I am putting this post from a blog called Wedoryn365 here becuz it has some interesting notes about blogshops:
1. It defines blogshops in terms of their free hosting.
2. It makes an observation that the earlier blogshops sold stuff that were bought and resold, while more recent blogshops are making forays into selling things that are self-made. This needs further investigation, to see if there is a trend toward blogshop owners becoming designers. Implications for typologies.
From Wedoryn365 blog: http://wedoryn365.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/day-255/
Day 255
By: wedoryn
Aug 21 2010
Girl standing on a plastic chair? There’s good reason for it, I assure you.
That’s Agnes, one half of one of our local blogshops here called Agneselle (that’s a link, click it). What’s a blogshop, you might ask? Well you’re either a very misinformed local (swakoo), or you live in a place where blogshops don’t exist much.
A blogshop is basically a shop, that’s running online, via the free hosting services that are blogs. Orders are made via comments on relevant blog entries and payments are made via bank transfers of sorts and items are delivered via mail.
Why’s it such a hit? Probably the convenience, the price, and not-so-recently, ‘cuz of the design. In the ancient days, when the more established shops were still new, the clothes sold were mainly bought-and-resold, they weren’t self-designed and self-manufactured much. The bigger and main-er shops like Agneselle now sell their own stuff.
Sounds like a novel idea, doesn’t it? ‘Tis tough to jump on the band wagon now though. Competition among the noobs are hard and making it past the established ones is tough. You really have to hand it to the ladies who run these things.
So, what’s she doing outside, on a chair? Today they had two small.. well it was supposed to be small.. stalls at an organized flea market. The number of customers overflowed much so that selling for some parts of time had to be done on chairs and that immediate neighbouring stalls couldn’t even set up ‘cuz people were blocking their space.
Yes, sometimes blogshops enter the real physical world. It’s a good change or some fun lah – variety of sorts.
So, foreign people, do you have blogshops where you come from? I don’t mean online shopping via things like topshop.com or forever21.com where you can buy stuff via credit cards, I really mean Blog-Shops. I’m wondering if it’s such a local (Malaysia is included) phenomenon as our local press have made it out to be.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Shop the world: finding fashion online
From: http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100822/LIFE/708219972/1196
Shop the world: finding fashion online
Robert Cordero
- Last Updated: August 21. 2010 6:18PM UAE / August 21. 2010 2:18PM GMT
Illustration by Gemma Champ
Cottage-industry-sized enterprises are able to sell their weird and wonderful creations on a scale far smaller – and subsequently more exclusive – than the mass-production of the fashion industry can support.
That’s good for designers, freeing them up creatively, and it’s even better for shoppers, who now have access to the sort of unique, one-off pieces that were formerly the preserve of the jet-setting classes – those who would pick up Czech amber, Touareg silver, Texan cowboy boots or Portobello Road vintage fashion on their world travels.
The online fashion business is a highly flexible operation compared with resource-intensive physical stores. “It’s less risky, which suits an experimental spirit,” says Nina May, owner of the independent designer boutique ninaandlola.com.
Helen Brown, founder of the “crowdfunding” site Catwalkgenius.com, adds: “Technology provides the access, communication and economies of scale to allow previously unimaginable collaboration and commercial opportunities. There’s a democratisation of sorts going on, and an explosion of choice.”
Carmen Haid, the owner of Atelier-Mayer.com, wears a 1970s Christian Dior dress from her collection of vintage clothes and accessories. Those seeking pieces such as Balenciaga dresses from the 1960s, click there. Stephen Lock for The National
“Power to the people” isn’t only a political ideal, but a principle that e-tailers are putting into practice to engage consumers in the creative process. At the forefront of this movement is Blank Label, a Shanghai-based company. On its site, men are no longer just shoppers; they design their own shirts within a set of configurations to suit their needs.
It’s an interactive platform that results in more satisfied shoppers because they get exactly what they want and need.
“I think there is a ton of growth to be had in this space because co-creation is the next level of consumer orientation,” says Wong. “And with Gen Y’s entitled attitude, co-creation companies will continue to thrive. There has already been massive growth in the industry.”
Shoppers can now also be investors, with a series of crowdfunding platforms that allow a return on their investment – with style points. London-based Catwalk Genius allows people to take part in a fund-raising pool ranging from £5,000 (Dh28,760) to £50,000 to produce a collection by a visionary designer – such as the lauded London-based Katie Eary, who counts Lady Gaga among her fans.
“We offer fashion followers the opportunity to get really involved with independent brands. They can buy directly from them and get insider perks in return for support,” says Brown.
On the flip side, these sites are providing resources to talented designers.
“We’re offering design brands the opportunity to reach their audience in a much more cost-effective way than they can get anywhere else,” says Brown.
It’s a mission that Cecilia Pagkalinawan, a luxury-industry veteran who worked on Burberry’s e-commerce site, is tackling as well at the soon-to-launch Styletrek.com.
“Many independent designers do not have the manpower or capital to create and manage their own e-commerce sites or market themselves globally,” explains Pagkalinawan, who is the company’s chief executive. “Up-and-coming designers deserve to have access to the same resources as established brands.
“Our business does not grow unless the designer is successful, so we are putting considerable resources behind the designers we feature on Styletrek.”
Despite its focus on incubating designers, the benefit isn’t lost on consumers: “Shoppers have access to top designers and fashions worldwide,” says Pagkalinawan.
You know it’s a trend when stylists get involved. Sarah Sulzberger Perpich, a New York-based fashion stylist who runs the wardrobe consultancy Stylish Sarah, uses the apparently endless resources of the internet to find pieces that are missing in her clients’ wardrobes.
“The best things I find online for my clients are jeans and shoes,” she says. “Many times you can find a style of a jean that isn’t the most popular, so it’s not in every store – like the high-waisted Bardot jeans by J Brand, which work so well on many women.”
According to Perpich, heels that are not ridiculously high or trendy, and which are both stylish and practical, are like gold dust in physical shops, but they can be found readily online.
In fact, there is a multitude of speciality online boutiques teeming with chic pieces not available in mainstream outlets, including the likes of Ninaandlola.com, which has an international roster of independent designers such as Stine Goya of Denmark and Clarissa Labin from Germany, both of whom make covetable pieces that are hard to come by outside their own countries.
For vintage pieces, sites such as Atelier-Mayer.com feature well- curated items, such as a rare Jean Patou dress from the 1920s or Balenciaga dresses from the 1960s, as well as costume jewellery and accessories.
The owner, Carmen Haid, has used the internet as a tool to establish a global clientele to whom she caters with travelling trunk shows (she stopped off in Dubai a couple of months ago), and a newly established London showroom.
