Friday, October 29, 2010

Online Shopping: Bigger and Better

This article is from Emmagem.com and it notes the evolution of many blogshops into e-shops:


From: http://www.emmagem.com/2010/09/04/online-shopping-bigger-and-better/


Online Shopping: Bigger and Better

By: lavender feature photo
It never fails to amaze me how quickly the world of online shopping is expanding. What started off as scattered blogshops grew and formed a massive network with huge varieties. Our own MOFSD gets loads of action, too! With over 2000 blogshops listed, coming and going meant a lot of cleaning up all the time. And now, our lovely online entrepreneurs have even kicked it up a notch by bringing us sophisticated dot com e-boutiques!

What is the difference between a blogshop and an e-shop, you ask? Well first would be their lovely, easy to navigate websites! Nothing says professional quite like a well organized customer information database and a fully functional shopping cart. The products are also of much higher quality and, as they are often imported, you’ll be able to find something a little different.

There are a few e-shops out there, and many more are certainly coming up. But here are, in my opinion, some of the trendiest and most well established ones.

Screen shot 2010-08-16 at 10.30.06 PM

This e-boutique is fabulous for those looking for classy sophisticated pieces. From bodycon skirts to fitting blazers, this is the place to find wardrobe staples. Though the apparels are often in very neutral colors like beige, black, white and brown, they still come off looking absolutely gorgeous! You can even find work appropriate pieces here, which we all know is a bit of a challenge when shopping online. The best part about this website? Despite its high-end appearance, most of the pieces are actually surprisingly affordable!


Another must-see would have to be The Pop Look. The overall style of this e-boutique leans more towards boho and vintage inspired. Expect to find cute prints, sweet lace and pretty frills. Aside form that, the owners of The Pop Look have even made an effort to take care of all of a woman’s fashion needs by providing us with staples such as Nu Bras. A one-stop shop, so convenient!


Despite its name, there is certainly nothing ugly about the Ugly Duckling Closet! Just like the two mentioned above, this e-boutique has its own unique sense of style. Here, you can find all things cute, quirky and sometimes even outrageous! The photographs are fabulous, too. Different pieces are often paired together, with hairstyles and accessories thrown in. The entire website is a fashion inspiration! Definitely worth a look.

Screen shot 2010-08-16 at 10.35.51 PM

This next one on the list is a little different because it’s an e-boutique that sells only bags! Not boring everyday handbags though! Gin and Jacqie’s exclusive designs are gorgeous, long lasting and extremely practical. Expect to find lovely laptop cases that in beautiful designs with padding for protection. Their best sellers? Bag organizers! I absolutely adore those. They’re designed in such sensible ways with compartments for just about anything you could possibly think of to keep in your handbag. Saves you the trouble of constantly rooting around in your handbag! Prices are a little high but definitely worth every penny.

Screen shot 2010-08-20 at 9.13.47 PM

And finally, we have our very own Emma Shoppe, which truth be told is more of a web-mall than an e-boutique. Designed specially for your convenience, Emma Shoppe provides you with large varieties of apparels (for men and women), designer items, home decor products and even gifts! The clothing section features designers from both Malaysia and Hong Kong, so you have plenty to choose from. Many of our items are unique so you never have to worry about not standing out! Aside from that, you can also look forward to a large array of beautiful bouquets (delivery service provided!), super cute iPhone covers, practical storage solutions and all sorts of other awesome stuff!

I am absolutely loving this expansion of dot com boutiques. I simply find them so much more reliable! I hope you enjoy these gorgeous e-shops.


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Adding a blog to your online shop

This article talks about the value of a blog to help make an online store more searchable.  This is within the context of an EC store (made from a store builder software).

The main idea is that blogs help with search engine rankings.  Well written and popular blogs housed on the same domain or subdomain with the EC site will help make a site found more easily so it makes sense to add a blog to an EC store.

For blogshops, the hosting on blog sites naturally helps the store in terms of searchability.



Adding a Blog to Your Online Shop

Posted: Oct 24, 2010 | Comments: 0 |
Most store builder software today will help you create a blog that easily converts. That's just the start of having an effective online store. Choose a good niche to work with, find a reliable supplier, make your navigation easy to understand and voila! You've got a nice online shop going.

The good old adage of "build it and they will come" does not exactly work for online stores. You will be in competition with hundreds, if not thousands, of other web retailers. Each one has it's unique selling proposition.

Despite getting a good store builder, you will also need to focus on attracting the right visitors to your online shop and converting them into solid sales. Search engine optimization is one way to do this. Find the right keywords that your market is using to find the products you are selling and target these in your meta tags and in your content. You should also work on building links to your online shop.

If you're not exactly the techie store owner, but you do enjoy writing/talking, then there's one other alternative. You can do something as simple as writing a blog about the items that you are selling online. House this blog within the same domain - either as a subdomain or a subfolder. It should be related to your online store in some way. There are actually instances when blogs go viral and gain popularity online. If this happens to you, having your blog as part of your main domain will work well for your branding efforts.

Your tone should depend on the kind of audience you are targeting for your online store. We recommend keeping it light and casual, yet sticking to the rules of grammar and good writing. This will make you seem professional but approachable.

Don't be all about business and hard selling. Informative blogs are just as effective as sales blogs. Give your readers more information about the background of your online store, highlight your favorite customer testimonials, focus on some benefits of buying a particular product. Make people want to read your blog by creating content relevant to them.

Integrate social media elements into your online store's blog by adding plug-ins. Social plug-ins from Facebook can allow you to immediately add the "Like" button on your online shop. You can also add a way for your audience to Tweet about post or to add it to their social book marking accounts.

Last, but not the least, don't use it as a one-way marketing tool. Your blog should be both responsive and interactive. If you receive comments - whether negative ones or positive ones - you should always acknowledge and respond to it. The more it leans towards the neutral and negative comments, the better the opportunity for you to interact with your audience directly.

(ArticlesBase SC #3535669)


Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/adding-a-blog-to-your-online-shop-3535669.html#ixzz13cRfkNBe
 
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Blogshop Wholesalers and Suppliers in Bangkok

Since I will taking a trip to Bangkok soon, I would like to look up some of these suppliers and see their operations.

Here are some sites/threads that have been helpful with these info:

http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7730
http://www.blogshopcity.com/wholesale-distributors-suppliers-b2b/1401-where-find-blogshop-suppliers-wholesaler-bangkok.html
http://www.platinumfashionmall.com/
http://blogshoplist.blogspot.com/


The known fashion suppliers in Bangkok can be found in:

  • Platinum Mall- Petchaburi Road opposite Amari Hotel
  • Pratunam 
  • Bobae market (low end)- between Royal Princess Hotel and Social Welfare Department
  • Chatuchat market (low end but good bargains), and JJ Mall located opposite the Queen Sirikit Park
  • City Plaza

Monday, October 25, 2010

The conventional use of blogs to support EC is to create content that will help to attract readers and subsequently drive traffic to your EC website.

