From: http://kissthatbitch.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label Blogshop Reviews and Reviewers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogshop Reviews and Reviewers. Show all posts
Friday, November 18, 2011
Advertorials for blogshops
This is an example of an advertorial ad for a blogshop. The owner of this blog offers advertising services in the form of writing up ads and promotional material for blogshop owners in return for a fee. This is yet another player in the vast blogshop ecosystem.
From: http://kissthatbitch.blogspot.com/
From: http://kissthatbitch.blogspot.com/
Thursday, July 28, 2011
When blogshops get physical
The desired outcome for many blogshop owners is to own physical retail shops. Blogshop sites are just a startup mechanism to help them realize this.
This article shows how online shops end up offline... and how offline stores can add an online presence to complement the business.
Particular note should go to the KissJane model, an oflline aggregator for blogshops so that online retailers can have physical rack space to show their products. This is the current area of growth as there are now a handful of similar concept stores in Singapore and KL.
From: http://sgentrepreneurs.com/retail/2011/07/29/when-blogshops-get-physical/
Generation Blogshop has come of age. While hundreds, if not thousands of garishly designed and brashly-colored blogshops have arrived and died, many online retailers have done well enough to venture into brick and mortar stores.
Tracyeinny, founded by cousins Jeannie Pang (check out SGE’s first interview with her) and Pamela Goi, can be considered a true online-to-retail pioneer. When they moved into their first storefront in Pearl’s Hill Terrace at the request of fans in 2009, the location was a ghost town.
“The place was dead, really.” says Jeannie. All they could rely on was their business savvy, and a whole horde of loyal fans.
The co-founders felt it was worth the risk however, since profits were already at a healthy level. And even if their offline operations bled, their existing business would not be badly affected.
In the end, such worries proved unwarranted since their fans flocked to the store like bees to honey.
About a year on, they outgrew their premises and the time came for them to move. While the rental cost was cheap, they could not renovate their store since the lease was renewed every six months, making tenancy uncertain.
“The landlords begged us to stay and even offered to cut our rent,” she says.
But sentimentality did not prevail. In 2010, they moved to their current location in China Town Square. Although a sleepy town at times, the workplace crowds hover in at lunchtime.
Jeannie says that their move into physical stores has paid off handsomely, with profit margins doubling ever since. They accumulated about $1 million in sales from January to May 2011, and expect revenue to hit about $4 million by year’s end, especially since they will be opening a new outlet at Junction 8 in August the same year.
That’s not too bad actually, considering that they were only generating about $600,000 in annual sales before they got physical.
They’ve even managed to do it without passing any costs to their shoppers, since they have the sales volume. It’s only a matter of ordering more of a particular item to pump up profits and meet the demand.
While the women at Tracyeinny certainly did their homework and minimized their risks, a new game changer has arrived to shake things up in the Singapore scene. Their pitch: An offline blogshop aggregator that lowers the cost and decreases the pain for blogshops who want to venture into the retail space.
Meet Ng Chong Kee (left) and Jason Low (right), who co-founded KissJane in 2010. And yes, the company was started by two manly men in their mid-thirties.
“We want a plain Jane to come to our store and transform into someone you want to kiss,” says CK cheekily.
While he himself did not start a blogshop, he was intimate with the scene, having worked as a wholesaler supplying fashion items to various online retailers.
“I’ve observed the whole trend since the beginning, how they’ve evolved from their LifeJournal days and even changed the way they took their pictures,” he says, sort of like a daddy who watched his daughters grow up.
He was also at the sidelines too when the blogshop scene experienced growing-up pains — in a failed business that was Best of Blogshops.
BoB’s business model was considered innovative. They rented retail space at Far East Plaza, and in turn charged blogshops about $600 a month for putting clothes on their racks. On the surface, the business did splendidly, expanding to three units in the same shopping mall.
But everything crumbled in a flash. The business suddenly closed down and the owners disappeared without returning the deposits and upfront rentals. No one knew what became of them.
That’s when CK had the idea of starting the company. The business model would be a reincarnation of Best of Blogshops: KissJane now charges between $1,000 to $1,500 a rack per month, for a commitment of one year, as well as around 15% for the brand’s sales to fund the company’s marketing efforts.
He went to childhood friend Jason’s office, pitched the idea to him, and they agreed on the spot to start the business together. Both were determined to set things right.
“A couple of the blogshops that are now under us were badly burnt by Best of Blogshops. But we convinced them that we’re proper businessmen and won them over,” says CK.