Meanwhile, eBay remains an astounding and ever-changing resource for antique and vintage clothes and jewellery from around the world. Looking for the perfect black necklace to go with that dress? The auction site has hundreds on offer, from 19th-century jet to 1930s Czech glass and 1970s plastic. Seeking kimono silk to make into a cocktail dress? Buy handpainted material for $70 straight from a Kyoto seller.
Recycled and vintage clothes have an ethical appeal, of course, and those who are concerned with such things can find many resources for handmade and sustainable pieces: type “ethical fashion” into Google and more than six million hits appear.
Discount fashion is also widely available, with Net-a-porter.com’s discount offshoot, theOutnet.com and the UAE site www.modahouse.com both offering high-end designer pieces for a fraction of their retail prices.
But it is those with a love of the unique, the highly individual and the wildly quirky who can really benefit from online fashion. Department store buyers who have their accountants to answer to simply can’t take risks with their budgets, and with the added economic judders of the past couple of years, have had to play it even safer than usual.
The more adventurous stylistas, then, who love discovering new designers at markets or picking up one-off pieces from craft fairs, can satisfy their longings with sites such as Hidden Art (www.hiddenartshop.com), which sells the work of highly trained designer-makers; Pretaportobello.com, which brings Spitalfields’ and Portobello Road’s buzzing London market stalls to the web; and, of course, Etsy.com, where budding designers can sell their crafted pieces for as much or as little as they choose, and make it a hobby or a career. Certainly there’s some ropey old rubbish on there, but there are also hidden gems for those with the patience to search.
At the higher end of the market, Couturelab.com sells handcrafted luxuries such as exotic Nancy Gonzalez handbags and Anish Kapoor-designed jewellery; and the ever-popular French boutique Colette has special collaborations with designers both eminent and obscure.
Closer to home, Dia-Boutique.com brings together clothing from the best Arab talents, such as Karen Karam and Georges Chakra. It’s a “dynamic gateway where the most interesting, unique fashion designers from Beirut and Istanbul to New York and London come together”, says its founder, Rasha Khouri. “Our designers forge contemporary fashion, design and art trends that are equally influenced by voices from the East as by the West.
Where else can you get a scarf from New York, a dress from Lebanon and a jacket from Istanbul that are all by designers who show at the top fashion weeks and are featured in Vogue and worn by celebrities?”
It’s still a waiting game as to which of these pioneering young companies will flourish in the digital age of fashion commerce, but there is one clear winner: the shopper.
Spree Scam- $35,000 go missing
Blogshopping is susceptible to scams. Here is how it has occurred big time with a blogshop spree.
From the Safe Blogger site: http://www.safeblogshopper.com/2010/04/03/announcements/35000-in-online-shopping-spree-orders-go.html
$35,000 in online shopping spree orders go ‘missing’
April 3, 2010 by safeblogshopper
Netizens file over 40 police reports and 2 online petitions against teen organiser.
By Liew Hanqing,
But with online shopping, you often don’t even get to meet the seller.
Naomi Kurashige, 17, had a good reputation for getting discounts from overseas suppliers for local buyers.
Most of her customers had never met her but they had no qualms about wiring her hundreds of dollars in orders.
Today, there are over 40 police reports against her because $35,000 in orders went “missing”.
Police said they are investigating.
People like Naomi are the middlemen in an online shopping method known as spree shopping.
Her job is to hook up with overseas suppliers and then send out alerts to potential buyers here enticing them with discounts.
Customers like shopping this way because they save on shipping.
That’s when things go well.
For a few months, Naomi made a profit. Then things went horribly wrong.
She claimed that after receiving money from customers here, she wired $35,000 to a UK supplier. But he went missing, and so did the money.
Ignored
She now has two petitions against her and has been flamed on several blogs on Livejournal.com and forums, including Cozycot.com and Hardwarezone.com.
Some online shoppers have accused Naomi of collecting money from them, but not delivering their purchases.
Naomi had organised numerous online sprees under her online nickname, Insert-itemname. In just a few months, she collected about $35,000 for the sprees.
Then her customers waited. But nothing was delivered.
One shopper, Miss Michelle Goh, 23, a project manager, said she paid Naomi about $600 in September for clothing orders from various online retailers such as American Apparel and Urban Outfitters.
She said: “Before I placed an order with Naomi, I did a search about her online. I checked feedback about her and it was okay at the time.
“I don’t know how things turned so nasty in just a couple of months.”
When nothing was delivered, she claimed she wrote to Naomi but her e-mails were ignored.
Miss Goh added: “I got worried. Then she started sending mass e-mails about refunds, but the refunds never came.”
Another participant, Miss Pearlyn Yeo, 23, joined another spree organised by Naomi last December and spent $60 on her order.
She said: “She organised a Topshop spree. I thought it would be a good deal, so I decided to take part.”
Unlike Miss Goh, Miss Yeo said she did not do any checks on Naomi.
She recalled: “I waited three weeks (for my purchase) but nothing came, so I e-mailed Naomi but didn’t get a reply.
“I searched for her name online and I found many complaints about her, so I immediately asked for a refund.”
Most of her e-mails, she claimed, went unanswered until several weeks later, when she got an SMS from Naomi saying her order was on the way.
Said Miss Yeo: “It never came even after I called and texted her repeatedly.”
Yet another online shopper, undergraduate Soh Cailing, 20, said she participated in three sprees organised by Naomi between July and September last year and spent $177.
When nothing came, she wrote to Naomi whom she claimed merely offered excuses.
Both Miss Yeo and Cailing lodged claims at the Small Claims Tribunal, but said Naomi never showed up in court for mediation.
Naomi does not dispute this.
Angry
So shoppers have turned to venting their anger online, warning others about Naomi.
One netizen collated a list of more than 10 police reports lodged against Naomi and also posted screen captures of e-mail correspondence with her.
The pressure finally got to Naomi.
In a mass e-mail sent to spree participants last October, Naomi wrote: “I have scheduled transfers for the next two weeks, with $500 being transferred every day… “I’m having a big family crisis with this going on, so I will settle these by the next two weeks.”
In the e-mail, Naomi said she would not entertain any phone calls nor reply to any more e-mails.
She added that once she had “settled” all outstanding orders and refunds, she plans to stop organising sprees for good.
The spree participants just want their money back.
Said Miss Soh: “We gave Naomi so many chances, but she’s disappointed everyone so far.”
Miss Goh added: “I asked her to return me $200, but she insisted she was really broke, so I didn’t want to push her and waited.