Of course, blogshops circumvent all this, and goes straight to hosting EC on the blog itself (hence blogshops).

This article gives advise to conventional EC site owners on how to accomplish this:

From http://www.ecommerceinboundmarketing.com/traffic-generation/how-to-blog-for-ecommerce-stores/

How to drive traffic to an eCommerce store is one of the most hottest topics for eCommerce store owners.   The more visitors to your store, the more conversions you will have.  So how do you drive more traffic to your store?  By creating unique, remarkable and valuable content that others (including search engines) will see and remark upon.  The most effective way to create this unique content on a regular basis is through a blog.

1.  What do I write about?
Developing a topic to write about on a consistent basis is an important decision.  You should not just write about your products, you should write about your industry.  If you sell widgets, write about how widgets are used, new features of widgets,and industry news about widgets.

2.  How do I make my content remarkable?
You make your content remarkable by creating unique, creative and valuable information.  Do not be afraid to experiment with other mediums like video and powerpoint presentations on your blog.  Video demonstrations are a spectacular way of both showcasing your products and creating remarkable content.

3.  How long should my blog posts be?
This varies, but I recommend that no post is shorter than 200 words.  You want to make sure that your content is worthy of someone recommending to a friend, and sometimes it is just really difficult to do that in under 200 words.

Of course some posts can have just a couple of sentences followed by a video or powerpoint presentation.

4.  Why does blogging even matter?  I sell items, not content.
Publishing regular content to your website will help drive more traffic to your site and store.  Afterall, the more traffic driven to a site, the more chances you have at conversions.

Lets say that you sell widgets and that you want to drive traffic to your site for people looking for “red square widgets” because you have the best “red square widgets” in the marketplace.  You could either pay for PPC campaigns on “red square widgets” or you could create unique content around “red square widgets” that gets shared and linked to organically.

So would you rather pay for each click to your website for someone looking for “red square widgets” or would you rather get that traffic organically and for free?

Try creating a couple of posts around “red square widgets”.  ex:
  • 10 Ways Red Square Widgets are Better than Blue Round Widgets
  • Red Square Widgets Make Your Life Easier
  • Why Red Square Widgets Will Dominate Holiday Sales

Blogshop Cart

This appears to be an important application for any blogshop owners who want to build a sustainable business on their blog stores.  The reason many blogshop owners do not convert into an EC site is COST.

Now, here is a FREE application that allows blogshop users to install a shopping cart facility, together with credit card and PayPal provisions as well as inventory management and store administration management system.

The pieces are now available for blogshops to bring their business to another level.

From: http://www.blogshopcart.com/


BlogShopCart.Com - Setup Your BlogShop Today!
BlogShopCart.Com - Navigation Menu

BlogShopCart - Our Featured Clients
BlogShopCart - How It Works?











This is more information about this software, from Hardwarezone which created this product:

From: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=2959737

You can create your own blog shop in 3 simple steps! Start selling online with a proper shop front + Payment system.

Our software is created for YOU:

* Who seeks to enhance their shop-fronts
* Who desires to set-up a professional BlogShop that requires no hosting cost
* Who is a wholesaler, retailer or has an online company and is in search of an effective platform to increase brand and product awareness
* Who wants to be a cut above the rest of your competitors!

The long and overdue problems:

* Long waiting time for product images to be uploaded
* Lack of in-built shopping cart features
* Platform incompatibility that leads to limitation of enhancements
* Hassle of posting product details as Blog entries

BlogShopCart – Why should I use it?

* It is absolutely FREE!
* Fast and easy to setup, even with limited IT knowledge
* Simplified Shopping Cart For Online Shops
* Allows unlimited products uploads
* Paypal/Credit/Debit Cards Payment Module
* Customised Shipping Table Module
* Automated Calculations of Shipping Cost Upon Checkout
* System automatically email order when customer placed an order
* Advertisement Panels For Blogshop to advertise
* Professional Admin panel for easy editing and management
* Technical support available through email system...etc

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

What is a consignment shop?

This is a CONSIGNMENT SHOP format which operates in the US.

There are similarities with blogshops in terms of the selling items that are pre-loved and at lower prices.  They do not use a blog platform but a shopping cart site, but the ideas are pretty much the same as with blogshops in terms of cost cutting.

From: http://www.examiner.com/fashion-in-albany/what-are-consignment-shops

What is a consignment shop?

  • October 11th, 2010 9:23 pm ET
Consignment shops are becoming extremely popular to the frugal yet fashionable. Often confused with thrift shops or goodwill due to selling second hand clothing, consignment shops differ in that the profits are split between two parties: consignment shops (consignor) and the people who bring the items in to be sold (consignee). Merchandise at thrift shops are mostly donated and purchased as is (you get what you pay for). Most merchandise is damaged in some way and may be extremely worn. On the other hand most consignment shops will not accept merchandise unless it looks new and the label is high-end, which affords them the ability to sell merchandise at a much higher price. Consignors and consignees split their profits and its usually a 50/50 or 60/40 split (the consignment shop receiving the higher percentage).
I had the pleasure of interviewing Tasha S. Robinson owner of Imperfect Concepts Boutique an online consignment shop. Read excerpts from my interview below:

Tell me a little about yourself:
I am a 25 year old. Graduated from Southern University A&M College in 2007 with a BA in Public Relations. I am a military brat and grew up overseas. I am Jamaican and love cooking Caribbean food. Creativity is how I thrive in life. Addicted to music, fashion and sports. I get no days off, I date my company. We have an excellent loving relationship

Please explain what Imperfect Concept is and how it works:Imperfect Concepts is a high end online resale boutique. Most people shop resale or consignment shops in their local state. Others use the means of EBay or craigslist or something of that nature. I am the middle woman. I provide a variety of amazing pieces at affordable prices for the public online or if you live in my state you can do the personal shopping at my place.

How long have you been in business?
I have been an Image Consultant since college and I launched Imperfect Concepts 7/11/2009. So my online store has been in business for over a year now.

What are the pros and cons of utilizing a consignment shop/boutique versus a major department store? I will start out with the pros because I am a positive person. The pro is always finding unique items. I feel when you are utilizing a consignment shop you will find vintage items. Vintage items have a better quality to me than clothes that are made now. The cons which would lead you to shop at your local department store is finding a particular item you need right here and right now. If you are looking for a jimmy Choo heel from this season a consignment or resale shop might not have it just yet. Another pro for resale boutiques is the fact that we are customer driven. I know personally that I try to make my customers feel as important as they truly are. Everyone is VIP with me because I cant thrive without my customers. With department stores millions of people shop them daily so they have lost their personal touch with the customers.

