In early 2016, the sunglasses company Hawkers turned to businessman Alejandro Betancourt Lopez to embark on the next phase of its growth. He helped to transform the sunglasses company and eventually adopted the position of company president.
In 2018, Alejandro Betancourt became the largest shareholder by investing his own capital and taking a 50 percent stake in the company. This was encouraged by the Hawkers team because Betancourt had gone to great lengths in the past to help the company. He was familiar with the company’s goals had the marketing prowess to take Hawkers to new heights.
Today, Hawkers remains one of the top 10 internationally valued fashion firms thanks to its reputation for selling high-quality sunglasses at a fair and honest price. That affordability is a large part of the company’s continued development and success.
$60M+ Business in 4 Years
Hawkers got its start with just a $300 investment from co-founder Alex Moreno. The company quickly gained a reputation for having good prices and quality products. Things took off faster than expected and they needed to bring others on board to help them grow.
Over time, as the demand for Hawkers’ sunglasses far exceeded the supply they could produce with their limited equipment and facilities, the order times started to increase. A specialist in international commerce was brought into the company and in 2013 Hawkers’ sunglasses begin to be sold through Shopify. Internationally acclaimed suppliers were chosen to ensure that each pair of sunglasses were delivered in a timely fashion to customers around the world.
A Bright Future Through the Value of Social Media
Social media is a big part of how Alejandro Betancourt Lopez has continued to develop the Hawkers brand and what it can offer in its industry. By using social media as a marketing channel, costs stay down, and the sunglasses can be priced lower than many of their competitors. Facebook ads are the cornerstone of what the company has used, but they’re also active on other social media platforms. The ways in which they can reach international customers for a very low price have really helped the company continue to expand and will likely be a big part of what they’re doing in the future, as they continue to meet customer demand.
90 percent of Hawkers sunglasses are ordered online. Alejandro Betancourt was among those that pushed for this type of selling and exposure and it has paid off. With more than 4.5 million pairs of sunglasses sold by the company, most of which are priced in the $20 to $40 range, it’s easy to see how people would like this brand, find them affordable, and be able to locate and purchase their products simply and easily. The level of revenue the company sees now is staggering from the standpoint of how quickly the small startup saw success. By focusing on online marketing and doing things differently, the company’s growth was explosive.
Alejandro Betancourt Lopez saw not only the value of the company and its product but also the value of marketing it in such a way that people could easily find it on an international level. He kept marketing costs low by advertising the brand mostly on social media and utilizing various online channels. By focusing on what the customers want in a fashion accessory, Alejandro Betancourt ensures that Hawkers continues to make sunglasses that nearly everyone can afford. These high-quality sunglasses aren’t designed for the wealthy, they are designed for the average person. This business philosophy has broadened the reach of the company and made it far easier for almost anyone who wants to have Hawkers brand sunglasses to purchase and enjoy them.
