Bombas and the Story of Socks

They weren’t always passionate about socks.

Instead, the founding duo of Bombas took what they admired about brands like Warby Parker and Patagonia and applied it to socks.

A recent Bloomberg profile recounts how Bombas founders Dave Heath and Randy Goldberg built the Bombas brand.

Early on, they decided that for every pair of Bombas socks sold, they’d donate a pair to individuals experiencing homelessness (a la Warby Parker and Toms Shoes).  

At the same time, they incorporated a lifetime warranty akin to offers from L.L. Bean and Patagonia.

Those elements, combined with a focus on quality, have defined the Bombas brand for more than a decade.

Value Beyond Price

Bombas socks are far from the cheapest option. And many consumers never considered splurging on socks.

But Heath and Goldberg saw a need for more and better socks, and they built a value prop around making that matter.

The extra cost is offset by the promise of a better product backed by a no-strings-attached guarantee. Not to mention, it offers a chance to do some good. When you buy a pair, you’re actually paying for two pairs.

“If we build a better pair of socks, we can sell more socks,” Heath told the New York Times in 2016. “And if we sell more socks, we can donate more socks.”

Many B2B brands understand the challenge of making a less-than-exciting offering worth talking about. Finding ways to get customers to think differently about a necessary purchase takes a compelling story.

For its part, Bombas has since expanded beyond socks to underwear, shirts and slippers. But its value prop still stands, and it’s still finding a way to get people excited about buying socks.