Where do you see the consignment shop/boutique business 5 years from now?
I am debating if I want to have a store front within the next 5 years. I do know I want to build my brand and use every step placed in front of me to its full potential. I am carefully building my brand and providing amazing and pre-loved pieces to women at affordable prices.

Shop online at ImperfectConcepts.com




Tuesday, October 19, 2010

An Online Storefront Can Level the Shopping Playing Field

This article is about how easy it is fro small companies to participate in e-commerce.  The main point it is making is that building an EC site from the ground up by yourself is not as good as buying an EC solution like a shopping cart template which has proliferated in recent years.

It also observed that small businesses did not succeed as well as bigger ones in the past on the Internet because it required substantial IT know-how and skill to maintain an EC site back then.  So that gave the Amazons and eBays the advantage. 

Things have changed.  With easy to use plug and play sites, taking care of a website is much easier and smaller business owners without great IT skills can still run their own sites.  This translates to an even playing field on the Internet.


An Online Storefront Cаn Level thе Shopping Playing Field
An online storefront саn offer customers plenty οf options аnԁ mаkе shopping online easier аnԁ qυісkеr thаn еνеr before. Mοѕt small business owners don’t give thеѕе online storefronts thе credit thеу deserve fοr another advantage thаt thеу offer, hοwеνеr. Thе real consumer revolution іѕ thе ease wіth whісh small tο medium size retailer companies саn implement аn online storefront аnԁ successfully compete wіth thе bіɡ dogs οf online shopping.

Stores Ɩіkе Amazon, Overstock аnԁ a handful οf οthеr bіɡ box stores offer tons οf specials аnԁ аn easy-tο-υѕе template fοr shopping, bυt thеу аrе getting ѕοmе stiff competition thеѕе days frοm smaller, regional retailers аnԁ specialty boutiques. A few decades ago, thіѕ wouldn’t hаνе bееn possible bесаυѕе thе regional stores hаԁ a limited reach аnԁ weren’t аѕ easily accessible аѕ large chain stores. Today, hοwеνеr, thе nο boundaries realm οf thе Internet means thаt уου саn sell уουr product tο customers around thе world regardless οf whether уου’re operating frοm a hυɡе warehouse јυѕt outside οf a major city οr уουr basement іn a midwestern small town.

In thе early days οf thе Internet, many small businesses аnԁ boutiques tried thеіr hand аt online marketing bυt weren’t аѕ successful аѕ thеу hаԁ hoped. Pаrt οf thе problem wаѕ lack οf expertise іn designing аn appealing website аnԁ раrt οf thе problem wаѕ thе lack οf аn easy-tο-υѕе customer interface fοr a shopping cart. Without thе kind οf money needed tο hire top-οf-thе-line developers οr thе know-hοw tο ԁο іt themselves, thе smaller boutiques аnԁ mom-аnԁ-pop shops quickly lost customers’ interest bесаυѕе іt wаѕ difficult tο browse, order аnԁ рυrсhаѕе online.

Fortunately, thеrе аrе many sources today whеrе businesses саn рυrсhаѕе professionally designed templates fοr online storefronts аt reasonable prices. Thеѕе templates аrе polished, attractive, professionally designed storefront solutions thаt саn bе tailored tο thе individual needs οf аnу company οr service. Small businesses аnԁ stores nο longer hаνе tο rely οn inexpensive solutions thаt еnԁ up looking cheap compared tο thе mega stores thеу аrе competing wіth. Wіth аn online storefront, a two-person operation саn look аѕ slick аnԁ modern аѕ thе multinational competition.

Thе latest storefront solutions offer hundreds οf different templates tailored tο аƖƖ kinds οf industries, including interior design, medical аnԁ legal, apparel, electronics, business-tο-business аnԁ personal services. Wіth a wide array οf templates tο fit a company’s specific industry, customizing іt fοr a “perfect fit” іѕ easy tο ԁο аnԁ саn give exceptional results. Stunning colors, outstanding graphics аnԁ professional photography аrе now within reach fοr even thе smallest boutique-style website, giving thеm a hυɡе presence аnԁ massive appeal. Customized color options, lettering аnԁ thе option tο upload уουr οwn company logo οr showroom photos mean thаt a website designed using аn online storefront template looks јυѕt аѕ ɡοοԁ аѕ those designed frοm scratch bу high-priced private design firms.

One οf thе problems smaller businesses саn hаνе whеn thеу establish аn Internet presence іѕ hοw tο give plenty οf options thаt wіƖƖ mаkе shopping easier fοr thе customer without breaking thеіr operating budgets. Online storefront packages offer a ɡrеаt solution. Thе code іѕ already written, thе ability tο mаkе changes remotely іѕ built-іn аnԁ thе designs аrе extremely intuitive fοr shoppers. If аn online boutique tried tο hаνе a complex shopping system built frοm thе ground up, іt сουƖԁ cost іn thе tens οf thousands οf dollars. Bυt a shopping cart template included wіth аn online storefront program саn offer options Ɩіkе thе ability tο add nеw products аnԁ services whenever needed аnԁ easy methods fοr changing photos аnԁ descriptions аѕ inventory changes. Programs саn аƖѕο include inventory tracking, рυrсhаѕе, discount аnԁ exchange features thаt аrе easy tο υѕе аnԁ even sales, coupons аnԁ special discounts fοr customers.

Check out ѕοmе online retailers thе next time уου’re browsing thе Internet. Wе bet уου’ll bе amazed аt thе impressive online storefronts уου’ll find being operated bу small businesses, іf уου саn figure out whісh ones those аrе.
AspDotNetStorefront іѕ a premier online storefront аnԁ shopping cart provider.

