Hoodlums x Sabre Digital
Solopreneur sneaker reseller scaled from under £10k in 8 months to 6 figures in 4 months through a Shopify rebuild and disciplined Google Ads strategy. £50k+ in December alone.
- Under £10k revenue in 8 months (Jan - Aug 2025)
- Existing Shopify store not built for conversion
- Google Ads attempted with wrong strategy (PMax with no data)
- Cross-device spend wastage and budget burned on losing SKUs
- Merchant Centre in poor shape
- No email marketing or retention system
- Solopreneur with limited capital for stock
- 6 figures in revenue (Sept - Dec 2025)
- £50k+ in December peak Q4
- Custom Liquid Shopify rebuild with CRO architecture
- Google Ads profitable and scaling
- Klaviyo flows and campaigns guided through biweekly calls
- Pre-loved section in development for 2026 Q2
Hoodlums is a UK-based sneaker and streetwear reseller run by Samayan. He had built a Shopify store and tried running Google Ads on his own but could not get traction. Between January and August 2025, the store had done less than £10k in total revenue. Samayan came to Sabre after hearing about previous success in the sneaker niche.
Sabre started by rebuilding the Shopify store. The front end was replaced with Custom Liquid HTML sections across every page, including product pages, policy pages and the footer. The cart type was changed, product pages were optimised with all the conversion details needed at this price point, and the overall experience was elevated to build trust and justify premium pricing. Before the rebuild, the store's conversion rate was 0.6%. After the rebuild it averaged 2%, peaking at 3.6% in December.
Google Ads launched in September 2025 with a strategy built around Samayan's reality: limited capital, limited stock, and a need to be efficient with every pound spent. Sabre tested aggressively, killed losers fast and scaled only the SKUs where Hoodlums could be competitive on price. The approach worked. From September to December 2025, the store generated over 6 figures in revenue profitably, with over £50k in December alone.
As a solopreneur, Samayan did not have the budget for Sabre to manage every channel. So Sabre provided strategic direction on Klaviyo, content and CRO through biweekly calls, giving Samayan the knowledge and frameworks to execute improvements independently. This is the same hands-on partnership model Sabre uses with other solopreneur brands in the portfolio.
The Store Was the Problem. The Ads Were Too.
Samayan had already tried Google Ads. They did not work. But the issues ran deeper than the ads. The store was not built to convert, and the ads strategy was burning money with no structure behind it.
The existing store had the products but not the infrastructure to convert. Sabre replaced the entire front end with Custom Liquid HTML sections and CSS across all pages. Product pages were rebuilt to include the conversion detail customers need at this price point: materials, sizing, authenticity information, trust signals and social proof.
Policy pages were rebuilt with custom HTML for both indexing and Google Ads compliance. The footer was restructured with business information and trust markers. The cart type was changed to reduce friction in the purchase flow. AI-generated imagery was used for homepage banners and minor visual assets to elevate the brand without the cost of a photoshoot. Every change was designed to build trust and make the store feel premium enough to justify the pricing.
The Merchant Centre was also a mess. The previous ads setup had launched Performance Max campaigns with no data, spread budget across devices with no optimisation and kept pushing products that were not winning. Money was being burned on SKUs that could never compete on price. Sabre cleaned up the Merchant Centre, restructured the account and built a strategy from scratch before spending a penny on ads.
Full Custom Liquid front-end rebuild across every page. Merchant Centre cleaned up, account restructured and previous wasteful PMax strategy scrapped. The store and ads infrastructure were both rebuilt from scratch before a penny was spent on the new campaigns.
- Full Custom Liquid front-end rebuild
- Product pages optimised with conversion detail for premium pricing
- Custom HTML policy pages for indexing and compliance
- Footer rebuilt with business information and trust markers
- Cart type changed to reduce purchase friction
- AI-generated homepage banners and visual assets
- Merchant Centre cleaned up and restructured
- Previous PMax campaigns scrapped (no data, cross-device waste, losing SKUs)
- Ads account rebuilt with structured strategy from scratch
- Premium user experience to build trust and justify pricing
Revenue Comparison
Test Everything. Scale What Works.
Samayan did not have the capital to buy stock at preferred rates across every SKU. So Sabre built a strategy around what he could be competitive with, tested aggressively and scaled only the winners.
The sneaker reseller market is brutally competitive on price. Not every SKU is worth advertising. Sabre tested across the catalogue, identified where Hoodlums could compete on pricing and killed everything else. This is the same 80/20 approach used across the Sabre portfolio: find the winners, cut the losers, and put budget where the return is.
Working within Samayan's stock availability was critical. There is no point scaling ads for products that cannot be replenished competitively. Sabre managed inventory-aware campaigns that matched ad spend to available stock and margin, preventing wasted budget on products that could not sustain the volume.