“True enough, I got back nothing – and now, she won’t even reply to my texts.”
Teenage organiser : I’m a victim too
THAT’S what Naomi Kurashige told The New Paper.
The teenager said she had placed orders worth about $35,000 on behalf of spree participants with a UK-based supplier, who also runs a handphone business.
She claimed he disappeared without a trace in October last year. v She said: “I found this supplier online and he was offering big discounts on several popular brands – between 30 and 70 per cent – so I decided to try ordering from him.”
She said that between June and October last year, she organised a number of sprees and placed a few mass orders from the vendor worth “a few hundred dollars” each time.
She said: “For four months, it worked really well and I managed to make a small profit too.”
Naomi said she would buy the items at a discount from the UK supplier and then resell it to the spree participants at a small profit.”I admit that I got greedy, so I started placing larger and even larger orders. But one day, the site disappeared and I could no longer contact him,” she added.
“I am underaged, so I don’t have a credit card, which meant I couldn’t pay the vendor through Paypal.
“I had to make payment with a money order so I just mailed the vendor the money.”
She added that she did not know she could have insured the order.
She said: “I wish I had known about it. I didn’t even know there was a chance of this happening. I just knew that it was fast money and that I liked doing this business.”
She said she had done some background checks on the UK vendor and they had been favourable.
She said: “He had a verified Paypal account, so I thought everything would be okay.”
She claimed that she has given refunds totalling about $24,000 to some spree participants.
“I’ve had to pay the refunds out of the money that I made earlier. Now, I am broke,” she claimed. “It’s my fault. I started with small orders but I got greedy and I have lost tens of thousands of dollars.”
She said her family knows about her predicament and has “already helped as much as they can”.
She added that she has been told by the police to pay back all those who have placed orders with her.
“The police said I have to pay everybody back, or be prepared to go to jail. Even if I do pay people back, there is no guarantee that they will drop the charges against me,” she said.
“I have to find a job that will allow me to save enough to pay everybody back.
“I am trying my best. I just didn’t expect things to get so big so quickly.”
Case: Exercise caution
Mr Seah Seng Choon, Case’s executive director, said consumers should exercise caution before carrying out any online transaction.
He noted: “Should there be a dispute, a consumer may be unable to take any action against the seller, especially when there are no contact details, or if the seller is from another country.”
He said there are several precautions online shoppers can heed:
Do research about suppliers before making any purchases.
Be wary of companies which do not reveal their address and contact details.
Shoppers should try, as far as possible, to deal with registered businesses or businesses that are certified to be trustworthy. Shoppers can check if a business is registered by using the online directory on the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority website,www.acra.gov.sg
Always get contact details of the sellers or spree organisers and suppliers.
In cases where bulky items such as bags are purchased from blogs, ask for a meet-up to receive the items and pay the remaining amount on the spot rather than paying in full upon ordering the items.
If consumers suspect something is amiss, a police report should be lodged.
Consumers should transact with accredited sites, such as those that show the “TrustSg” Trustmark or the CaseTrust Trustmark as such businesses are assessed to have met a set of required standards.
Figures from the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore’s website show that, of Internet users aged 15 years and above who have used the Internet in 2008, 36 per cent shop online, an increase of over 27 per cent in 2004.
PayPal said the volume of online PayPal transactions made with overseas-based stores by consumers in Singapore has been growing by over 70 per cent annually.
Source: http://www.digitalone.com.sg/news/article/11058
Blogshops hosting
This is something worth investigating.
If the costs to host an online store is so cheap now, why do people still hang on to their blogshops? Pay a little and you could have shopping cart facilities, as well as the professional ambience of a proper dotcom.
From: http://www.vdo-uniserv.co.cc/2010/08/netfirms-promo-code
Related posts:
If the costs to host an online store is so cheap now, why do people still hang on to their blogshops? Pay a little and you could have shopping cart facilities, as well as the professional ambience of a proper dotcom.
From: http://www.vdo-uniserv.co.cc/2010/08/netfirms-promo-code
Netfirms Promo Code
August 20th, 2010
I visited an online fashion fair last week where small businesses with an online presences only came together bazaar-like at the shopping mall to promote their goods. I was quite surprised that even though these are probably serious entrepreneurs, since they took time, money and effort to participate in fairs like these to promote their store, that a lot of them, though with net presence, do not run a proper online store. A lot of them are still running blog shops. While blog shops work, they don’t give a sense of seriousness to the business, in my opinion.
I managed to talk to a few business owners and they said they are not willing to fork out too much on their web hosting. Well, if they use promotional codes, they wouldn’t have to pay the full price. I have on hand a netfirms.com promotion code that would save a new Netfirms hosting subscriber up to 33% on business web hosting.
I personally feel that if an online store is hosted professionally, it would make a tremendous difference from the customer’s point of view. It would give visitors confidence to shop. Granted, a business hosting package is more expensive than running a blog shop but then one can really see the difference in terms of sales.
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Characteristics of a Blog Shop Owner
As entrepreneurial entities, blogshops are personified by their owners.
Here is a good article about what it takes to be a blogshop entrepreneur.
From the Safe Blogger site: http://www.safeblogshopper.com/2010/06/01/featured-articles-for-blogshop-owners/characteristics-of-a-blog-shop-owner.html
What’s your vision? Do you recognise commercial opportunities, knowing where you would want to take your blog shop business, and what your blog shop business would look like. Are you ambitious – do you really desire to see this happen? Without vision, how can you plan to get there, and then know when you’ve arrived?
Characteristics of Successful Blog Shop Entrepreneurs
-A successful entrepreneur is motivated by personal and family considerations.
-Desire for independence and a strong sense of initiative are usually characteristics of a successful entrepreneur.
-Entrepreneurs are dedicated to their businesses.
- Commited to their business.
- With pleasing personality.
- Passion for their business.
- Knows what his/her customers want.
- Must ahve leadership qualities.
Leadership characteristics include:
-A realistic but clear vision of a goal and means of achieving that goal.
-The ability to communicate this vision to others and to believe that the goal is worth achieving.
-Leaders are able to assume responsibility for risk.
You should:
-Do what you enjoy
What you get out of your business in the form of personal satisfaction, financial gain, stability and enjoyment will be the sum of what you put into your business. So if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, in all likelihood it’s safe to assume that will be reflected in the success of your business–or subsequent lack of success. In fact, if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, chances are you won’t succeed.
- Plan everything
Planning every aspect of your home business is not only a must, but also builds habits that every home business owner should develop, implement, and maintain. Business planning also serves a second function, which is having your goals and how you will achieve them, on paper.
