Fighting the Good Tights Fight

This blog is slightly different from my other entries in one very specific, odd way – it’s about tights.

Specifically, it’s about a tights company called Heist. You can visit their website here: https://www.heist-studios.com.

The beginning of my story is as such: I hate tights. They make me feel like a size 14 sausage in a size 4 skin. The waistband is usually approximately the circumference of one thigh, you spend all day pulling them up and they make your shoes feel like they’re too big. As far as I’m concerned, any day that I have to wear tights is a bad day. It genuinely makes me unhappy. For anyone who has never worn tights – go buy a pair (you can get them as cheap as 99p) and just try to get in them. It’s like a cruel fashion version of ‘beat the buzzer’, except you’re trying to put your legs in a tube of material that will tear with the slightest bit of excessive grip. NIGHTMARE.

As you may have gathered from this blog (or not), I work in paid search and social marketing, so I tend to either skim over adverts on Facebook, or view them from a professional perspective. One day a few months ago, I came across an ad on Facebook for Heist Tights. The ad mentioned that Heist’s tights have ‘roll-down proof’ waistbands (not their exact words, admittedly) and basically said their tights are new and different and exciting and that everyone should rush out and buy them immediately.

As a staunch ‘tights hater’, I was quite honestly very excited that a company had actually recognised the massive issues with a product. Heist tights are seamless down the leg. The waistband is about 5 inches thick, so it feels like you’re wearing jogging bottoms. They’re really hard to rip and the toe seam is UNDER your foot. They also don’t make you feel like you’re wrapped in cling film on a summer’s day, which is definitely a bonus.

I visited the website from the ad and the branding is beautiful. It stands out, it’s consistent across all of their properties, and the benefits of the product are front and center (which is important when you’re selling tights for around £20 a pop). The human imagery they use is inclusive and wide ranging, with different races, genders and sizes all included as the norm, and not just under a ‘plus size’ banner.

I ordered a pair of their tights from the site because I had a ‘night out’ coming up and I knew I had to wear tights with my dress (cue impending tights doom).

This is the beginning of the best customer service ever. Nothing outstanding happened – just an every day, run of the mill transaction that made me love this brand.

1) The size guide was actually correct and useful. I usually hate buying clothes online but the sizing was really helpful. They also have a social media team (team? One person? Who knows) who respond mega speedily incase you have any questions mid-purchase.

2) The confirmation email I received once I had purchased said I would get the tights in around 5 days. I tweeted Heist as I was so excited about actually being able to wear tights without being miserable (yes, the prospect of happily wearing tights genuinely makes me like this), and they informed me that my order would actually arrive the next day. MEGA BONUS.

3) THEY DID ARRIVE THE NEXT DAY. Beautifully packaged, I must add.

4) The tights were everything the website promised. They are comfy and they look great and they make me feel like I’m an actual coping adult, and not a kid dressed as a sausage. Very grin-inducing, considering I had taken a punt on paying £20 for a pair of tights I saw on Facebook.

5) I tweeted them to tell them how excited I was and they replied, excited that I was excited. If we were face to face in real life, I think we would have been holding hands, jumping around in circles.

6) I recently contacted them, as their sizing had changed on the website and I didn’t want to order something that didn’t fit. They replied within minutes, confirming the size option I would need to choose. They also make sure they always have the last word; replying to you to thank you for your message, or wish you luck, or a nice weekend. You’re never left wondering if they’ve got your message or not.

Look, tights are not exciting. But Heist have made them relevant by solving the problems with the product and developing a great brand. Heist didn’t fix a massive problem with my order, save the world or give me anything for free – they just replied on time and did what they were meant to do. The problem is, so many online retailers now rely on ‘okay’ service; delivering within a week or replying to your tweet within a few days.

The moral of the story is that I started the above process as someone who hated tights, never wore them, would never pay that much for the item, and had never heard of a company called Heist.

I finished the process as someone now wears the item in question without argument and not only that, would ONLY ever buy the product from Heist, £20 price tag or not.

Social advertising, with the correct targeting, works. Delivering an item earlier than expected is a big bonus. Responding in a friendly and timely way on social media goes a long way. Please take heed, online retailers.