Friday, December 24, 2010

Blogshop issues

 http://nightowlsays.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-i-wish-i-could-have-such-sales.html

How I Wish I Could Have Such Sales Volume

Sender : Lost Seller (Seller)
Case Received : 24/12/2010 
 
Lost Seller Says :
Dear NOS and fellow NOS readers,
I'm a seller who owns a 2 years old blogshop with my partner and we would like to seek help from the fellow readers here sincerely. Well, we have been working hard in bringing nice and affordable pieces to our customers. We take clear pictures and provide clear information (eg, measurements, description etc) for all the pieces. Never let down customers whenever they ask for discount. Tried our best to please customers (eg, mail out parcel the next day after payment is received); however, sales are not promising (sometimes good sometimes bad) and we are very frustrated of the increasing backout buyers.
I'm sure other blogshops may face the same problems as well. As i browse through the blogshops listed in shopping roll, i noticed that there are many blogshops offering many nice pieces at affordable price too, but just can't sell whereas those famous blogshops (eg, tictactoe (massive update every week), pumpkin, attireattic, dorfbury) can clear 90-100% of their items before their next update. is it just because that they have been in this field for long and thus famous or they have some characteristics that we don't have?
My parents have been asking me to stop the business as they feel that selling clothes piece by piece can't earn much and can't sustain my living after i graduate in the future. They feel that it's just a waste of time cuz the amount of time you spent, does not justify with the profits you get. I was telling myself that it's my passion for fashion, i really love what i'm doing, but seeing that i will be graduating soon, i know i have to be realistic. I know that online shopping thingy is still very new in Malaysia and many people are not exposed to online shopping or fear of it due to sizing problems, trustworthy etc...but i think there will be one day that Malaysia's online shopping will be comparable to that of singapore's as the market in malaysia is huge (larger population) and it just takes time to take off. FYI, the sales volume for spore online shops are huge. Pls see the amount of parcels for them to mail out for each update each week. (Picture Link)
How i wish i could have such sales volume one day later...
So dear readers, please help us to improve by letting us know how you think okay?
1. what do you expect from online blogshop?
2. what kind of pieces do you normally get online? (eg, free sized clothing, things that cant get offline, top brands inspired pieces, cheaper clothing online, bags because hardly find nice bags elsewhere etc)
3. would you mind if online blogshop owners tag u in fb as their marketing approach? (i mind actually, hahah)
4. what do you think that current blogshops are lacking of and how can they improve?
5. does showing the pretty face of the model or if the model who has awesome statistics (like attireattic's model) will encourage people to buy the clothing?
6. would you love to see the ways to mix and match for the pieces modelled?
You need not answer every single question. Just answer anyone you feel like answering or let us know how you feel will do, so that we can IMPROVE! we will appreciate it much!
Seller and buyers are welcome =)
Thanks in advanced and Merry Christmas to all of you!

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U Say? 

14 comments:


Anonymous said... 1
Hey there :) I'm a seller myself and I too face the same problem. Thank you for voicing it out! :D I hope we can find solution for this. All the best <3
December 24, 2010 2:03 PM
Anonymous said... 2
1. what do you expect from online blogshop? -efficient and good service, clothing material must justify the price 2. what kind of pieces do you normally get online? -clothes, brands that cannot get in Malaysia... 3. would you mind if online blogshop owners tag u in fb as their marketing approach? -Yes! I will untag and blacklist that blogshop. 4. what do you think that current blogshops are lacking of and how can they improve? -competition is very high and the stocks are always the same. honestly, I haven't shopped online for a few months already because I'm bored with the choices of clothings offered. Especially now that it's Sales season, I can get nicer items from shops for roughly the same price, sometimes. 5. does showing the pretty face of the model or if the model who has awesome statistics (like attireattic's model) will encourage people to buy the clothing? -face, no. body, maybe, cos can see whether the clothes will drape nicely on the body or not. 6. would you love to see the ways to mix and match for the pieces modelled? -yes. gives inspiration to buyers and they might buy the item based on how you mix and match. but must be nice la, don't mix like pasar malam like that... I was an ex-seller, and stopped because it was getting too competitive and time-consuming. All the best to you :)
December 24, 2010 3:03 PM
Anonymous said... 3
2 - stuff that you can't find in stores, cheaper clothes. 3 - please don't tag buyers in facebook. it is very very annoying. 5 and 6 - pretty model doesn't necessarily make me want to buy it. but presentation is so important in making me want to purchase your stuff. it has to look AT LEAST professional! mix and matching definitely a plus. good luck in your business!
December 24, 2010 3:23 PM
Anonymous said... 4
Show me ur blog ... As I like shop online
December 24, 2010 3:49 PM
msquirk said... 5
Hmm strange, for Singapore to be so easily accessible within the island due to the excellent public transportation system, I would much prefer to shop offline :) For your questions - 1. what do you expect from online blogshop? Answer: Provide useful information and details: Measurements; Shoulder length, arm width, bust width, waist width, hip size and length. Material; Cotton or polyester and whether it's stretchable, etc. Friendly, polite, unbiased sellers; Fast delivery and sellers who are firm enough to hold their patience. 2. what kind of pieces do you normally get online? Answer: Vintage, preloved and new clothings and bags. To-date I still have doubts buying bottoms. I prefer unique pieces that can only be found in 1 or 2 blogshops. 3. would you mind if online blogshop owners tag u in fb as their marketing approach? Answer: NO. I detest it. Le Clothes always tag me even though I removed them (i dunno wat went wrong). Good example is An Old Flame; they send FB messages on updates instead of tagging. 4. what do you think that current blogshops are lacking of and how can they improve? Answer: Variety and diversity. Too many florals too many retro-inspired bags due to current trend. It would be nice if sellers observe the trends and don't sell too many similar pieces available online. Get some unique ones, some incoming-trends-but-yet-to-go-hot-locally and some current trendy ones for customers to choose. Also, try to bring in more than 1 size. 5. does showing the pretty face of the model or if the model who has awesome statistics (like attireattic's model) will encourage people to buy the clothing? Answer: Yes it may encourage but IMHO, I only scrutinize the clothing material, design and cutting. Pretty face, good bodies are part of marketing strategies but to ensure loyal customers, please refer to answer 1. 6. would you love to see the ways to mix and match for the pieces modelled? Answer: Yes but I pretty much play the mix & match on my own, in my imagination. It's good to have but I prefer sellers placing the items as is, that is, do not only show only photos with tops tucked in or with belts, do not mix-match too much till we start to focus on the model's shoes or bags instead of the actual item.
December 24, 2010 3:51 PM
Anonymous said... 6
1. Good service! And it won't kill you to be friendly to your customers :). 2. Things that you can't get offline and low prices. 5. It doesn't matter to me if the face is shown or not. Also, I would prefer the clothes to be modelled because clothes look different when they're worn and when they're on a hanger. You could also promote your blogshop in chatboxes. Good luck! If you don't mind, could you tell us what your blogshop is? I'll visit your website :).
December 24, 2010 3:55 PM
Anonymous said... 7
yes it gets really competitive if you have the same items with other blogs so it's definitely a bonus if you could get something different. for instance, I really like Cocktails & Doublewoot stuff. Besides, the way Cocktails handles her photographs is absolutely nice to look at, w/out the face but more of the mix&match part and how she struts with the poses. U don't need a Beyonce's body to flaunt though, but it would be better to state the items' basic measurements. last but not least, WE ALL LOVE CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP STUFF!!!!!!!!!! =p Anyways, Happy Christmas to u too! ^^
December 24, 2010 3:59 PM
msquirk said... 8
