Rieker Shoes replaces risky bulk messaging and grows its customer base by 75%

A German footwear brand walking into Saudi homes

Rieker Shoes brings the German footwear brand, founded in 1874, to shoppers across Saudi Arabia through its stores and online store. Rieker is known for comfort-first shoes, and its customers expect the same ease when they ask about new arrivals, sizes or offers.

For a retailer, WhatsApp is where announcements land and questions arrive, often long after the stores have closed. So we spoke to Saud from Rieker Shoes to understand how the business moved from one phone and a banned number to a system that runs around the clock.

Manual, and risky with it

• Broadcasting limitations meant bulk updates and announcements had no reliable channel to go out through
• Unofficial third-party tools used to send bulk messages got the business’s WhatsApp number banned
• Repetitive questions and forms were handled one by one, with the same answers copied and pasted again and again
• Replies only went out when someone was actively on their phone, so anything that came in after hours simply waited

As Saud described it, the old process “was incredibly slow, and I could only respond when I was actively on my phone.”

A deliberate comparison, not a default pick

Rieker Shoes evaluated its options before committing. “I evaluated Wati.io, but found it too expensive and complex. I also looked at Unifonic, but it was too heavy and geared toward massive enterprises,” says Saud.

• The business needed official broadcasting that wouldn’t put its number at risk again
• Simple customer questions had to be answered automatically, 24/7
• The platform had to be easy to set up and run without a dedicated tech team
• Gallabox offered a custom subscription plan tailored to the business’s needs and budget

What changed with Gallabox

The biggest risk in the business’s marketing disappeared on day one. From there, automation took over the work that used to depend on one person and one phone.

Broadcast replaces the risk of unofficial tools

Bulk campaigns now run through Broadcast instead of the unofficial tools that had already gotten the number banned once, so every announcement reaches customers without putting the channel at risk.

Chatbots answer around the clock

Repetitive questions that used to require someone on the phone now get answered automatically by Chatbots, any time of day, whether or not staff are working.

Flows collect what forms used to collect manually

Information that used to be gathered by copying and pasting the same fields over and over now comes in through Flows, structured and automatic.

What removing the risk unlocked

75% growth in customer base

With broadcasting no longer a liability and round-the-clock replies in place, the business turned more of its reach into a real, returning customer base.

75% increase in customer satisfaction

Customers now get answers when they ask, not when someone next checks the phone. Employee productivity rose by the same 75%.

90% impact on business growth

Rieker Shoes also reported 25% growth in lead generation and first-time conversions, a 25% jump in gross profits and a 10% cut in marketing spend. They rated Gallabox a perfect 10/10 and said they’d recommend it with the same score.

A tool sized to grow with the business

Rieker Shoes traded a banned, unofficial bulk-messaging setup for a platform that runs its marketing, support and data collection in one place, sized and priced for the business it actually is.

Rieker went looking for a tool that wouldn’t outgrow it, and found one that’s helping it outgrow itself.