The result was immediate. From September to December 2025, Hoodlums generated over 6 figures in revenue profitably. December alone delivered over £50k as Q4 demand peaked. For a solopreneur who had done under £10k in the previous 8 months, this was a step change in the business.
Under £10k in 8 months before Sabre. Over 6 figures in 4 months after. £50k+ in December alone. All profitable. All from a disciplined test-and-scale Google Ads strategy built around available stock and competitive pricing.
- Aggressive testing across the catalogue
- Killed losers fast, scaled competitive SKUs only
- Inventory-aware campaigns matched to stock availability
- 80/20 approach: budget focused where return was strongest
- 6 figures in revenue Sept - Dec 2025
- £50k+ in December peak Q4
- All revenue profitable
Solopreneur Support Model
- Shopify and Google Ads managed by Sabre
- Biweekly strategy calls with Samayan
- Klaviyo flow and campaign direction
- Email hooks, structure and CVR advice
- Content strategy guidance
- CRO recommendations for independent execution
Before Sabre. After Sabre.
Drag the slider to compare the original Hoodlums store against the Sabre rebuild. The homepage, product pages, navigation, policy pages and footer were all rebuilt with Custom Liquid.
The before product page had no reviews, no urgency, no delivery information and no trust signals. The after page includes Trustpilot integration, Klarna payment options, stock urgency indicators, express delivery estimates and a cleaner layout designed to convert at a premium price point.
Pre-Loved. Higher Margins.
Testing showed that pre-loved sneakers and streetwear were some of the most profitable products in the Hoodlums catalogue. Sabre is building the infrastructure to scale this side of the business in Q2 2026.
Pre-loved has been a consistent performer for Hoodlums. The margins are stronger than new product, the inventory is unique and the demand is growing as more customers look for authenticated second-hand sneakers and streetwear at better prices.
Sabre has built bespoke metafields for condition scoring and item details, giving each pre-loved product a structured data set that communicates condition, wear level and authenticity clearly. Bespoke pages have been created for this product type with authenticity markers and trust signals designed specifically for the pre-loved buyer.
The plan for Q2 2026 is to scale the pre-loved section with dedicated advertising, CRO optimisation and email flows targeting repeat buyers in this category. This gives Hoodlums a second revenue stream with better margins and less price competition than new product.
- Pre-loved sneakers and streetwear tested and proven profitable
- Bespoke metafields for condition scoring and item details
- Authenticity markers and trust signals on pre-loved pages
- Dedicated bespoke pages for pre-loved product type
- Scaling with dedicated ads and CRO in Q2 2026
- Higher margins and less price competition than new product
Pre-Loved Infrastructure
- Custom metafields for condition scoring
- Structured item details per product
- Authenticity verification markers
- Bespoke product page templates
- Dedicated advertising planned Q2 2026
- Email flows for pre-loved repeat buyers
Sneaker Ecommerce FAQ
Yes. Hoodlums went from under £10k in 8 months to 6 figures in 4 months after Sabre rebuilt the store and launched Google Ads. The key was an efficient strategy built around the owner's budget and stock availability, testing aggressively and only scaling items where the pricing was competitive.
Yes. Sabre adapts strategy to fit the budget available. For Hoodlums, Sabre managed Shopify and Google Ads directly, then provided strategic direction on Klaviyo, content and CRO through biweekly calls. This gave the owner the knowledge and frameworks to execute improvements independently without paying for full-service management on every channel.
Yes. Sabre has built bespoke pre-loved sections on Shopify with custom metafields for condition scoring, item details and authenticity markers. For Hoodlums, pre-loved has been one of the most profitable product categories and is being scaled with dedicated pages and advertising in 2026.
For Hoodlums, it was both. The store was not built to convert at a premium price point, and the ads strategy was wrong: Performance Max launched with no data, cross-device spend wastage and budget burned on SKUs that could not compete on price. Sabre rebuilt the store, cleaned up the Merchant Centre and built a structured ads strategy from scratch. Both had to be fixed for the results to follow.
Running a Sneaker or Streetwear Brand?
Whether you are a solopreneur or a growing team, Sabre has the niche knowledge and systems to help you scale. In a free 30-minute call Harry will review your store, identify your biggest growth opportunities and give you honest advice on what to do first.
Book a free strategy call
30 minutes with Harry. No pitch, just honest insights for your store.
- ✓ Review your store and ads setup
- ✓ Identify where revenue is leaking
- ✓ Get honest advice on what to fix first
- ✓ No obligation, no contracts
We only take on 2-3 new brands per month to ensure hands-on strategy.
