Worpress as a selling platform

Here are some Americans talking about using Wordpress for selling versus going with a professional EC site.

http://www.bhuz.com/business-belly-dance/65221-wordpress-blogs-stores-anyone.html

2 out of 3 Singaporeans Shop Online

From: http://www.divaasia.com/article/12078

Mon, Jan 10, 2011

Diva

   

Nearly 2 in 3 Singaporeans shop online

Online shopping has gained popularity in Singapore.

Nearly 2 in 3 Singaporeans, or 64 per cent of respondents in a survey said they now access the internet for online shopping.

The survey, conducted by MasterCard, covered 8,500 respondents across 15 markets: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the UAE.

And the ladies are the more prolific online spenders, with 68 per cent of female respondents surveyed shopping online, compared to only 60 per cent of males. They purchased an average of 5 items online in the last three months, whereas male shoppers purchased an average of 4.2 items.

And the most commonly purchased items? Airline tickets, hotel accommodations, movie or concert tickets, ladies clothing and accessories, and books and art, with ladies clothing and accessories and airline tickets triggering the most number of impulse buys.

For shoppers who have resisted making online purchases, they cite their preference for shopping in-store where physical products are displayed as the main reason for not going virtual.

Online shoppers indicated that factors such as availability of convenient payment methods, secure payment facilities and price and value are the most important factors that influence their decision to buy from the web.

The survey also included shopping habits through mobile phones for the first time. Only 12 per cent of respondents in Singapore made a purchase in the last three months.

Singapore Online Shopping 2010 Statistics

This article contrasts the report on eCommerce from 21 July 2011 about the size of e-commerce, especially from overseas sites.  In this, domestic-grown e-commerce is the focus.  Basically, blogshops are a medium that caters very well to the needs of local online shoppers as the blog format allows sellers to overcome many of the problems associated with overseas onlinhe purchases.

Source: http://www.divaasia.com/article/12954

Fri, Apr 01, 2011

my paper

   

Amount S'poreans spent on online shopping last year

by Kenny Chee

SHOPPING online has become the main channel through which lawyer Grace Teo buys her clothes.

"I don't always have the time to physically go shopping, so online shopping is more convenient for me, as I can buy what I want from my desk at home," said the 31-year-old.

Ms Teo is among many Singaporeans who are turning to the Internet for their shopping needs. In fact, Singapore consumers spent a staggering $1.1billion on online shopping last year, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

Some 46 per cent of that spending, amounting to $508 million, was done on overseas websites. But domestic websites were surprisingly a big hit, with Singaporeans spending $420 million on them, making up 38 per cent of their total online purchases.

Another $178 million was spent on websites whose countries of origin were uncertain.

One Singaporean who loves shopping on Singapore websites is civil servant May Chen, 24.

"There's one local site I like to shop at because the person is a senior from my school, so there's that trust in terms of quality," she said.

Ms Chen added that shopping on Singapore websites is easy with Internet banking and less cumbersome than shopping on overseas sites, which comes with concerns like exchange rates.

The survey, conducted by research firm The Nielsen Company and commissioned by online payment service PayPal, polled 407 Singapore consumers in January and February.

Mr Elias Ghanem, managing director and general manager for PayPal in South-east Asia, India and South Korea, said Singaporeans are more comfortable shopping on domestic sites and "local websites are more aware of Singaporean shoppers' tastes and preferences".

He added that this phenomenon is seen in other parts of the world, noting that in a similar survey done by Forrester for Australia, 25 per cent of Australians preferred to buy only from domestic websites.

For home-grown blogshop Ohsofickle, owned by popular blogger Tammy Tay, 20, online stores have a price advantage.

Ms Tracy Tack, director of the blogshop, said webstores here can offer lower prices than those of retail shopfronts - where mark-ups can be two to three times more - as the overheads are lower.

In Ohsofickle's case, Ms Tay's popularity with Singaporeans is a part of the site's appeal, Ms Tack added.
But the popularity of online shops does not make brick-and- mortar stores irrelevant.

Dr Lynda Wee, a retail expert from the Nanyang Technological University, said physical stores have the benefit of the human touch, allowing customers to browse and try out products, as well as giving shoppers instant gratification from immediate purchases.