- Project a positive business image
You have but a passing moment to make a positive and memorable impression on people with whom you intend to do business.
-Get to know your customers
One of the biggest features and often the most significant competitive edge the blog shop entrepreneur has over the larger competitors is the he can offer personalized attention.
- Project a positive business image
You have but a passing moment to make a positive and memorable impression on people with whom you intend to do business. You must rely on imagination, creativity and attention to the smallest detail when creating and maintaining a professional image for your blogshop.
Blog shop businesses today are quickly becoming the norm all over the world. With all of the economic problems, setting up an internet business can become the answer to many people’s money problems.
But what does it takes to run a successful blog shop business? Blog shop businesses may be easy to set up and harder to make a success out of.
Here is a good article about what it takes to be a blogshop entrepreneur.
From the Safe Blogger site: http://www.safeblogshopper.com/2010/06/01/featured-articles-for-blogshop-owners/characteristics-of-a-blog-shop-owner.html
Characteristics of a Blog Shop Owner
June 1, 2010 by safeblogshopper
What’s your vision? Do you recognise commercial opportunities, knowing where you would want to take your blog shop business, and what your blog shop business would look like. Are you ambitious – do you really desire to see this happen? Without vision, how can you plan to get there, and then know when you’ve arrived?
Characteristics of Successful Blog Shop Entrepreneurs
-A successful entrepreneur is motivated by personal and family considerations.
-Desire for independence and a strong sense of initiative are usually characteristics of a successful entrepreneur.
-Entrepreneurs are dedicated to their businesses.
- Commited to their business.
- With pleasing personality.
- Passion for their business.
- Knows what his/her customers want.
- Must ahve leadership qualities.
Leadership characteristics include:
-A realistic but clear vision of a goal and means of achieving that goal.
-The ability to communicate this vision to others and to believe that the goal is worth achieving.
-Leaders are able to assume responsibility for risk.
You should:
-Do what you enjoy
What you get out of your business in the form of personal satisfaction, financial gain, stability and enjoyment will be the sum of what you put into your business. So if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, in all likelihood it’s safe to assume that will be reflected in the success of your business–or subsequent lack of success. In fact, if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, chances are you won’t succeed.
- Plan everything
Planning every aspect of your home business is not only a must, but also builds habits that every home business owner should develop, implement, and maintain. Business planning also serves a second function, which is having your goals and how you will achieve them, on paper.
- Project a positive business image
You have but a passing moment to make a positive and memorable impression on people with whom you intend to do business.
-Get to know your customers
One of the biggest features and often the most significant competitive edge the blog shop entrepreneur has over the larger competitors is the he can offer personalized attention.
- Project a positive business image
You have but a passing moment to make a positive and memorable impression on people with whom you intend to do business. You must rely on imagination, creativity and attention to the smallest detail when creating and maintaining a professional image for your blogshop.
Blog shop businesses today are quickly becoming the norm all over the world. With all of the economic problems, setting up an internet business can become the answer to many people’s money problems.
But what does it takes to run a successful blog shop business? Blog shop businesses may be easy to set up and harder to make a success out of.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
MOFEW 2010 coverage
I wanted to put up some pictures and write up about the MOFEW 2010 event, but it is too time consuming, so I will do the easy thing by linking to blogs that have reported it.
I will not copy and paste whole posts here, but just the links.
From the Jayelleenelial.com blog: http://jayelleenelial.com/malaysias-first-charity-online-fashion-entrepreneurs-weekend-mofew-was-pretty-awesome/
Here is another one from: http://www.ashopaholicsden.com/2010/08/15/mofew-2010/
August 15th, 2010
I missed the opening on Friday because I was working but managed to head over there on Saturday morning before work. While the event starts at 11.00am, by 10-ish, plenty of people were already in the hall and shopping away!
A very helpful layout plan placed at the entrance to locate all the participating blogshops during the weekend and also the itinerary packed with performances and so much more:
Complete with rest area and stage for performances as well too. I wish I could have stayed to check out the Finals for MOFEW myself … and the performances as well too. But alas, work beckons
Let’s get shopping! With over 80+ participating blogshops, where does one start?
Soul Chic - They bagged first runner up!
La Dolce – An adorable display with plenty of accessories to choose from
Sugar Dressing – A huge collection of bags to choose from
Supermodel Secrets - Michelle who was kind enough to provide me a demo for hair bumpits which I will be writing up a product review on real soon and also on Carmex lip balm
Didn’t manage to get the name of this booth but they have some pretty funky statement tees for both babes and dudes!
And if you’re an accessory junkie, check these here out:
Like what you see? It’s none other than Soak Republic! Very interesting way of displaying their goods and very creative as well too
Sharing a booth along with Soak Republic is Eff-Bombs who helped manned the booth while the team from Soak Republic was away
Know for their extensive collection of LBDs – Rara Black
For those of you who love bags, you would have enjoyed the weekend because they were bags everywhere! This one here is from none other than Nakalicious
Quirky Brown Cow really did up their booth well with simple but eye-catching decor!
If you love tees as much as I do, My Favouritees is not to be missed!
A
nother awesome display by Ugly Duckling Closet. Spot the rubber duckies they brought along with them. Tee-hee
Want more bags? They sure are eye candy for us shopaholics alright! Woot! Almost like being in a candy store, only it’s with bags this time
Grace and her mum from Lush Serendipity with plenty of clothes, shoes and of course bags!
They even got Yunique Paradise with all the lovely collection of shoes! Best part is of course you can try them on the spot *grins*
From the babe who brought you plenty of headbands in all sorts of designs, Carrie from Sugar Poppins sharing a booth with the babe who brings you tanks for RM5 every day, Tanksfor5 – Cynthia
More handmade accessories from Itsy Beadsy, finding plenty of accessories in the midst of all the bags and clothes from neighbouring vendors
For the girls who adore flowers, these here might just be what you have been looking for all along
More bags and some with real quirky designs, like the backpack they have on display are all from Club Mod
Love accessories but can’t find what you want? You can always have them customized by the Aura on the spot! Plenty of charms to choose from you might end up going home with more than what you wanted *winks*
There were a lot more participating blogshops of course but as time did not permit, I had to leave. Didn’t get to shop much but I got myself a white tee, I have a thing for white tees if you must know. Tee-hee. And I found it quite adorable. Check out the whole packaging for the product:
Complete with care instructions for the limited tee “I’m Human, Not God”
Thanks to Kyliesan. Can’t wait for more exciting designs from her *grins*
Going home with a brand new white tee and of course, what’s a bazaar without a goodie bag? *grins*
Thank you Jan and team for inviting me as part of the online media support for the event! It was great and am looking forward to see this as an annual event for the online blogshops
I will not copy and paste whole posts here, but just the links.
