wo bikhta hai! Knowing how much parents rely on trust and real experiences, Aretto collaborated with 20+ micro-parenting influencers, most of them mothers. These creators shared:

• Honest reviews
• Unboxing videos
• Personal testimonials

Platforms like Instagram and Momspresso helped Aretto reach their audience where they already hang out.

What made this campaign work? It felt real. These influencers weren’t just promoting - they were explaining how Aretto’s shoes made daily parenting easier. 

This built emotional connection, especially in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, where word-of-mouth still plays a big role in purchase decisions.

3. Google Ads & Performance Marketing

To reach high-intent audiences, Aretto leaned into a full funnel mix of:

• Google Search & Display Ads +
• Performance Max Campaigns +
• YouTube Shorts showcases their unique tech

What's really cool is that their data-backed approach allowed real-time changes to copy, visuals, and targeting, making their campaigns efficient and impactful.

4. Messaging & Brand Voice

Aretto’s marketing strategy, especially the messaging part, revolves around empathy and innovation. Again, the top two qualities that really resonate with parents.

Their tagline, “Shoes that grow with your child,” captures the product’s value in a single line.

Everything they communicate reflects four key themes:

• Comfort
• Durability
• Sustainability
• Smart Value

Whether it’s a blog, ad, or influencer post, the tone stays simple, friendly, and helpful.

No jargon, no over-selling & honest communication designed for time-strapped parents looking for reliable solutions.

Liked Aretto’s strategy? Check out this Nike marketing strategy to see how the global footwear leader leverages digital marketing to stay ahead.

Results & Impact

Aretto’s Marketing strategy worked well in its first year. Here are some Key highlights, results & impact:

• The brand sold over 15,000 pairs of shoes (Woooh!), proving that their product fit well in the market.
  
• Their bounce rate dropped from 83% to 60%, showing that people were staying longer on the site.
  
• Monthly traffic increased to 25.3K, with 28% of that coming from organic search, thanks to a solid SEO strategy.
  
• Aretto also built credibility with over 840 referring domains linking back to them, which helped boost their search rankings.
  
• The brand received media attention from publications like The Times of India, Financial Express, and YourStory, which helped build trust.
  
• Social media engagement increased because of their influencer campaigns.
  
• Posts featuring parents and kids using Aretto shoes led to user-generated content (UGC) like reels, reviews, and tagged stories.
  
• This combination of growth and emotional connection helped Aretto establish itself as a trusted name in kids' footwear.

What Worked & Why

The success behind Aretto’s marketing strategy is due to solving a real problem: kids outgrowing their shoes too quickly. Their innovative product caught people’s attention because it offered a practical solution for parents.

Influencer marketing worked well because parents trust other parents. Aretto used micro-influencers to share authentic, relatable experiences.

SEO content helped lower customer acquisition costs and generated traffic that was more likely to convert. Their clear messaging made it easy for parents to connect with the brand and understand the value of the shoes. 

All of this helped Aretto build trust and establish itself as a reliable, innovative brand.

What Didn’t Work & Why

While Aretto did well locally, their international presence could have been stronger. They didn’t focus much on reaching NRI (Non-Resident Indian) audiences who might connect with the brand.

The mobile experience was better but still had some issues, like problems with navigation and checkout. This may have caused potential customers to leave before making a purchase.

Aretto also focused mainly on core keywords and missed the chance to target broader parenting-related searches. By not expanding their keyword strategy, they missed out on reaching a wider audience beyond urban India.

On Shark Tank India, Aretto didn’t secure a deal due to concerns over product validation, scalability, and the founder’s communication style.

IIDE Student Recommendations: Key Areas for Brand Improvement

1. Broaden the Keyword Strategy:

Aretto's marketing strategy should broaden its SEO focus by targeting long-tail keywords like:

• Best shoes for flat feet toddlers
• Best shoes for kids feet
• How to choose shoes for a baby’s first steps
• Eco-friendly school shoes in India

These keywords tap into real parenting concerns and can help Aretto rank in lower-competition spaces, bringing in more qualified traffic from niche searches.

2. Enhance Mobile Experience:

Even though bounce rates improved, Aretto still has mobile optimisation issues. Enhancing touchpoints, enabling one-tap checkouts, and further improving page speed will create a seamless mobile experience.

Introducing features like voice search and WhatsApp customer support could also improve accessibility and retention.

3. Tap into Global Markets:

Indian-origin parents living abroad face similar issues but have limited access to ergonomic kids’ shoes. Aretto can set up targeted campaigns in the UAE, US, UK, and Singapore, collaborating with NRI parent bloggers. Localised shipping information and currency settings on their website can improve trust and conversions.

4. Launch a Loyalty Program:

Introducing the 'Parents of Aretto' referral and loyalty program as a part of Aretto's marketing strategy can increase repeat purchases.

Offering early access to new styles, birthday discounts for kids, and exclusive webinars with parenting experts will help foster a sense of community.

5. Invest in Rich Media:

It's a no-brainer that Video content continues to dominate online engagement. As a part of Aretto's marketing strategy, it can create a library of 'How-To' videos, parenting hacks, and customer testimonial clips. Embedding these on product pages will increase time spent on-site and trust.

6. Experiment with Retail Collaborations:

Pop-up stalls at schools, exhibitions, and kidswear boutiques can offer trial opportunities.
Offline presence in strategic retail locations across Tier 1 cities can enhance visibility and provide a firsthand experience.

7. Smarter Email Marketing:

Email automation can be personalised based on the child's age, past purchases, and browsing behaviour. Campaigns like 'Time for your next size-up?' or festive collection previews can effectively nurture leads.