Interview With Min, Little Red Heels

From: http://sgentrepreneurs.com/interviews/2009/03/25/interview-with-min-little-red-heels/#more-4039

Interview With Min, Little Red Heels

March 25, 2009 by Gwendolyn Regina T   
Filed under Interviews
LRH Team
Dealing virtually with clients does not mean that Min does not try to add a personal touch to the interaction. Always typing and responding to emails from clients with a smile on her face, Min believes that these smiles can be subtly communicated through text. We listen to Min as she speaks about Little Red Heels, an online blogshop that she started with her friend.
What is Little Red Heels?
Little Red Heels can be found at www.iloveLRH.com. We sell apparels mostly, and whatever interesting finds we stumble across. But we like to think that we are selling a concept, a style, rather than just apparels. It was started by Min, an NUS graduate from Communications and New Media, and Zi, a SMU graduate of Accountancy, both 24.
All your items are designed and manufactured by Little Red Heels? How long is the design cycle for any one product?
Not all items are designed and manufactured by us, but we do have items that are exclusively manufactured by us. The design cycle ranges from about one to three months.
Do you manufacture them locally?
Nope. We manufacture overseas.
What is the motivation behind building this business?
It started out as fun and of course, a common passion for fashion. We kind of just stumbled into this, and started growing Little Red Heels to what it is today.
What are the difficulties that you have faced so far?
We started out when online businesses weren’t such commonplace. It is definitely interesting to see how the market has grown with many new players joining to share the pie. It isn’t really difficulty but more than like a challenge how you can outdo yourself and your competitors to stay ahead – through innovation and creativity.
LRH Screenshot
Blogspot, livejournal, wordpress, weebly, your own .com — there are many ways to set up a blogshop or store. What is your own preference? Why? What experiences can you share with us about using some or all of these?
We started from livejournal, and I think there is a certain charm about LJ that online shoppers still like. We decided to move over to .com in 2008. The core reason being we believe it can bring higher efficiency and hence, better customer service for our customers – just so we can focus our energy to more worthy causes rather than sieving though comments (which is really tedious, believe me). There is also a lot more flexibility when it comes to design and execution for .com.
Any figures to share? Eg, no. of people on your mailing list? No. of items sold since opening your business? No. of pageviews? No. of visitors on your website? Feel free to share whatever you are comfortable with.
We’ve definitely lost count of the number of items sold. It’s a lot I suppose, since we started from 2006.
Considering the large number of blogshops in Singapore, how do you differentiate yourself from others?
Exclusivity of the item is always important. No one likes to wear the same thing as the next person down the street. :) But above all, we believe in always innovating and keeping your concept fresh. That’s what we always do to stand out from the rest.
What is your marketing strategy? How do you try to obtain new customers?
It’s mainly through word of mouth, and that’s the advantage of the online channel. Everything is as convenient as a click.
How do you handle customers who are practically faceless to you? Any good or bad experiences to share?
It sounds bizarre perhaps, but I always type my emails with a smile on my face. I think that smile gets communicated through the text and the customers will be able to feel it. Faceless is not an issue – it’s more like a conscious effort to inject a personal touch and words of concern to the customers. Thankfully, our experiences with customers have been mostly positive. For those that are not, just be extra tactful and try putting yourself in that customer’s shoes and imagine why she/he is reacting in such a manner. Normally, you will be able to empathise. They are not that unreasonable.
LRH Screenshot2
What is your biggest joy/satisfaction/achievement in this business so far?
The biggest satisfaction comes each time when we receive a nice comment or a positive feedback. We do have a direction we want Little Red Heels to move in, and those words are reaffirmation that we are doing the right things.
What is the biggest disappointment/negative experience in this business so far?
Disappointments and negative experiences are part and parcel. You will get affected and that’s rightful ‘cause it shows that this business do mean something to you. More importantly, it’s the lesson you derive from that disappointment and grow from there.
If you have a wish for something to happen in order to help your business, what would you wish for?
Okay, this is a tough one. There are many things running through my mind now. If I can be more selfish, it will be to fast forward a few years down the road and in knowledge that Little Red Heels will be one of those online businesses that is still standing strong and doing rock fine.
What would you advise entrepreneurs just starting out?
Sometimes it’s all about following the heart. Do what your passion leads you.
Thanks, Min. Good luck with Little Red Heels!

MOFEW 2010 event report

This report is from the organizers:

http://mofew.com.my/reports/report-full_lowress.pdf

Blogging for Business

This is an older article, from 2009.

From: Tech and U website: http://technu.nst.com.my/Current_News/techNu/Monday/CoverStory/20090222155054/Article/index_html

Blogging For business

2009/02/22
A community of business-savvy bloggers is emerging. And they are here to stay.
insidepix1


Ellie Darus
Ellie Darus

Fawiza Abdul Wahid
Fawiza Abdul Wahid

insidepix4


insidepix5

U blog, U sell
Syameen Md Khalili and Rozana Sani

A bunch of enterprising Malaysians have found a more effective way to sell. They blog their business. Siti Syameen Md Khalili and Rozana Sani write.

• Cupcakes, anyone?

Ellie Darus used Blogger.com to launch her part-time career as a custom-order cupcake baker. The 32-year-old IT professional first started using Fotopages in 2006 to share photos of her home-made cupcakes with friends, but when orders started to come in, she signed up with Blogger.com in the following year.

The mother-of-one frequently updates her blog (http://kekcawan.blogspot.com) with menus, pictures, pricing and promotional information.

To build her brand of cupcakes called de’ Heart, she also relies on other online platforms ranging from social networking sites such as Facebook and Friendster to online forums and e-groups.

The good part about being able to use online technologies to make money is the small overhead 

and wide reach, Ellie points out. 

“I don’t have to rent a premise. I make new friends, including customers and bakers. This means more contacts and links to extend my business. My customers are from all over Malaysia and overseas.”

Having tried many platforms to build her online business, Ellie says blogging is the most effective. 

“Around 80 per cent of my customers found my blog through Google Search, links from other blogs and Web sites, and Yahoo! Groups,” she adds. 

In the near future, she plans to include an online ordering form in her blog. She also plans to organise online and offline contests such as cupcake decorating contests.

• Personal shopper service

United States-based online entrepreneur Haniza Zainal Abidin blogs at http://blog.whoosh2.com. This is also a platform for her online business, Whoosh2, which is a personal 

shopper service based in California.

Haniza says customers can order materials featured on the Whoosh2 Web site or blog or even request for items only available in the US such as Gap jeans or Coach bags and have Whoosh2 ship them to their address.

“I bought a domain name, rented hosting space and used a Mac application called iWeb to create and design my Web site at www.whoosh2.com. Then I used a couple of social media 

sites to help bring traffic into the site. 

“I found out that having a blog is one of the best ways to do so as Google picks it up whenever it’s updated.

So, I use Blogger and Facebook to disseminate news to the public.”

Although there are challenges that come with doing an online business, Haniza prefers to look on 

the positive side.

“The best benefits are that the tools are free or

available at a low cost and that I can sell the items to anyone or anywhere without being stuck in a brick-and-mortar environment. 

“The online payment system is also secure and reliable,” she explains. 

Going forward, Haniza plans to set up a real online store.

• Custom ribbon embroidery

Kerteh, Terengganu-based electrical engineer Halina Abdul Hadi first started her blog (jahitanmaklang.blogspot.com) in mid-2006 to show friends her ribbon embroidery projects. Positive response and sales demand generated from it then prompted the 44-year-old to make the blog a focal point of her post-retirement plans.

