diff --git a/lib/main.js b/lib/main.js
index 0caa984..1ae7393 100644
--- a/lib/main.js
+++ b/lib/main.js
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ var allocUnsafe = require( '@stdlib/buffer-alloc-unsafe' );
 var numel = require( '@stdlib/ndarray-base-numel' );
 var ndarray = require( '@stdlib/ndarray-ctor' );
 var defaults = require( '@stdlib/ndarray-defaults' );
-var format = require( '@stdlib/string-format' );
+var format = require( '@stdlib/error-tools-fmtprodmsg' );
 
 
 // VARIABLES //
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ function empty( shape ) {
 	if ( arguments.length > 1 ) {
 		options = arguments[ 1 ];
 		if ( !isPlainObject( options ) ) {
-			throw new TypeError( format( 'invalid argument. Options argument must be an object. Value: `%s`.', options ) );
+			throw new TypeError( format( '1db2V', options ) );
 		}
 		if ( hasOwnProp( options, 'dtype' ) ) {
 			dtype = options.dtype;
@@ -110,14 +110,14 @@ function empty( shape ) {
 	} else if ( isArrayLike( shape ) ) {
 		sh = shape;
 	} else {
-		throw new TypeError( format( 'invalid argument. First argument must be either a nonnegative integer or an array of nonnegative integers. Value: `%s`.', shape ) );
+		throw new TypeError( format( '1db5s', shape ) );
 	}
 	ndims = sh.length;
 	if ( ndims > 0 ) {
 		len = numel( sh );
 		if ( len !== len || len < 0 ) {
 			// We should only get here if we've been provided an invalid shape (e.g., an array containing negative integers, etc)...
-			throw new TypeError( format( 'invalid argument. First argument must be either a nonnegative integer or an array of nonnegative integers. Value: `%s`.', shape ) );
+			throw new TypeError( format( '1db5s', shape ) );
 		}
 		st = shape2strides( sh, order );
 	} else {
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8d56c7c..59cdeba 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
     "@stdlib/ndarray-base-strides2offset": "^0.2.3",
     "@stdlib/ndarray-ctor": "^0.3.0",
     "@stdlib/ndarray-defaults": "^0.4.1",
-    "@stdlib/string-format": "^0.2.3",
+    "@stdlib/error-tools-fmtprodmsg": "^0.2.3",
     "@stdlib/types": "^0.4.3",
     "@stdlib/error-tools-fmtprodmsg": "^0.2.3"
   },