From the Jayelleenelial.com blog: http://jayelleenelial.com/malaysias-first-charity-online-fashion-entrepreneurs-weekend-mofew-was-pretty-awesome/
Here is another one from: http://www.ashopaholicsden.com/2010/08/15/mofew-2010/
August 15th, 2010
MOFEW 2010
If you haven’t heard, there was a major on ground gathering for online blogshops in Mid Valley last weekend which took place in Hall 3, MVEC. What was it? Why, it was MOFEW – Malaysia’s Online Fashion Entrepreneur WeekendI missed the opening on Friday because I was working but managed to head over there on Saturday morning before work. While the event starts at 11.00am, by 10-ish, plenty of people were already in the hall and shopping away!
A very helpful layout plan placed at the entrance to locate all the participating blogshops during the weekend and also the itinerary packed with performances and so much more:
Complete with rest area and stage for performances as well too. I wish I could have stayed to check out the Finals for MOFEW myself … and the performances as well too. But alas, work beckons
Let’s get shopping! With over 80+ participating blogshops, where does one start?
Soul Chic - They bagged first runner up!
La Dolce – An adorable display with plenty of accessories to choose from
Sugar Dressing – A huge collection of bags to choose from
Supermodel Secrets - Michelle who was kind enough to provide me a demo for hair bumpits which I will be writing up a product review on real soon and also on Carmex lip balm
Didn’t manage to get the name of this booth but they have some pretty funky statement tees for both babes and dudes!
And if you’re an accessory junkie, check these here out:
Like what you see? It’s none other than Soak Republic! Very interesting way of displaying their goods and very creative as well too
Sharing a booth along with Soak Republic is Eff-Bombs who helped manned the booth while the team from Soak Republic was away
Know for their extensive collection of LBDs – Rara Black
For those of you who love bags, you would have enjoyed the weekend because they were bags everywhere! This one here is from none other than Nakalicious
Quirky Brown Cow really did up their booth well with simple but eye-catching decor!
If you love tees as much as I do, My Favouritees is not to be missed!
A
nother awesome display by Ugly Duckling Closet. Spot the rubber duckies they brought along with them. Tee-hee
Want more bags? They sure are eye candy for us shopaholics alright! Woot! Almost like being in a candy store, only it’s with bags this time
Grace and her mum from Lush Serendipity with plenty of clothes, shoes and of course bags!
They even got Yunique Paradise with all the lovely collection of shoes! Best part is of course you can try them on the spot *grins*
From the babe who brought you plenty of headbands in all sorts of designs, Carrie from Sugar Poppins sharing a booth with the babe who brings you tanks for RM5 every day, Tanksfor5 – Cynthia
More handmade accessories from Itsy Beadsy, finding plenty of accessories in the midst of all the bags and clothes from neighbouring vendors
For the girls who adore flowers, these here might just be what you have been looking for all along
More bags and some with real quirky designs, like the backpack they have on display are all from Club Mod
Love accessories but can’t find what you want? You can always have them customized by the Aura on the spot! Plenty of charms to choose from you might end up going home with more than what you wanted *winks*
There were a lot more participating blogshops of course but as time did not permit, I had to leave. Didn’t get to shop much but I got myself a white tee, I have a thing for white tees if you must know. Tee-hee. And I found it quite adorable. Check out the whole packaging for the product:
Complete with care instructions for the limited tee “I’m Human, Not God”
Thanks to Kyliesan. Can’t wait for more exciting designs from her *grins*
Going home with a brand new white tee and of course, what’s a bazaar without a goodie bag? *grins*
Thank you Jan and team for inviting me as part of the online media support for the event! It was great and am looking forward to see this as an annual event for the online blogshops
EXCLUSIVE TIE-UP BETWEEN DBS AND PAYPAL FOR ONLINE SHOPPING
This is a news release from the Trading Markets website.
One of the factors that will help cast greater recognition for blogshop businesses is their payment mechanisms.
Credit cards, a mainstay of most conventional e-commerce sites does not really work with blogshops for 2 reasons;
1. Many younger customers, especially students do not own credit cards so they have to get them from their parents.
2. Many blogshop businesses do not have credit card facilities becuz it requires them to file as companies in order to qualify for the facilities. Many don't want to go this route for various reasons.
Paypal is not as widely used here either. Unlike in the US, Paypal users here have to link the PP account to their credit cards. No credit cards mean no PP.
So blogshops get around this by using bank transfers as their primary mode of payment, as well as CODs in some instances.
This is where this news below could be a boon for blogshoppers. If people can link their regular bank accounts with PayPal, it means payment on blgoshops will be much easier.
In some ways, it probably testifies yet again to the growth and increasing leverage of the blogshop industry in Singapore that the established institutions like banks are starting to provide conveniences for the blogshop communities. One more step in the march toward going mainstream.
From http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/press-release/pypl_exclusive-tie-up-between-dbs-and-paypal-for-online-shopping-1108290.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCLUSIVE TIE-UP BETWEEN DBS AND PAYPAL FOR ONLINE SHOPPING
Posted on: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:09:00 EDT
Aug 12, 2010 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) --
(Full text of statement. Contact details below.)
MEDIA RELEASE PR40791
Exclusive Tie-Up Between DBS and PayPal Liberates the Global Online Shopping
Experience for DBS/POSB Customers in Singapore SINGAPORE, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire-Asia-AsiaNet/ --
First-in-Asia-Pacific collaboration enables DBS/POSB customers to now use their bank accounts to top-up PayPal accounts for faster, safer online shopping without a credit card Through a first-of-its-kind collaboration in the Asia Pacific region, PayPal and DBS Bank, Singapore's largest bank, announced the immediate availability of an innovative payment solution that allows DBS/POSB customers in Singapore to now use their bank accounts* to fund their PayPal accounts and shop online with over eight million merchants worldwide in 190 markets and 24 currencies. This exclusive collaboration in Singapore provides four million DBS/POSB customers with a virtual wallet for online global shopping, empowering a new segment of consumers to buy products and services on the web -- without the use of a credit card. This new service enables DBS POSB customers to complete the funding process with greater speed and ease via DBS iBanking.