Blogshop Earnings

This article gives insights into how much money blogshops can make.

What jumps at me is way at the bottom of the article where it says that a blogshop's credibility is a key criterion of its success.

Source: http://www.divaasia.com/article/14048

Sun, Aug 07, 2011

The New Paper

   

Her blogshop makes up to $45k a month

by Maureen Koh

 

Six years ago, it was just a chance for them to earn extra pocket money.
Today, My Glamour Place (MGP) is a blogshop - which sells only apparel - with an average monthly turnover of $30,000.

Festive seasons such as Chinese New Year and Christmas can easily bring in up to $45,000.
Co-owner Angela Ang, 24, told The New Paper that she orders only 100 pieces of each item from manufacturers in China.

The new designs sell out within hours, if not minutes, once they are uploaded on the blogshop.
That's no mean feat given that Miss Ang and her business partner and sweetheart from their days in Singapore Polytechnic, Mr Keith Tay, started the venture with capital of just $500 each.

Mr Tay, 24, recalled: "We got into the business when we were in our last year in poly. We got so busy - from procurement (of the apparel) to photoshoots to fulfilling orders.

"I didn't even join a CCA when I was in university. MGP was my CCA."

Mr Tay studied at the National University of Singapore.

But it was not all a bed of roses for the couple at first. They started out selling cosmetics but ran into losses.
Said Miss Ang: "We had issues with the products' expiry date and realised it didn't make money sense."
But when they switched to clothes, they made only two transactions the entire week.

Mr Tay said: "We had a little squabble because I had less risk appetite, so I suggested that we stop and resume what we were best at (cosmetics).

"But Angela was adamant that we should take on new stocks instead."

Her reasoning was simple: What was not selling that week would not sell the week after either.
True enough, by the next week, MGP sold 10 pieces.

Still, it was another three more months before they managed 100 pieces in a week.

Overseas suppliers

Encouraged by the responses, Mr Tay said they decided to hunt for alternative suppliers from overseas instead of taking their stock from local wholesalers.

He added: "We also wanted to explore if it was viable to produce our own label."

Today, after six years, Miss Ang designs 90 per cent of the apparel, which includes ruffle dresses, bustiers, casual tops and jackets.

Prices go from as low as $22 for a top and $33 for a dress.

She says she draws inspiration from an extensive selection of fashion magazines for her designs.

With the blogshop going well, she quit her job as an auditor with Ernst & Young after six months in February this year.

She had found it tough to do both roles simultaneously and struggled for a couple of months.

Miss Ang said: "I felt I should pick and focus on just one job, so it was either my audit job or MGP."

MGP was the obvious choice, she added, "because we built it from scratch over a few years".

"Right now, I should take the opportunity to expand the business and see what we can do," said a feisty Miss Ang.

While Mr Tay was initially more active in running the blogshop with Miss Ang, he has since taken a backseat after starting work as teacher a few months ago.

MGP has also ventured into taking up shop spaces in concept stores at Bugis Junction, Plaza Singapura and Far East Plaza.

Mr Tay said: "People who aren't confident about buying from us online can always go to the retail stores.
"Having a physical presence also helps to build up the brand."

Their customers are mostly tertiary students and young working professionals aged between 18 and 24.
That number could well grow as experts are expecting online shopping to boom.

Mr William Klippgen, executive director of Tickled Media, which represents LiveJournal in this region, said: "E-commerce is seeing a major uptake in Singapore - online shopping here (came up to) more than $1 billion last year, according to Paypal.

"This number is expected to reach $4.4 billion in 2014."

But if you are thinking about jumping on the blogshop bandwagon, think again, said Mr Samuel Teoh, who provides consultancy services for online start-ups.

Mr Teoh, 47, said: "I've seen blogshops here today and gone tomorrow. It takes time and a lot of hard work to get the online business going because credibility is the key criterion.

"There's also a limit to what they can offer until the brand has established itself."

He added: "And it's not like you can 'close shop' for the day. Running a blogshop also means that you are expected to be working 24/7."

Mr Tay agreed: "Even when we take our short breaks or go for holidays, we'll take along our laptops and make sure that there is Internet access at the hotels.

"You can't afford to take too long to respond to your customers."

This article was first published in The New Paper.