by Soo Wern Jun
Blissfully Beautiful aims to make fashion affordable for everyone
Who would say no to shopping? At the mention of a shopping trip, almost none of us could resist the idea of getting a new outfit to go with another pair of new shoes or maybe a new pair of earrings. If only we had the resources and sufficient funds to keep replenishing our cravings for the latest fashion treats.
Wanting to make fashion more affordable for herself and also her friends, the initial nature of the blog shop owned by Joyce Cheng was an experiment gone useful. It was not something which she had in mind to venture into considering that she pursued her studies in civil engineering but Cheng is getting a hang of handling her blog shop and is even planning for a long term business venture.
"Although I love shopping, starting a blog shop had never crossed my mind since there are so many other blog shops available out there. When I was approached with the idea, it felt like I could never sustain a blog shop as I have to compete with the rest. For a person without experience in the retail business, I just didn’t see how it could work for me," expressed Cheng.
The 25-year-old only started with a small amount of stock in hand last October, but has gradually grew to have more than 50 returning buyers up-to-date. For a newcomer in the market, Cheng is excited about the near future.
However, in any business-oriented "affairs", one could not possibly avoid complications which may occur due to any kind of unexpected situations. Maintaining a blog site alone may be easy, but managing a blog shop, Cheng agrees it’s something else altogether.
"I never thought dealing with buyers were so difficult until some of them demanded for their items to be sent to them almost immediately. I’ve received orders in the morning from customers who have requested for the clothes to be sent the same night itself. Some have even requested for their items to be sent immediately. I wasn’t in a position to say no because it is too big of a risk to take in letting go of the buy and having to end up with dead stock," expressed Cheng.
Back-out buyers are also one of Cheng’s worst feared problems in running the business. They would request for an item and would turn her down weeks later expressing disinterest in the item.
"When this happens, I would have to search for a new buyer since I don’t carry too many pieces of a particular item. Imagine having to say ‘no’ to a buyer because there isn’t any stock left only to find out days or weeks later that the existing buyer no longer wants the item. Money is not paid but I am left to bear the costs of the unsold items," added Cheng.
Although Cheng faces such occasional setbacks, she constantly looks on the bright side of the business and strives to provide fashionable items which are wearable yet stylish. Placing her focus more on dresses, tops and occasionally skirts, Cheng counts herself fortunate to have found a good supplier who provides her with designer material items.
"Buying my stock from this particular designer keeps me free from having to deal with mass-produced items. I don’t have to worry about my customers comparing prices or materials of these respective items knowing that there aren’t similar pieces out there. For pieces which are designed and made in small quantities, these dresses, tops and skirts are able to maintain their exclusivity," explained Cheng.
As a fashion "provider", Cheng makes it a point to dress up each time she delivers her items to reflect her stylish collections.
"What would my buyers think of me if they see me in a sloppy outfit? They may not trust my taste in selecting my stock Since starting this business, I’ve seldom gone shopping at retail stores. Instead, I’m buying from my supplier, wearing the collections that I’m selling to set an example," added Cheng.
For details, visit blissfully-beautiful.blogspot.com or email your enquiries to blissfully.beautiful@gmail.com. The items are priced from RM45 to RM100.
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