Today, Halina does ribbon embroidery on a part-time basis. Jahitan Maklang showcases her products while another blog, Ribbon Chanteq (ribbonchanteq.blogspot.com), which she shares with her partner, Kak Ina, contains an ordering form. “But normally people will send an e-mail or call us to specify their requirements,” she says.

Halina’s spare time is spent mostly on sewing, so she keeps her blog postings short and sweet. 

“The income from this venture has been satisfactory, given that it is just for fun. If I manage to complete a lot, then more money will be in the bank. But at normal pace, I can only complete two to three bags a month. This also depends on how many orders I get,” she points out.

Halina plans to improve the layout of her blog and create interesting products to woo more buyers.

• More cakes

Fawiza Abdul Wahid is the owner of online bakery Wizcakes (wizzcakes.blogspot.com), which is a registered home-based family cake baking business.

“I operate full-time from my home located in Bandar Sungai Long in Kajang. Running this company requires me to get e-mails answered, bake cakes and get them delivered, clean the utensils, and ensure that the working area gets scoured at the end of the day,” she says. 

Wizcakes is the primary medium Fawiza uses to market her wares to the public. She actually has two blogs.

“Wizcakes is basically a presentation of some of my work enclosed with details such as price and description, testimonials from customers and an e-mail address for people to place their orders. The other (inawhiz.blogspot.com) is more of my cake journal – the stories behind the finished product,” she says.

Through her postings and word of mouth, Wizcakes has recorded a significant increase in sales by five-fold since it started. 

“The challenge is probably the limitation of the features offered in this free service. The other challenge is my lack of computer know-how,” she says.

Fawiza plans to continue writing and sharing her thoughts, cakes and stories through the blogs.

• Sarawak craft and food

What began as an experiment for 26-year-old Mohammad Firdaus Othman turned out to be quite a success. His venture in selling craft from Sarawak online, as featured in his blog Puakumbu-shop (puakumbu-shop.blogspot.com), in May last year is drawing encouraging sales. 

“I first started the blog to gauge the Internet market in Malaysia and apply what I have learnt in the university. Initially, I planned to just sell puakumbu, the hand-woven warp ikat textile of the Iban, but there was increased interest in other Sarawak craft and food. From there, I added more products to the catalogue,” he says.

Mohammad Firdaus is certainly happy with the way things turned out. 

“The blog is my key business channel. I also use applications such as Friendster, Facebook and Alibaba,” he says.

With more traffic, he plans to have a Web site with his domain name and improve on the current selling and buying techniques being practised on the blog.

“I’ll be putting more focus on expanding my market reach to include buyers from abroad. Part of my expansion plan is to get listed on eBay,” he says, adding that his current buyers are from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

• Online boutique

Dazzling Daffodils (dazzlingdaffodils.blogspot.com) sells clothes online. If everything goes according to plan, the online boutique could soon have a physical presence in one of the shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur. 

“The (online) boutique has been around for only three to four months and the response has been quite good. I am quite optimistic about this business and hope it will grow further,” says proprietor and blog owner Joanne Looi.

Ipoh-born Looi, 25, is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at a local university. She handles the online boutique business with some help from her brother after starting the business with a couple of girlfriends as a form of side-income generator. As the store is virtual, she is doing so with ease.

“Blogging has definitely made an impact on this business as Malaysian are starting to have the confidence in purchasing goods online. As the boutique has only started operations not too long ago, the business revenue ranges from a few hundred ringgit to maybe a thousand ringgit. I hope that the growth projection this year will be better,” she says, adding that shopping online saves time and can be done in the comfort of the home.

“Currently, the gallery comprises pictures of the apparels worn by models. But I plan to have some of my girlfriends to model the apparels for a more realistic feel. There are also plans to have a wider range of choice in products.”

Dazzling Daffodils also have a presence in Facebook and Friendster. “I make use of these online community to gain popularity. The boutique is also listed in some of the online boutiques directory and the bloggers central listing.”

• More apparel

Cats Whiskers Malaysia (catswhiskersmalaysia.blogspot.com) is a boutique with physical presence in five locations around the Klang Valley. Headquartered in Petaling Jaya, the business is run by three women who are all in their 30s.

The blog plays a supplementary role in the business. 

“It basically features weekly newsletter which we e-mail to our customers. It shows our products and pricing, and customers can opt to order online if they are unable to visit our stores,” says partner Lim Siew Peng.

Through the blog, Cats Whiskers aims to target customers outside of Klang Valley as they offer delivery at a minimal cost.

The most challenging thing about running a business blog, Lim says, is it requires the partners to be innovative, creative, flexible and intuitive to find out what works and what brings in the sales. 

“The other challenge is finding ways to engage customers on a routine basis and providing interesting content that will make them want to come back and tell others about it. If they are a bloggers themselves, we hope that they will link it to their blog,” Lim adds. 

Cats Whiskers hopes to expand the online sales and maybe offer payment facilities (such as credit card, paypall, tie-up with local banks).



Trend fast catching on
Rozana Sani

BUSINESS blogging is catching on in Malaysia, as observed by online fashion e-zine Emmagem.com.

And the opportunities are endless, says the e-zine founder and editor Tan Yet Mee. This is because Malaysians, especially Gen Yers (the Net generation), are now used to purchasing online.

“I think a blog to help a business is very important these days. Blogging allows for direct and current information about the products, plus consumers can communicate directly with comments and get an immediate reply. 

“The setback is that a blog needs constant updating to be successful and responsive, or it will share the same fate as helplines, which do not give adequate information. And the backlash can be immense if a mistake is made,” she explains.

The other premise of a business blog, Tan says, is that it is a platform for the sharing of personal opinions and experience.

“It is an excellent communication and public relations tool, especially for small business owners. The younger, tech-savvy consumers like to relate with those like themselves, who are on the Internet a lot. I mean, how often does one get to speak to the owners or company representatives themselves and get their assurance?”

The blog system, Tan points out, is more systematic. And when optimised on search engines, it allows information on the products to be more easily accessible online. 

A blog is also easy to set up, use and has a much lower maintenance cost compared to a regular Web site. Plus, blogs do not need much advertising. 

“Treated correctly, a business blog with useful and credible information will have a strong following similar to recommendations through word of mouth or viral marketing,” Tan says.

Her words are backed by evidence found on Emmagem.com’s Malaysia Online Fashion Shopping Directory (MOFSD) and Classifieds page.

Emmagem.com’s assistant editor-cum-writer Karen Marie Christie says MOFSD has about 1,100 online shops listed to date. Most of them are individual independent entrepreneurs who set up shop on blog platforms such as Blogspot and Wordpress to sell their items. 