Online shopping is growing in popularity in Singapore as smart and savvy consumers search the internet and online retailers for fantastic deals or purchase items that are not available locally. Recent research by PayPal and Blackbox showed that online shopping has gained considerable traction among Singaporeans with more than half intending to buy online and 44 per cent of overall expenditure expected to be spent online. Starting today, DBS/POSB customers can use iBanking to top-up their PayPal accounts to conveniently purchase on their PCs or mobile phones from leading Singapore merchants, including OSIM, FarEastFlora.com and Club21, as well as millions of overseas merchants that accept PayPal as a payment method.
"DBS is pleased to be the first to tie up with PayPal in Asia Pacific to bring greater convenience and speed to our customers making online purchases. We are constantly enhancing our payment offerings to meet our customers' changing lifestyle needs. While online transactions are typically enjoyed by credit cardholders, our exclusive collaboration with PayPal now gives our four million customers in Singapore the ability to shop online even if they do not own a credit card or feel uncomfortable revealing their credit card information online," said Mr. Sandeep Lal, Managing Director of Consumer Banking Group eBusiness, DBS Bank.
"In an Asia-Pacific first, PayPal is working directly with DBS to enable their customers to conveniently fund their PayPal accounts directly from their bank accounts, in order to use PayPal's global payment platform for faster, safer online shopping with eight million merchants worldwide," said Farhad Irani, PayPal's General Manager and Vice President of Asia. "We are delighted with this exclusive collaboration with one of Asia's leading banks here in Singapore and firmly believe that today is the beginning of a more secure, enjoyable online shopping experience for millions of DBS/POSB customers seeking to shop the world from Singapore." Funding PayPal accounts with DBS/POSB bank accounts for card-free online shopping This new service can be used by all DBS/POSB customers who currently do not have a credit card, from tertiary students to young working adults or home-makers. DBS/POSB customers with a credit card can also use this service if they are uncomfortable shopping online due to credit card fraud or want to better manage their spending. As part of the launch promotion for this new service, DBS/POSB customers will get a SG$10 rebate when spending at least SG$100 on their first-time transaction through their bank account-funded PayPal account before September 30, 2010**. For more information, please visit http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal others/paypal/default.aspx .
In order to use this new service, DBS/POSB customers need to have an existing PayPal account or open a new one at http:/ www.paypal.com.sg . In addition to great offers from PayPal merchants worldwide, PayPal users also enjoy the following benefits for faster, safer and more secure online payments
-- Faster with Express Checkout: PayPal users do not have to enter their financial details every time they buy an item; -- More secure through Online Financial Privacy: PayPal does not share users' financial information with merchants
-- Greater confidence with PayPal's Buyer Protection Policy: PayPal users will get a full refund if they do not receive eligible items that they ordered.
To activate this new service, DBS/POSB customers can simply log into their iBanking accounts and add PayPal as a new bill payee. Funds can then be easily transferred from their DBS/POSB bank accounts to their PayPal accounts via bill payment from the same secure iBanking environment.
What Consumers Say "Using DBS iBanking to transfer money to my PayPal account is simple and it gives me the freedom to shop and purchase items online without having to rely on credit cards. Besides not having to worry about credit card fraud, this service also enables me to track and control my spending more easily -- no credit card bill shock for me at the end of the month."
- Sean Padman McMenamin, 25, Allied Educator "Online shopping allows me to find and buy items that can only be found overseas, like limited edition items or even vintage pieces, or get better deals when I shop online with some international retailers. I can confidently shop on any overseas website as PayPal's Buyer Protection Policy will provide a full refund if I don't receive the physical items.
By transferring funds from my DBS bank account to my PayPal account, I can get all the benefits of online shopping, even without a credit card."
- Jasmine Foo, 23, Management Trainee "I used to pester my parents for permission to use their credit card when I want to shop online. With this new service, I can now simply shop using my own DBS bank account by transferring money to my PayPal account to purchase the items that I've been eyeing from my favourite local blogshops.
The strong Singapore dollar also means that items are cheaper when I use PayPal to shop on international websites. Even though I don't have a credit card, I still want to get great deals online in Singapore and overseas!"
- Eugenia Lim, 18, JC student * Available only for DBS/POSB Savings and Current Accounts.
** Terms and conditions apply.
About DBS
DBS is one of the largest financial services groups in Asia with operations in 15 markets. Headquartered in Singapore, DBS is a well-capitalised bank with "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings that are among the highest in the Asia-Pacific region. As a bank that specialises in Asia, DBS leverages its deep understanding of the region, local culture and insights to serve and build lasting relationships with its clients. DBS provides the full range of services in corporate, SME, consumer and wholesale banking activities across Asia and the Middle East. The bank is committed to expanding its pan-Asia franchise by leveraging its growing presence in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to intermediate the increasing trade and investment flows between these markets. Likewise, DBS is focused on extending its end-to-end services to facilitate capital within fast-growing countries in Indonesia and India. DBS acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in each of its 14,000 staff, representing over 30 nationalities. For more information, please visit http://www.dbs.com
About PayPal
PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online. The service allows members to send payments without sharing financial information, with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts (where available), credit cards and other methods. With more than 87 million active accounts in 190 markets and 24 currencies around the world, PayPal enables global e-commerce. The company's open payment platform, PayPal X, allows developers to build innovative payment applications on multiple platforms and devices. More information about the company can be found at https://www.paypal.com.sg .
PayPal is headquartered in San Jose, California and its international headquarters is located in Singapore.
SOURCE DBS Bank; PayPal Asia Pacific
nt
For full details on (PYPL) PYPL. (PYPL) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on (PYPL) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.
One of the factors that will help cast greater recognition for blogshop businesses is their payment mechanisms.
Credit cards, a mainstay of most conventional e-commerce sites does not really work with blogshops for 2 reasons;
1. Many younger customers, especially students do not own credit cards so they have to get them from their parents.
2. Many blogshop businesses do not have credit card facilities becuz it requires them to file as companies in order to qualify for the facilities. Many don't want to go this route for various reasons.
Paypal is not as widely used here either. Unlike in the US, Paypal users here have to link the PP account to their credit cards. No credit cards mean no PP.
So blogshops get around this by using bank transfers as their primary mode of payment, as well as CODs in some instances.
This is where this news below could be a boon for blogshoppers. If people can link their regular bank accounts with PayPal, it means payment on blgoshops will be much easier.
In some ways, it probably testifies yet again to the growth and increasing leverage of the blogshop industry in Singapore that the established institutions like banks are starting to provide conveniences for the blogshop communities. One more step in the march toward going mainstream.
From http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/press-release/pypl_exclusive-tie-up-between-dbs-and-paypal-for-online-shopping-1108290.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCLUSIVE TIE-UP BETWEEN DBS AND PAYPAL FOR ONLINE SHOPPING
Posted on: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:09:00 EDT
Aug 12, 2010 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) --
(Full text of statement. Contact details below.)