He adds: “So we’re like a caretaker for them. If they do well, we do well. We’re here to help them with our management skills while they focus on doing what they do best — creating a style that people want to buy.”
Jason says that it’s a win-win situation for both players, since it lowers the barrier to entry for blogshops who want to dip their toes into retail space, while at the same time helping to defray the storeowner’s rental costs.
And with a presence in two prime locations, KissJane also helps them reach out to a “million footsteps on a monthly basis” and target consumers who don’t shop online.
The plan seems to be working out, as all the blogshops have not lost their investment so far and have made tidy sums throughout the last year. KissJane has broken even seven months after starting on October 23 with an initial investment of about $200,000, which includes rental costs,renovations, and initial deposit.
Demand for their racks are strong, with about 160 brands on the waiting list, although not many will make the final cut. They have a few criteria when considering whether to accept a blogshop: Being in operation for around one to two years, considerable social media presence, and passion in what they do.
Currently, 23 blogshops are already represented in their outlets, including popular names like Tracyeinny, Missy Pixie, Love & Bravery, VainGloriousYou, and MomoTeapots, all of which own their own physical stores.
True to form, KissJane brands itself as a “kaleidoscopic shopping experience”, with the promise of a faster turnaround of new designs compared to traditional fashion retailers, which often go by the four seasons.
CK whips out a calculator and began crunching numbers: With as much as four wardrobe changes a month, the fickle fashionista can expect 18,000 designs a year, color variations included.
“We don’t carry inventory either; the blogshops carry their own items,” he says.
While retailers like Tracyeinny and KissJane seem to be doing well, not everyone is sold on the idea of opening a physical storefront.
Husband-and-wife team Vincent Goh and Tan Yi Fong is sticking to their online-only guns. Ministry of Retail, their first store with a potent online reach of about 11,000 Facebook fans, focuses on Korean fashion, while newly-minted Creme and Co stocks executive wear. The couple started working on their business less than two years ago.
While the couple declined to reveal sales figures, they’ve apparently done well for themselves: Yvonne was recently featured in Singapore tabloid The New Paper as one of the five top-earning recent graduates for Nanyang Technological University. Her salary: A cool S$12,000 a month.
For them, the huge cost involved is the main deterrence to going offline. Setting up a physical store requires a lot of cash for expenses such as rental, renovation, manpower and inventory.
“We have friends who own a number of retail outlets. They seem pretty busy and are always running around,” says Vincent.
Going into retail is more risky too. Locations that bring massive human traffic have exorbitant rental costs, while areas with low rental have low traffic. They would also have to fuss about renovation expenses and inventory management — which create extra work that they don’t need since in their current business model they would only purchase items from the suppliers after the orders come in, resulting in no need for storage.
Unforseen circumstances can wreck havoc too: “What if a similar epidemic like SARS comes again? Many retail stores closed down or went bankrupt during that period so we shouldn’t overlook the downside,” Vincent warns.
But what about shoppers who feel uncomfortable buying online, and prefer to touch and feel the real product? Addressing that, Yi Fong says that they have put in place an exchange policy that allows shoppers to return their purchases in exchange for another product or even web credits should they be dissatisfied in any way. That lessens the risk of wasting money on an unusable product.
“It’s something that’s common overseas, but not in Singapore,” she adds.
Whatever their approach, none of these retailers believe in exclusively sticking to one platform. In fact, all three businesses do bat on both teams in some ways. At the end of the day, the important thing is to strike the right balance and find an approach that suits them best.
While Ministry of Retail is primarily an online business, they do organise offline events to engage their customers. Recently, they held a party for Creme & Co customers to check out the new collection.
“Customers feel safer shopping at an online store if they can put a face to it. Physical interactions are still needed to foster relationships after all,” says Yi Fong.
For the guys at KissJane, who aspire to promote Singapore blogshops to an international audience, an online store (which also aggregates the best blogshops) is on the cards. Jason says that the new platform will allow them to test foreign markets and get a sense of their tastes and preferences.
“The brands trust our judgement but we want to careful in the process of our brand building. Our online presence will allow us to feel the ground with the countries we are targeting.”
They hope that by the time they set up their first brick and mortar operation overseas, legions of rabid KissJane fans would be waiting at the doorsteps.
This article shows how online shops end up offline... and how offline stores can add an online presence to complement the business.