“They get their clothing or accessories from suppliers and post them up on the blogs for all to see. Potential buyers who browse their shop can e-mail them to purchase the items. Once both parties have agreed on the price and shipping cost, the buyer will deposit money into the bank account by e-banking or by visiting the bank. And once the seller has checked that the cash is in, he will ship the items,” she explains. 

As compared to an e-commerce-based shop, a blogshop involves more steps between the buyer and the seller, but it has a more personal touch, she adds.

Meanwhile, Tan says since MOFSD started in 2007, Emmagem.com has witnessed a significant growth in fashion blogshops.

“We get daily e-mails from newbies who want to start a business and ask to be 

listed. A lot of conventional-selling e-commerce platform online shops get themselves listed on MOFSD to promote their sites, too,” she says. – By Rozana Sani


Dos and don’ts 
Dos:
- Be honest in the item description. This is, after all, an online business. People can’t see the items in real life.
- Take good photos of the items and probably in every angle. 
- Communicate well. Always make sure that there is a written e-mail agreement on the transaction to prevent any miscommunication. 
- State shop policies on the site for people to see as well as contact e-mail or telephone number. 
- Ship on time. People want their
items promptly. 
- Attend to complaints immediately.
- Market yourselves well. Introduce your shops to online magazines or fashion-related blogs.
- Get a feedback page (for example, 
http://emmagem.com/feedback/) to monitor customer feedback on your customer service. 
- Always take a feedback and improve
on it.
- Think long term for the business and make appropriate decisions. 
- Advertise.

Don’ts:
- Sell items that are torn or spoilt (and can’t be seen through photo).
- Keep customers waiting. Always reply their e-mails as soon as possible.
- Trick customers with misleading information.
- Shirk when there is a complaint;
handle it.
email to friend

Monday, October 18, 2010

5 Great Websites For Flea Markets

This is from Blogshop Magazine website: http://www.blogshopmagazine.com/2010/10/10/5-great-websites-for-flea-markets/ .

Flea markets are so big in Singapore now that there are online support resources including websites like the ones featured here that provide as guides to these flea markets.
 
 
No matter if you are a blogshop owner or not, flea markets are not to be missed by any chance. Flea markets are great ways for you to clear your leftover stock of and earn some extra fast cash. For young entrepreneurs, this is a great opportunity to start your own business ball rolling.
 
However, some efforts need to be put in before gaining your extra credit. First of all, you need some capital for rental of stall; either with a copartner or set up by your own. Next is the goods part, where you use your current stock or seek for new ones. Last but not least, you need to get the word out by promoting about your upcoming participation as a flea market stall owner! If you have a online website, publish about your upcoming stall. Try all means of getting the word out, either by texting your friends, facebook or twitter.

These are great ways to boost your sales and expect more customers to turn up for the fleas.

The prices marked at these fleas are definitely at a lower rate. The main aim is to assist in clear your existing stock or aid you in promoting your upcoming blogshop.

So where can you set up your stall? Sourcing out the best place for your stall is can be a pain.
Here we recommend you 5 great websites that are updated with the latest flea events.
Fleaescape
Fleaescape

Singaporesearchsite
Sgsearchsite
Forfleasake
Forfleasake
Fleaflyflofun
Fleaflyflofun
Whattheflea
Whattheflea

Do you have any websites that you frequently visit to keep update with the flea markets happening in Singapore? Share with us below.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Blogshop types

 This blogger provides a typology of blogshops, in terms of the types of goods sold.  This is from the perspective of an observer.

- blogshops that sell things sourced from a supplier
- blogshops that sell self-manufactured items
- blogshops that sell 'pre-owned things

From: http://seveneleven89.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/blogshopping/

Salam
(writing on Malaysian blogshops only and not international ones.Well I don’t have a credit card…=D)
I’m surfing the net like usual and blog-hopping on blogspot. Recently, I found this one blog, where there are many blogshops links put up under a category. I’m not a fan of online shopping…Never. Because I think the payment method is risky – To bank in your money into some one else’s bank account. You don’t even know the seller, no direct face-to-face business. You can’t see, touch, and feel the products they sell, most importantly fabrics. With physical touch we can actually tells a lot about the quality. And I’m always a ‘physical buyer’, one who needs to see it to believe it. People say nice things to sell their products. But I’m hard to impress sometimes.
When buying clothes, online shopping is at its weakest. Because although it states the size, we don’t know how actually that piece of clothing will fit our body. We can only estimate through the pictures of a model wearing it. This is not really helping either. Especially if the buyer is not a S size wearer. And through my short blogshopping trip so far, I can say that clothes sold are mostly what you can get a lot at places such as Berjaya Times Square (TS). Though the prices doesn’t differ very much. It’s like an alternative for someone who doesn’t like or doesn’t have the time to go for a real-world shopping.
But now I understand why some people really LOVE blogshops! On the brighter side, we can buy almost anything (very wide variety of stuff people sell right now) at a reasonable price, and gets to browse a universe of choices all with a click! We can do so anytime anywhere. It’s somehow a better shopping experience for some people, minus the annoying salesgirls hahaha.There are some decent blogshops that I did bookmarked them. There are many types of blogshops in the net, which can be narrowed down to 3 types. The whole big portion are those which sells clothing from a supplier. The blog owners doesn’t made and produce them. These are the clothes you can find in TS like I said earlier. I don’t really like them…partly because the products are not one of a kind and largely because I live very near with TS so I’ve more choices that I can browse through whenever I have the free time to do so…=D In most times, I wonder if there are much better choices of the same clothing at shopping malls.
The other type is the complete opposite, where the owner of the blog sells the stuff they made and produce by themselves,or in some cases, by a group of people. Like a small group of friends who like to do creative things and actually sell them. I found this is the most interesting type of all. These people sell handmade stuff. Of course it’s original, delicate, and one of a kind. Buyers can also ask for things custom made for them!
Then comes the ‘cleaning out my closet’ or ‘preloved’ type. =D (It’s too long to name a type LOL) I liked this too. The blog owner is a impulsive, compulsive buyer who have the money to buy every authentic and branded items for their own use, until the time they sells them (the term they usually use is ‘let go’) for a lower price. They would also mentioned if the item was used (for how many times/give ratings to measure it’s condition). As far as I know, online shoppers doesn’t usually look for new and unused items. You can get that at nearby shopping malls maaa..These kind of online sellers are rich and loaded people, with a good heart =P
As of today, I’ve done my weekly dose of blogshopping. I’m not buying anything yet but we’ll see. Many blogshops sell shawls, but unfortunately I’m not that adventurous to wear the current trend -colourful and bright shawls hehe. Some of the blogshops I’m in love with :
‘Cleaning out my closet’ type :
Little Marquise (This girl, Aliaah Abdullah really has great branded items in her stash to sell)
My Reject Shop (Not bad..)
The Wearables (Preloved items inventory-like. Very good site)
BAGS!! : The Bag Galore , Love Bag Love Bag , Boutique Shima , Bag Bagg Baggg
No exact type (haha) : Aan Boutique , Red Ribbon Boutique , Chidor Design
Handmade, original : ISYN , Debutante , Sew Retro Chic
Pre-Order type : Clothes For Chics , All for Sale (inventory)
Perfumes are available too! : The Perfume House , Perfume Berry
While you do your blogshopping, be sure to check out YourShoppingKaki ! She’ll be your blogshopping best friend. =D
Since I’ve been into this blogshops thingy, I often weighing the choices I’ve seen in the blogshops when I’m doing my usual shopping. “What if it’s cheaper? What if there are more choices?”
Blogshop is like one of the most useful ‘inventions’ to us females especially and to the internet savvy. Though I’m still searching if there is a blogshop catering for plus sized customers. In the meantime, spoil us with more choices, dear blogshops!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Malaysia's new generation of budding economic product home