MEDIA RELEASE PR40791
Exclusive Tie-Up Between DBS and PayPal Liberates the Global Online Shopping
Experience for DBS/POSB Customers in Singapore SINGAPORE, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire-Asia-AsiaNet/ --
First-in-Asia-Pacific collaboration enables DBS/POSB customers to now use their bank accounts to top-up PayPal accounts for faster, safer online shopping without a credit card Through a first-of-its-kind collaboration in the Asia Pacific region, PayPal and DBS Bank, Singapore's largest bank, announced the immediate availability of an innovative payment solution that allows DBS/POSB customers in Singapore to now use their bank accounts* to fund their PayPal accounts and shop online with over eight million merchants worldwide in 190 markets and 24 currencies. This exclusive collaboration in Singapore provides four million DBS/POSB customers with a virtual wallet for online global shopping, empowering a new segment of consumers to buy products and services on the web -- without the use of a credit card. This new service enables DBS POSB customers to complete the funding process with greater speed and ease via DBS iBanking.
Online shopping is growing in popularity in Singapore as smart and savvy consumers search the internet and online retailers for fantastic deals or purchase items that are not available locally. Recent research by PayPal and Blackbox showed that online shopping has gained considerable traction among Singaporeans with more than half intending to buy online and 44 per cent of overall expenditure expected to be spent online. Starting today, DBS/POSB customers can use iBanking to top-up their PayPal accounts to conveniently purchase on their PCs or mobile phones from leading Singapore merchants, including OSIM, FarEastFlora.com and Club21, as well as millions of overseas merchants that accept PayPal as a payment method.
"DBS is pleased to be the first to tie up with PayPal in Asia Pacific to bring greater convenience and speed to our customers making online purchases. We are constantly enhancing our payment offerings to meet our customers' changing lifestyle needs. While online transactions are typically enjoyed by credit cardholders, our exclusive collaboration with PayPal now gives our four million customers in Singapore the ability to shop online even if they do not own a credit card or feel uncomfortable revealing their credit card information online," said Mr. Sandeep Lal, Managing Director of Consumer Banking Group eBusiness, DBS Bank.
"In an Asia-Pacific first, PayPal is working directly with DBS to enable their customers to conveniently fund their PayPal accounts directly from their bank accounts, in order to use PayPal's global payment platform for faster, safer online shopping with eight million merchants worldwide," said Farhad Irani, PayPal's General Manager and Vice President of Asia. "We are delighted with this exclusive collaboration with one of Asia's leading banks here in Singapore and firmly believe that today is the beginning of a more secure, enjoyable online shopping experience for millions of DBS/POSB customers seeking to shop the world from Singapore." Funding PayPal accounts with DBS/POSB bank accounts for card-free online shopping This new service can be used by all DBS/POSB customers who currently do not have a credit card, from tertiary students to young working adults or home-makers. DBS/POSB customers with a credit card can also use this service if they are uncomfortable shopping online due to credit card fraud or want to better manage their spending. As part of the launch promotion for this new service, DBS/POSB customers will get a SG$10 rebate when spending at least SG$100 on their first-time transaction through their bank account-funded PayPal account before September 30, 2010**. For more information, please visit http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal others/paypal/default.aspx .
In order to use this new service, DBS/POSB customers need to have an existing PayPal account or open a new one at http:/ www.paypal.com.sg . In addition to great offers from PayPal merchants worldwide, PayPal users also enjoy the following benefits for faster, safer and more secure online payments
-- Faster with Express Checkout: PayPal users do not have to enter their financial details every time they buy an item; -- More secure through Online Financial Privacy: PayPal does not share users' financial information with merchants
-- Greater confidence with PayPal's Buyer Protection Policy: PayPal users will get a full refund if they do not receive eligible items that they ordered.
To activate this new service, DBS/POSB customers can simply log into their iBanking accounts and add PayPal as a new bill payee. Funds can then be easily transferred from their DBS/POSB bank accounts to their PayPal accounts via bill payment from the same secure iBanking environment.
What Consumers Say "Using DBS iBanking to transfer money to my PayPal account is simple and it gives me the freedom to shop and purchase items online without having to rely on credit cards. Besides not having to worry about credit card fraud, this service also enables me to track and control my spending more easily -- no credit card bill shock for me at the end of the month."
- Sean Padman McMenamin, 25, Allied Educator "Online shopping allows me to find and buy items that can only be found overseas, like limited edition items or even vintage pieces, or get better deals when I shop online with some international retailers. I can confidently shop on any overseas website as PayPal's Buyer Protection Policy will provide a full refund if I don't receive the physical items.
By transferring funds from my DBS bank account to my PayPal account, I can get all the benefits of online shopping, even without a credit card."
- Jasmine Foo, 23, Management Trainee "I used to pester my parents for permission to use their credit card when I want to shop online. With this new service, I can now simply shop using my own DBS bank account by transferring money to my PayPal account to purchase the items that I've been eyeing from my favourite local blogshops.
The strong Singapore dollar also means that items are cheaper when I use PayPal to shop on international websites. Even though I don't have a credit card, I still want to get great deals online in Singapore and overseas!"
- Eugenia Lim, 18, JC student * Available only for DBS/POSB Savings and Current Accounts.
** Terms and conditions apply.
About DBS
DBS is one of the largest financial services groups in Asia with operations in 15 markets. Headquartered in Singapore, DBS is a well-capitalised bank with "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings that are among the highest in the Asia-Pacific region. As a bank that specialises in Asia, DBS leverages its deep understanding of the region, local culture and insights to serve and build lasting relationships with its clients. DBS provides the full range of services in corporate, SME, consumer and wholesale banking activities across Asia and the Middle East. The bank is committed to expanding its pan-Asia franchise by leveraging its growing presence in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to intermediate the increasing trade and investment flows between these markets. Likewise, DBS is focused on extending its end-to-end services to facilitate capital within fast-growing countries in Indonesia and India. DBS acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in each of its 14,000 staff, representing over 30 nationalities. For more information, please visit http://www.dbs.com
About PayPal
PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online. The service allows members to send payments without sharing financial information, with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts (where available), credit cards and other methods. With more than 87 million active accounts in 190 markets and 24 currencies around the world, PayPal enables global e-commerce. The company's open payment platform, PayPal X, allows developers to build innovative payment applications on multiple platforms and devices. More information about the company can be found at https://www.paypal.com.sg .
PayPal is headquartered in San Jose, California and its international headquarters is located in Singapore.
