The story is strikingly similar to that of blogshop entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Singapore.
FRom http://www.bt.com.bn/business-besides-oil/2010/12/13/facebook-kg-mata-mata
From Facebook to Kg Mata-Mata
From a virtual presence on Facebook, Mysunflower Seed now has its own showroom in Kampong Mata-Mata. Pictures: BT/Debbie Too
Monday, December 13, 2010
FOR the past couple of years, Facebook has evolved to be more than just an online social networking system.
What started off as a website for friends to catch up and keep in contact with other friends, has slowly evolved into a commercial platform, with online shops giving it a more "business" edge.
Many members who started using Facebook as a social platform, began to see its potential as an online "marketplace" for buying and selling.
One of the appeals of having a separate Facebook account for a side business, is the fact that it is convenient and many people tend to be "logged on" to Facebook at various times throughout the day.
Hence, it allows both the buyer and seller to keep in constant contact with their customers who are able to take their time and browse through various Facebook "stores" to place their orders.
MySunflower Seed, a Bruneian shop which "opened its doors" on Facebook two years ago, was established with the intention of selling ribbons and bows.
Owner, Stephanie Chan, a mother of three, found that she had a knack for designing unique ribbons and bows, and after a few months of being on the market, she thought she should branch out and concentrate on a different customer range.
"The cost of actually ordering ribbons and bows in was quite high, so I just ordered the materials in and made them myself. My peers and friends convinced me that I should have a Facebook account to help with showcasing my products and that's where it started," says Chan.
Initially, she says, she found that there wasn't a lot of demand for bows, which made her start looking into children's clothing, baby slings and many other products catered towards children and new mothers.
Her products, which are mostly brought in from Korea, China and Taiwan, follow the same business model that most Facebook stores adhere to, whereby items that are showcased on the page are for pre-order. "It costs too much to bring in a few sizes of each other's items of clothing, so now I'm just doing everything preorder," she says.
While most Facebook stores have blossomed, not many have ventured out into opening a physical outlet - a spinoff from their Facebook success.
Chan recently opened the doors to her showroom, an office where she conducts her Facebook business, and allows customers to come in and see the samples of her products to provide them with the reassurance that her products are of quality.
"One of the challenges that I'm sure a lot of Facebook retailers have is that there always has to be different places to meet and to collect payment, and for customers to make their collections, so that's why I decided to have a showroom, which can also be a meeting point place for my customers which helps with not causing too much hassle," she says.
She explains that her showroom, located in Kampong Mata Mata would allow her customers the freedom to come and pick up their items as and when they like.
When Chan first started her online business via Facebook, she had about 300 "friends" on her contact list, and in the past two years, it has expanded to about 2,000 "friends".
In the beginning Chan explains that as a Facebook business owner, she had to randomly add people to her Facebook page, but as time went on and business progressed, she has found that people are adding her account. "Business now is quite constant, and because I get most of my items from Korea, China and Taiwan, the items now are mostly winter items," she says.
She explains that this would be something that a lot of Facebook retailers would also have to deal with. "The end of the year is normally more quiet because of the range of clothing that we can sell, but business will start to pick up once the suppliers get their Spring or Summer collections," says Chan, who adds that her busiest month of the year is the Hari Raya period.
Asked about one of the positive aspects of having a Facebook business in Brunei, Chan says that the difference between doing a business like this in Brunei, compared to Singapore or Malaysia, is the face that there is "more trust" in Brunei. "In other countries, like Singapore or Malaysia, there is more of a need to make sure that deposits are made and so on, but here, the customers are more flexible, and the sellers won't normally chase you for a deposit, so this is the one things good about Brunei," she says.
Although Chan has a showroom available to meet with her customers and showcase her products, she still plans to continue with her Facebook model of having pre-order items. "With this space that I have, hopefully in the future, the showroom here can be a meeting point for other Bruneian Facebook retailers, who need a physical meeting point for their customers," she says.
She adds that this is just an idea that she is throwing around but that it may be something she will try to push for in the future.
The Brunei Times
What started off as a website for friends to catch up and keep in contact with other friends, has slowly evolved into a commercial platform, with online shops giving it a more "business" edge.
Many members who started using Facebook as a social platform, began to see its potential as an online "marketplace" for buying and selling.
One of the appeals of having a separate Facebook account for a side business, is the fact that it is convenient and many people tend to be "logged on" to Facebook at various times throughout the day.
Hence, it allows both the buyer and seller to keep in constant contact with their customers who are able to take their time and browse through various Facebook "stores" to place their orders.
MySunflower Seed, a Bruneian shop which "opened its doors" on Facebook two years ago, was established with the intention of selling ribbons and bows.
Owner, Stephanie Chan, a mother of three, found that she had a knack for designing unique ribbons and bows, and after a few months of being on the market, she thought she should branch out and concentrate on a different customer range.
"The cost of actually ordering ribbons and bows in was quite high, so I just ordered the materials in and made them myself. My peers and friends convinced me that I should have a Facebook account to help with showcasing my products and that's where it started," says Chan.
Initially, she says, she found that there wasn't a lot of demand for bows, which made her start looking into children's clothing, baby slings and many other products catered towards children and new mothers.
Her products, which are mostly brought in from Korea, China and Taiwan, follow the same business model that most Facebook stores adhere to, whereby items that are showcased on the page are for pre-order. "It costs too much to bring in a few sizes of each other's items of clothing, so now I'm just doing everything preorder," she says.
While most Facebook stores have blossomed, not many have ventured out into opening a physical outlet - a spinoff from their Facebook success.
Chan recently opened the doors to her showroom, an office where she conducts her Facebook business, and allows customers to come in and see the samples of her products to provide them with the reassurance that her products are of quality.
"One of the challenges that I'm sure a lot of Facebook retailers have is that there always has to be different places to meet and to collect payment, and for customers to make their collections, so that's why I decided to have a showroom, which can also be a meeting point place for my customers which helps with not causing too much hassle," she says.
She explains that her showroom, located in Kampong Mata Mata would allow her customers the freedom to come and pick up their items as and when they like.
When Chan first started her online business via Facebook, she had about 300 "friends" on her contact list, and in the past two years, it has expanded to about 2,000 "friends".
In the beginning Chan explains that as a Facebook business owner, she had to randomly add people to her Facebook page, but as time went on and business progressed, she has found that people are adding her account. "Business now is quite constant, and because I get most of my items from Korea, China and Taiwan, the items now are mostly winter items," she says.
She explains that this would be something that a lot of Facebook retailers would also have to deal with. "The end of the year is normally more quiet because of the range of clothing that we can sell, but business will start to pick up once the suppliers get their Spring or Summer collections," says Chan, who adds that her busiest month of the year is the Hari Raya period.
Asked about one of the positive aspects of having a Facebook business in Brunei, Chan says that the difference between doing a business like this in Brunei, compared to Singapore or Malaysia, is the face that there is "more trust" in Brunei. "In other countries, like Singapore or Malaysia, there is more of a need to make sure that deposits are made and so on, but here, the customers are more flexible, and the sellers won't normally chase you for a deposit, so this is the one things good about Brunei," she says.
Although Chan has a showroom available to meet with her customers and showcase her products, she still plans to continue with her Facebook model of having pre-order items. "With this space that I have, hopefully in the future, the showroom here can be a meeting point for other Bruneian Facebook retailers, who need a physical meeting point for their customers," she says.
She adds that this is just an idea that she is throwing around but that it may be something she will try to push for in the future.
The Brunei Times
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