From: http://www.malaysiaeconomy.net/gov_organization/e_gov/e_gov_status/e_gov_infra/2010-01-24/3865.html

Translated from Chinese.

01-24, 2010 Source: United Daily Author: Chen Liqing

Online shopping with spring

Malaysia's new generation of budding economic product home
2009-11-02
Since then the global financial tsunami, not only the world economy experienced a significant change in architecture, even people's shopping habits of consumers have changed significantly in many developed economies, the Internet, consumers are turning more to save time and cost of online shopping .
Therefore, the online shopping career began in many economies in the bubbling community, and many began to rise of new economic terms, in the end how online shopping career development? Malaysia is involved in this piece of economic development? "United Daily News" will be "online shopping with Spring" series of reports in depth the development of foreign and domestic online shopping.
In the online world, the home network with the rise of the economy is the emergence of a new word, the main means to work at home, part-time at home, home office or at home career in business. Consumer use of the network while at home is an essential part of the home economy.
Financial Crisis "home economy"
☆ financial crisis some people turn to go out and spend less "home" at home
☆ the Internet, driven by the rapid development of "home economy" rise
The face of economic recession, what would you do? Stocks? Buy shares? Buy a house? Of course, you are unlikely to regard the money in the bank, because interest rates are too low.
In the current economic situation, many people chose to stay at home and honestly - the desire to control the travel, reduce living expenses.
As more and more people try to stay at home online, playing games, this is a business disaster? In fact, I am afraid that the financial crisis in a door closed for us at the same time opens a window.
The rapid development of the Internet, so that "home economy" has developed rapidly.
Malaysia online shopping pay attention to word of mouth publicity
According to "buy Nielsen Global Online Survey" shows that if Malaysian companies to promote online shopping (online shopping), should focus on oral mouth (word of mouth) strategy, more than half of online customers to shop online, will rely on the recommendation of friends Other factors that determine their net purchases, including search engines (37%), and special offers (34%).
The survey also revealed that online shoppers want with their familiar shopping sites, of which 60% of shoppers that will be repeated with the same online shopping, the survey said that if the site in early to grab some of those customers, then they will become your loyal customers.
However, online shopping in Malaysia is not that the biggest reason is the big take-off 70% of the Malaysian group worried about network problems using stolen credit cards, while 39% of Internet users in the past month has at least one of the online shopping experience, but than 50% of the global data network users, Malaysia's online shopping trend is still weak.
Survey says Nelson 2 years ago for global online shopping trends show that about 10% of the world's population (600 million 2700 million people) have online shopping, in 2 years later, that number jumped 40% to 800 million 75000000.
Data to show that Malaysians, mainly through online purchase of air tickets (55%), ordering a hotel or tour groups (41%) and computer hardware (22%); compared with net purchases around the world, mainly to buy books (41%) clothes / accessories / shoes (36%), Games / DVD (24%), tickets (24%) and electrical (23%).
This is the online shopping in Malaysia and other countries, the difference between, say, the rise of online shopping and Internet penetration has a great relationship, other than a general shopping mall, online shopping, compare prices and relatively easy.
Because of low cost compared to traditional shops open, so many can not get satisfaction or a sense of accomplishment in the workplace of young people to the idea of Mengqi online shop.
In recent years, the economy had been hearing the term home, home with the network economy is the rise of a new word appears, especially after the financial crisis in the Taiwan region of China a lot of people unemployed, can not find work, they the home network to find some part-time, do some networking business, home economy is so red that word up.
Home economy is essentially the result of network development, whether at home business, or part-time at home, or home office, based on all networks. Although the home economy, the rise and the financial crisis in time coincidence, but this is mere coincidence, even without the financial crisis, the home economy will rise, home office, at home, at work, at home part-time, home business, will be the future development.
The trend of well-known network of blogs Mr. / Ms.Days have pointed out, "Faith Popcorn of the future for the United States published a ten to forecast consumer trends. The first of these, just like the current economic concept house, called" cocooned. "The following is the report of popcorn inside the ten trends:
Trend 1: A new family of cocooned humans, home is their fortress.
Trend 2: Live in the real world, but eager to fantasy-style adventures.
Trend 3: a small well-deserved indulgence.
Trend 4: The self-preference is to choose the basis of the goods or services.
Trend 5: to escape the status quo away from the city to live your life.
Trend 6: Heart of the Old people and old, to age and behavioral re-annotation.
Trend 7: strongly self-care, at all costs.
Trend 8: Consumer awareness of high alert manufacturers to promote more humane.
Trend 9: the diversity of life, people play many roles simultaneously.
Trend 10: SOS who will save the society must take action to survive.
Cocooned the concept of family is generally said that the future will be less and less like a group of people to go out, because the outside world is too harsh, they are afraid of hurt, and now more and more advanced technology does not need to go out also completed most of the things, so they prefer to stay in their own sweet and warm home, not go out.
Paper, the author continues to be divided into several categories cocooned family, the impression has the technology cocooned family , love cocooned family and so on. However, the concept of technology cocooned family, obviously with the current "home economy" coincide. "
Malaysian Communications IDC survey also showed that the consumer market, including commercial online transactions of up to 4.2 billion (153 billion), however, because of the economic downturn, Malaysia's relatively conservative spending habits, in fact, Internet Shopping is cheaper than shopping in general.
Survey said that because online shopping is cheaper, so consumers are gradually open up more channels to go shopping, online shopping is one of the ways to save money, and can save transportation costs and time.
Malaysia's online shopping trend will come our way, according to IDC Skypad 2008 survey, Malaysia in ASEAN Region, Malaysia are in 9 countries, tourism-related products to buy online than any other country, 82% of large horse who has ever online travel related products, in addition, the Internet also accounted for 69% of the purchase of books.
However, the Malaysian people shopping online is still a conservative attitude, they still prefer to store their own eyes see, touch and feel the products, asking them to shift to online shopping, that will take some time.
"We found the Malaysian people to buy large amounts of product, kind of like buying a small number of products for testing, and will ask some questions."
Furthermore, in addition to customer base than before, the Malaysians are more conservative on-line shopping and lack of confidence.
Recently, the research firm Nielsen Online shopping for Malaysians to draw patterns of consumption, about 30% of the Malaysian people have to shop online.