SOURCE DBS Bank; PayPal Asia Pacific
nt
For full details on (PYPL) PYPL. (PYPL) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on (PYPL) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.
Malaysian Online Fashion Entrepreneurs' Weekend write up
I paid a visit to the MOFEW event last weekend (12-15 August) at the MidValley Exhibition Center in KL. It was a well organized and well attended event, and I was fortunate enough to talk to some of the blogshop owners as well as some sponsors and participants.
I wished I could have interviewed a lot more people but the crowds got big in a hurry and I did not want to take people away from entertaining their customers, so all in all I think it was quite good.
More important is what I have learned from talking to some of the blogshop owners. They have provided helpful insights and what I have gleaned from them will now help direct me toward the next round of data collection.
Article is from: Rage.com blog, http://blog.rage.com.my/taking-it-offline.
By Nasa Maria Entaban
Taking it offline
August 18th, 2010 | Published in NASAssistic
HAVING an online presence is essential for anyone starting up a business in this day and age, but what’s equally important is the physical networking aspect.
I am a true believer in “real life”, or “physical” shopping (walking into a store, trying things on and walking out with shopping bags in hand). Being a little sceptical about online shopping, I always try to check out the merchandise offered by online boutiques when they set up temporary stalls in bazaars and flea markets.
Last weekend, over 80 online fashion entrepreneurs came together for Malaysia’s Online Fashion Entrepreneurs’ Weekend (MOFEW) 2010, held at the Mid Valley Megamall exhibition hall in Kuala Lumpur. The vendors were those who own “blogshops”.
The booths were neatly laid out, with the blogshop owner standing near to answer any questions, and to hand out his or her card with the shop’s URL printed for future surfing.
According to the organisers, 40,000 visitors stopped by the three-day event – some to shop at their favourite online boutiques, others to meet the owners behind the blogs. Just as many were curious passers-by.
Project director Jan Wong and his team got together several months ago to gather blogshop owners and get them on board with the project.
“The online fashion scene is huge, but it lacks presence in the public. Some of these blogshops have been around for five to six years and yet they are not recognised as businesses and their owners, not seen as entrepreneurs,” explained Jan.
“This event is not just your regular bazaar or flea market, it’s an event that will hopefully highlight these fashion entrepreneurs and get their brand out there, encourage aspiring entrepreneurs and instill a spirit of giving among the entrepreneurs.”
The event was also held for charity – donations collected throughout the weekend, plus 10% of the profit made from MOFEW, will be going to the Taman Megah Handicapped & Disabled Chidren’s Home in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Jan and his team e-mailed every blogshop owner they could find, and many responded immediately, expressing their interest in being part of the event.
The blogshop owners that responded were mostly between 18 and 28 years old. Many of them do not only have successful blogs, but also use Facebook and Twitter accounts to help promote their items.
“We want to rebrand blogshop owners as online fashion entrepreneurs,” explained Jan. “During the event we held a series of seminars, workshops and introductions to business opportunities at the main stage area to assist and inspire entrepreneurs.”
Blogshop owner Andrea Kee, who runs the shoe blog Tres Tresors, set up a booth with her mother Pat Kee, who runs Wow Couture, an online boutique specialising in traditional Chinese outfits like the cheongsam and qipao.
“We took part as exhibitors mainly to increase awareness on our brand, and though our sales weren’t what we expected, we’re glad that shoppers now know of the merchandise and services we offer,” said Andrea.
She was also glad to finally meet some of her regular customers for the first time.
“Shoppers really appreciate the chance to try on the shoes and to see for themselves its quality.”
As this was her first time participating in an offline event, Andrea says she realises that both an online and offline prescense are important.
“I’m bringing in a lot of ready stocks this week, trying to change my direction a little. Rather than doing everything based on pre-order, it’d be great to participate in another bazaar/exhibition!” enthused Andrea.
q To find out more about the event, head to www.mofew.com.my.
I am a true believer in “real life”, or “physical” shopping (walking into a store, trying things on and walking out with shopping bags in hand). Being a little sceptical about online shopping, I always try to check out the merchandise offered by online boutiques when they set up temporary stalls in bazaars and flea markets.
Last weekend, over 80 online fashion entrepreneurs came together for Malaysia’s Online Fashion Entrepreneurs’ Weekend (MOFEW) 2010, held at the Mid Valley Megamall exhibition hall in Kuala Lumpur. The vendors were those who own “blogshops”.
The booths were neatly laid out, with the blogshop owner standing near to answer any questions, and to hand out his or her card with the shop’s URL printed for future surfing.
According to the organisers, 40,000 visitors stopped by the three-day event – some to shop at their favourite online boutiques, others to meet the owners behind the blogs. Just as many were curious passers-by.
Project director Jan Wong and his team got together several months ago to gather blogshop owners and get them on board with the project.
“The online fashion scene is huge, but it lacks presence in the public. Some of these blogshops have been around for five to six years and yet they are not recognised as businesses and their owners, not seen as entrepreneurs,” explained Jan.
Online blogshop owners also got to show off their creative decorating skills at MOFEW
The event was also held for charity – donations collected throughout the weekend, plus 10% of the profit made from MOFEW, will be going to the Taman Megah Handicapped & Disabled Chidren’s Home in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Jan and his team e-mailed every blogshop owner they could find, and many responded immediately, expressing their interest in being part of the event.
The blogshop owners that responded were mostly between 18 and 28 years old. Many of them do not only have successful blogs, but also use Facebook and Twitter accounts to help promote their items.
“We want to rebrand blogshop owners as online fashion entrepreneurs,” explained Jan. “During the event we held a series of seminars, workshops and introductions to business opportunities at the main stage area to assist and inspire entrepreneurs.”
Blogshop owner Andrea Kee, who runs the shoe blog Tres Tresors, set up a booth with her mother Pat Kee, who runs Wow Couture, an online boutique specialising in traditional Chinese outfits like the cheongsam and qipao.
Andrea Kee (left), and her mother Pat, brought both their blogshops offline at MOFEW(Malaysia's Online Fashion Entrepreneurs Weekend).
She was also glad to finally meet some of her regular customers for the first time.
“Shoppers really appreciate the chance to try on the shoes and to see for themselves its quality.”
As this was her first time participating in an offline event, Andrea says she realises that both an online and offline prescense are important.
“I’m bringing in a lot of ready stocks this week, trying to change my direction a little. Rather than doing everything based on pre-order, it’d be great to participate in another bazaar/exhibition!” enthused Andrea.
q To find out more about the event, head to www.mofew.com.my.
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