Particular note should go to the KissJane model, an oflline aggregator for blogshops so that online retailers can have physical rack space to show their products. This is the current area of growth as there are now a handful of similar concept stores in Singapore and KL.
From: http://sgentrepreneurs.com/retail/2011/07/29/when-blogshops-get-physical/
When blogshops get physical
Generation Blogshop has come of age. While hundreds, if not thousands of garishly designed and brashly-colored blogshops have arrived and died, many online retailers have done well enough to venture into brick and mortar stores.Tracyeinny, founded by cousins Jeannie Pang (check out SGE’s first interview with her) and Pamela Goi, can be considered a true online-to-retail pioneer. When they moved into their first storefront in Pearl’s Hill Terrace at the request of fans in 2009, the location was a ghost town.
“The place was dead, really.” says Jeannie. All they could rely on was their business savvy, and a whole horde of loyal fans.
The co-founders felt it was worth the risk however, since profits were already at a healthy level. And even if their offline operations bled, their existing business would not be badly affected.
In the end, such worries proved unwarranted since their fans flocked to the store like bees to honey.
About a year on, they outgrew their premises and the time came for them to move. While the rental cost was cheap, they could not renovate their store since the lease was renewed every six months, making tenancy uncertain.
“The landlords begged us to stay and even offered to cut our rent,” she says.
But sentimentality did not prevail. In 2010, they moved to their current location in China Town Square. Although a sleepy town at times, the workplace crowds hover in at lunchtime.
Jeannie says that their move into physical stores has paid off handsomely, with profit margins doubling ever since. They accumulated about $1 million in sales from January to May 2011, and expect revenue to hit about $4 million by year’s end, especially since they will be opening a new outlet at Junction 8 in August the same year.
That’s not too bad actually, considering that they were only generating about $600,000 in annual sales before they got physical.
They’ve even managed to do it without passing any costs to their shoppers, since they have the sales volume. It’s only a matter of ordering more of a particular item to pump up profits and meet the demand.
While the women at Tracyeinny certainly did their homework and minimized their risks, a new game changer has arrived to shake things up in the Singapore scene. Their pitch: An offline blogshop aggregator that lowers the cost and decreases the pain for blogshops who want to venture into the retail space.
Meet Ng Chong Kee (left) and Jason Low (right), who co-founded KissJane in 2010. And yes, the company was started by two manly men in their mid-thirties.
Photo: KissJane
While he himself did not start a blogshop, he was intimate with the scene, having worked as a wholesaler supplying fashion items to various online retailers.
“I’ve observed the whole trend since the beginning, how they’ve evolved from their LifeJournal days and even changed the way they took their pictures,” he says, sort of like a daddy who watched his daughters grow up.
He was also at the sidelines too when the blogshop scene experienced growing-up pains — in a failed business that was Best of Blogshops.
BoB’s business model was considered innovative. They rented retail space at Far East Plaza, and in turn charged blogshops about $600 a month for putting clothes on their racks. On the surface, the business did splendidly, expanding to three units in the same shopping mall.
But everything crumbled in a flash. The business suddenly closed down and the owners disappeared without returning the deposits and upfront rentals. No one knew what became of them.
That’s when CK had the idea of starting the company. The business model would be a reincarnation of Best of Blogshops: KissJane now charges between $1,000 to $1,500 a rack per month, for a commitment of one year, as well as around 15% for the brand’s sales to fund the company’s marketing efforts.
He went to childhood friend Jason’s office, pitched the idea to him, and they agreed on the spot to start the business together. Both were determined to set things right.
“A couple of the blogshops that are now under us were badly burnt by Best of Blogshops. But we convinced them that we’re proper businessmen and won them over,” says CK.
He adds: “So we’re like a caretaker for them. If they do well, we do well. We’re here to help them with our management skills while they focus on doing what they do best — creating a style that people want to buy.”
Jason says that it’s a win-win situation for both players, since it lowers the barrier to entry for blogshops who want to dip their toes into retail space, while at the same time helping to defray the storeowner’s rental costs.
And with a presence in two prime locations, KissJane also helps them reach out to a “million footsteps on a monthly basis” and target consumers who don’t shop online.
The plan seems to be working out, as all the blogshops have not lost their investment so far and have made tidy sums throughout the last year. KissJane has broken even seven months after starting on October 23 with an initial investment of about $200,000, which includes rental costs,renovations, and initial deposit.