Oh, wanna add: Recently I divert my attention to accessories, beauty products like cosmetics and nail polishes. If you start to sell these in future and have ready stocks (not pre-order sprees), please let me know! :P :)
December 24, 2010 4:09 PM
Anonymous said... 9
I'm a seller too, also do not have big volume of sales everytime. But you must know that the current online business is a very competitive market. Which means not every seller can succeed. Even I'm struggling as well. But as you said 'partner' means your profit will be divide at least half. Maybe you can do this as a part time job rather than a full time job. It'll be much easier that way
December 24, 2010 4:19 PM
Anonymous said... 10
Don't take buyers' emails from other websites and subscribe them to your newsletter without their permission. It's very annoying.
December 24, 2010 5:12 PM
Anonymous said... 11
MsQuirk, yup, true that singapore is highly accessible, but the main problem is most of the malls are selling the same thing, like everyone buys from zara, mng, forever21 and others. it's very easy to bump into someone wearing the same thing as you cuz the country is small..haha. not much variety, so the online blogshops there taking the lead to manufacture their own pieces with their own label. oh ya, just becareful when you buy cosmectics online ok? some sellers buy from ebay sellers at the cheap price and resell it. i bought benefit cosmetics from ebay before, there are many good testimonials for that seller for selling authentic products. to my horror, i realised that the products are actually fake ones as when i read the instructions, i realised that there is hanyupinyin (mandarin phonetics) used in substituting some english words. I mailed the seller(angmoh) about it and she claimed that the product is authentic just that it is rejected goods due to some printing error or whatever. I think printing error is different from spelling error, it is very obvious that the product is an imitation from china. plus, the seller can't understand chinese. so you may go youtube or google how to detect fake cosmectics before purchasing. HTH!
December 24, 2010 5:23 PM
Anonymous said... 12
to author, ads are important too! if there's alot of daily hits but not much sale, then you have to check what's wrong with your pictures, model, emails and prices. or else, it might be due to lack of ads. good luck, and im interested to know! hehe.
December 24, 2010 6:31 PM
msquirk said... 13
Hello Anon 11 :) I didn't know SG blogshops manufacture their own pieces: W-O-W. I have few friends in SG who do that but they have their own stalls/pushcarts while selling online too. But I didn't know it's becoming a norm now. I like to shop in Bugis - Parco Junction. There are some shops that have unique pieces. Variety and diversity - I see EU trend, US trend, K-Pop trend and J-Pop trend there. LOL very interesting. Same goes to HMV side in Orchard (wat's the mall name??). Far East Plaza is alright, nice to explore but quality so-so. The sneakers in Far East Plaza are so impressive and I love to jalan-jalan the 2nd hand books, the vintage stuff, trendy stuff, cheap stuff and etc. Feels like Sungei Wang! Oh and I love to go to those beauty shops that sell shampoos, cosmetics, cotton buds, tissues, nail care, facial wash and etc that are available all over SG island. It's like a beauty mart, most of the products are cheaper than outside! For cosmetics - oh yeaaa.. I heard a lot of stories about the fake products in eBay, Lelong and even some online shops. But the blogshop sellers are honest, they state the authenticity first or when asked. I bought a set as xmas gift from How Lovely and it's really a bargain plus it's not available here *happy* With that said, there are not a lot of online shops that sell authentic beauty products. Maybe a quick count of 10 or less? Furthermore, I don't really like pre-order spree. The wait is too long (am still waiting for my blusher since early november! argh!). In a way I'm eagerly waiting for Sephora to open, I know buying from Sephora is not cheap but at least they're authentic and you gotta admit window shopping for beauty products are very fun :P
December 24, 2010 6:38 PM
Anonymous said... 14
hey dear , mind sharing the link to your blogshop ? i could browse your shop..might find something im interested in , owh and the answer to your questions . How i wish i could have such sales volume one day later... 1. what do you expect from online blogshop? friendly attitude , and cheap but quality things 2. what kind of pieces do you normally get online? clthing that suit the body shape 3. would you mind if online blogshop owners tag u in fb as their marketing approach? depends if the pictue they tag me are adorable things or things that i dont like but generally , i do mind 4. what do you think that current blogshops are lacking of and how can they improve? lacking exposure to the online market and need advertising but no cheesy lines 5. does showing the pretty face of the model or if the model who has awesome statistics (like attireattic's model) will encourage people to buy the clothing? depends , would they makes faces that show their ugly features ? in that case no. but a good figure that matches the body would be excellent 6. would you love to see the ways to mix and match for the pieces modelled as long as the outfit wont look like garbage , im down with it , but please state with what did you pair it with so its easier to find then to ask over n over again hope these answers will help dearies :) Luck
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