The survey of 500 Internet users in Malaysia to investigate, they buy tickets, accounting for 55%, topped the list, online shopping is not a novel technology, because the network is part of our lives, almost all parts of our lives all network-related, online shopping is to provide consumers with more than just a shopping channels.
To the survey: "In particular, the traffic in Kuala Lumpur, online shopping do not have a ride, do not have time to find parking fees, not to the crowded shopping mall, and this is not necessarily something to get, you may leave empty-handed."
Therefore, if operating properly, online shopping in Malaysia there is room for development, because it has its own advantages to attract customers.
Malaysia's new generation of services, online shopping channel operator recountAlthough the trend of online shopping in Malaysia is not very common, but some young people are already in the field of online shopping, "net", hoping to find in the online shopping world of their own spring.
A 19-year-old Malaysian nicknamed Fifi college students by a friend, began to buy clothes online, every day, her heavy load in the time to sneak Internet access visit the clothing, accessories and shoes blog.
She said: "If the style and affordable, I will email the seller to provide delivery service, I directly send your money into other bank accounts, only 1 to 2 days of the time, the goods can your door, and Some sellers can also cash delivery. "
"The other side sent directly to the goods, I pay cash immediately."
Fifi said by a friend, she started in August last year, online shopping, online prices are not many clothes than RM50.
"In addition to online shopping more convenient, the shopping malls there are many temptations, many cases, consumers will make unnecessary costs, and online shopping sites I just like shopping in only, of course, online shopping is the lack of clothes, can not try , sometimes does not fit the situation. "
"I like to buy clothes online, more often than traditional stores, online clothing relatively cheap, online shopping as easy as ABC, transport costs are also affordable."
Malaysia one of the websites, Acmamall.com Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a base in five countries with the website shopping company, successfully sold 1.5 million books, beauty products, DVD, music CDs, flowers, chocolate and health products , but also in the future with the insurance and takaful Etiqa cooperation.
Last year, as the company continued to develop products and markets, the company's sales rose 35% from the previous year. The traditional stores, because the "smell" online shopping this trend, they have to not fall behind, are taking the business diversification to the web transactions.
The world's largest online site eBay, the world has a presence in 39 countries, up to 86.3 million active users worldwide, the sale of goods as many as 5,000, the number of products amounted to 100 million 13 million.
The fourth quarter, eBay's best-selling 4 major types of products including consumer electronics products (69 billion), computers (3.6 billion), clothing and accessories (50 billion U.S. dollars) and household and gardening (38 million).
Buyers to sellers
In the eBay "own" the owner of two stores Jia Qing Chen has 3 years experience, 3 years ago, because not satisfied with the work of boring, so decided to join the network owner decided to work full time.
Turned to full-time network owner is unintentional, but in the beginning, not very disciplined operating this business, but business a long time, began to master some tricks.
"Now, he will send the goods set a week and posting rules, and timely respond to customer e-mail, it is very important, because very often, customers are online shopping on impulse, if not, I am afraid of losing a business! "
Malaysia online shopping for the phenomenon, he bluntly, Malaysian online shopping has not yet mature, because he is very simple to do a "survey", her friends are afraid to shop online rashly!
"Because, the net purchase the first step is to register credit card, if have not taken even the first step, not to mention the other, the other is the exchange rate, as many international network share are in U.S. dollars or sterling Malaysians do not like so to pay more invisible costs. "
He said, if you want online, "stand out" and must rely on two factors, we must hand the theme of famous or rich products, such as I in the early sale of postage stamps, the stamp must have a theme, such as Harry Potter, not a general stamps, keyword (keyword) is very important!
Engaged in the greatest pleasure in this business is self-debugging time, is the boss, in fact, online shop and shop at the mall is the same reason.
Chen Jia Qing metaphor, set up their own website, and a large shop popular stores such as Mid Valley City, because the "flow", the rent is relatively high, eBay as Mid Valley City; but if their own web pages, you like some Ersan Liu rental stores, like shopping malls, more difficult to attract traffic.
He continued, however, his business is facing global market, 1 day 24 hours, have customers visit, without time limit.
Although, there are also faced with challenges, such as customer complaints of unreasonable, however, the snowballing once the volume of business, this is inevitable!
The Sexydressy Webmaster Liu Shumin recruits is online shopping, she began operating in June of this year, but planning for a long time before, including web design, supply and quality and so on.
She says with a laugh, because I like to dress up and dress up like the absorption and sharing experiences in the hope through this pipeline (internet business) to share experiences more wear one outfit, a dress can match with different styles and for different scenes, which is a smart consumer, SexyDressey aim is to "independence Mei Mei, as all the United States and the United States."
She continued, in the early stages of operation, once on the website to buy clothes, see the website and received by a large drop immediately feel cheated, so later, when the purchase, require the quality of cloth, Of course cost is relatively increased, due to the business site, the price is not too high, plus packaging and freight, profit is not high.
"Of course, to run their own website business, I do not mind holding big money, spare time can do that they have a sideline interest, although few make money, I am happy!
Liu Shumin said, just start a business, in order to gain the trust of customers, service and reputation is very important, as if just bought some goods in foreign countries and found many flaws, is not very good cloth, which had their own clothes to wear or give as gifts, but also would rather hold onto the Internet to sell.
"The current customer base is mainly in female-dominated, the average class has, my wish is for different age groups, different body of the woman, 1 year old and 50 year-old girls were also found in the Sexydressy suits them, let them wear beautiful clothes. "
Complementary economic and commercial entity home
Compared to Singapore and Taiwan, "home economy" in a short period of time, Malaysia could not take off, but for many young people to venture to another business model, and complement the existing business model entities.
Network to subvert the people in the past production of goods to consumers circulation methods, to make this process more streamlined, but also for many young people or small business capital offers the possibility is added to traditional marketing methods.
From the consumer point of view, Malaysians still do not trust credit cards online shopping, but "home economy" and traditional business models will complement the traditional business models may be absorbed by the network economy as an alternative service channels, the network economy to will also be surfaced to some extent, to open the store