Demand for their racks are strong, with about 160 brands on the waiting list, although not many will make the final cut. They have a few criteria when considering whether to accept a blogshop: Being in operation for around one to two years, considerable social media presence, and passion in what they do.
Currently, 23 blogshops are already represented in their outlets, including popular names like Tracyeinny, Missy Pixie, Love & Bravery, VainGloriousYou, and MomoTeapots, all of which own their own physical stores.
True to form, KissJane brands itself as a “kaleidoscopic shopping experience”, with the promise of a faster turnaround of new designs compared to traditional fashion retailers, which often go by the four seasons.
CK whips out a calculator and began crunching numbers: With as much as four wardrobe changes a month, the fickle fashionista can expect 18,000 designs a year, color variations included.
“We don’t carry inventory either; the blogshops carry their own items,” he says.
While retailers like Tracyeinny and KissJane seem to be doing well, not everyone is sold on the idea of opening a physical storefront.
Photo: Vincent and Yvonne
While the couple declined to reveal sales figures, they’ve apparently done well for themselves: Yvonne was recently featured in Singapore tabloid The New Paper as one of the five top-earning recent graduates for Nanyang Technological University. Her salary: A cool S$12,000 a month.
For them, the huge cost involved is the main deterrence to going offline. Setting up a physical store requires a lot of cash for expenses such as rental, renovation, manpower and inventory.
“We have friends who own a number of retail outlets. They seem pretty busy and are always running around,” says Vincent.
Going into retail is more risky too. Locations that bring massive human traffic have exorbitant rental costs, while areas with low rental have low traffic. They would also have to fuss about renovation expenses and inventory management — which create extra work that they don’t need since in their current business model they would only purchase items from the suppliers after the orders come in, resulting in no need for storage.
Unforseen circumstances can wreck havoc too: “What if a similar epidemic like SARS comes again? Many retail stores closed down or went bankrupt during that period so we shouldn’t overlook the downside,” Vincent warns.
But what about shoppers who feel uncomfortable buying online, and prefer to touch and feel the real product? Addressing that, Yi Fong says that they have put in place an exchange policy that allows shoppers to return their purchases in exchange for another product or even web credits should they be dissatisfied in any way. That lessens the risk of wasting money on an unusable product.
“It’s something that’s common overseas, but not in Singapore,” she adds.
Whatever their approach, none of these retailers believe in exclusively sticking to one platform. In fact, all three businesses do bat on both teams in some ways. At the end of the day, the important thing is to strike the right balance and find an approach that suits them best.
While Ministry of Retail is primarily an online business, they do organise offline events to engage their customers. Recently, they held a party for Creme & Co customers to check out the new collection.
“Customers feel safer shopping at an online store if they can put a face to it. Physical interactions are still needed to foster relationships after all,” says Yi Fong.
For the guys at KissJane, who aspire to promote Singapore blogshops to an international audience, an online store (which also aggregates the best blogshops) is on the cards. Jason says that the new platform will allow them to test foreign markets and get a sense of their tastes and preferences.
“The brands trust our judgement but we want to careful in the process of our brand building. Our online presence will allow us to feel the ground with the countries we are targeting.”
They hope that by the time they set up their first brick and mortar operation overseas, legions of rabid KissJane fans would be waiting at the doorsteps.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Reigning Queens of the Blogshop World
I found a few interesting points in this article.
One is that the writer attributes the rise of online shopping in this region of the world to blogshopping. I have considered this for a while now, and it is good to see an expert in this field thinking the same.
E-commerce took off in the 1990s in the US and developed parts of the world, but not here in SE Asia. Internet usage rose during the dotcom years, but not online shopping. The main focus of a large part of the academic literature in the field of e-commerce in Malaysia, for instance, focused on trying to understand why people do not buy online. Apart from the buy/sell/trade boards in local online communities like Lowyat and Mudah (which came about much later actually), there was a great lack of Malaysian (or Singaporean or any SE Asian) e-commerce sites like an Amazon or a Dell.com for instance.
My own experience confirms this as well. When I first taught an e-marketing class back in 2006, I used to ask the students every semester if anyone had ever bought anything online. At that time, no hands ever went up. Reasons given are the ones we know so well already- no credit card ownership, fear of being cheated, security concerns, etc. As time went by, more hands rose, and invariably, their online shopping experiences were either with Air Asia... or blogshops. These days, most of my students (the girls in particular) know of blogshops or have ever bought something off one. They still do not purchase off off a major e-commerce portal like eBay or Amazon, but they are apt to have purchased something off a local blogshop.
I think blogshops represent a kind of SE Asian e-commerce boom, not a dotcom boom, but a blogshop boom. It is the small blogshops that have brought online shopping to our shores. It has been happening very quietly, and without garnering much attention.
Also, while Amazon and eBay represented e-commerce, blogshops are vehicles of social commerce. If social commerce is the second wave of online shopping, then it can be said that we have bypassed the e-commerce revolution and stepped right into the social commerce revolution.
In this sense, blogshops are an alternative commercial channel, one that operates outside the mainstream. It uses social media and is leveraged upon users' resourcefulness to create a commercial system taht is accessible to the people in the region.
Another interesting point made here is the evolution of the blogshop. Although they started off with 'basic' designs, many have moved on to become more professional and mainstream shops. In this sense, a blogshop can represent a model of how a business is begun (using social media, social connections, etc).
From: http://www.myfatpocket.com/fashion/touch-of-vogue/reigning-queens-of-the-blogshop-world.html
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you would have shopped online at one point or another. Online shopping has been in existence for a long time, ever since the existence of internet banking made online transactions possible, but the phenomenon of online shopping in local context only really took off with the rise of online blogshops by enterprising young people who saw the gap in the demand market, filled it, and created a whole new avenue of shopping altogether.
The very first blogshops were basic - they were usually hosted on free websites such as Blogspot or Livejournal, had simple pictures and layouts and boasted relatively small collection of items, usually clothes, for sale. However, as they became immensely popular and more blogshops started sprouting up in the internet world, competition drove many of the owners to find various means and ways to differentiate themselves from the competition.
Some took the time and effort to create beautiful fashion layouts, while others took to designing clothes themselves instead of getting their clothes from the same manufacturer as everyone else. Thing is, competition was so intense that consumers were often spoiled for choice, and the lack of a differentiating shtick meant that many blogshops that joined too late into the game eventually were forced out of competition.
Yet, despite the cutthroat nature of the business, some blogshops have managed to pull so far ahead of the rest of their competitors that they were rumoured to rake in 5-figures sum every month. These blogshops are the ones that people can name from the top of their heads, the ones whose clothes you'd at least have a piece of in your wardrobe, and the ones whose collections are sold out within the first few minutes of their launch. Hard work, excellent customer service, cutting-edge fashion... these are just some of the reasons why some of these blogshops are holding court over the rest in the blogshop world.
Here, we share with you some of our very favourite blogshops. They may not be the biggest or most popular ones around, but they have captured our hearts (and wallets!) in more ways than one!
Previously known as LittleRedHeels, now ILoveLRH, owners Min and Xiang owned what could be considered one of the pioneering blogshops in the blogsphere. While many of the earlier blogshops played it safe with their presentations, LRH surged ahead with their gorgeous edgy layouts that looked straight out of the pages of a fashion spread, unique clothing not found in any other blogshop and of course, excellent service. Even if the clothes did not catch our eye in a particular collection, the amazing photography was well worth a second (third, and fourth) look, making LRH one of our early favourites.
LRH has since migrated to a dotcom domain and revamped its site to create a more professional feel. While service standards remain as professional as ever, the beautiful spreads have unfortunately been abandoned, possibly due to a lack of time on the part of the owners. Shame! Nevertheless, we are still fans of their simple and clean layout at the new site and their quirky collections!
Indisputably the most popular local blogshop right now, BonitoChico's collections are the ones to look out for, because should you even dare to be 10 minutes late for the launch of a new collection, you can be pretty sure the item you're hankering after would be out of stock by the time you place your order. The massive popularity of BonitoChico isn't without its reasons either. We like to think of BonitoChico's selling points as a three-pronged approach: aesthetically pleasing photographs, professional and efficient service, and most important of all, self-designed and manufactured apparel. In a market saturated with blogshops selling the same clothes over and over again, the effort taken to self manufature clothes is refreshing and much appreciated by us shoppers!
It's true: Girls like to look at other girls, especially if they're pretty! Blame it on our voyeuristic or kaypoh nature, there's no doubt that a blogshop with pretty models would attract more attention comparatively. (yes, we are superficial, get over it) But of course, that's only one of the reasons why Agneselle (with model/owner Pei Ling of Hey! Gorgeous fame) is vastly popular among the avid online shoppers. With its self-manufactured collections skewed more towards young working adults, its apparel are often a mix of casual chic and dressy. Paired with a model that makes everything look impossibly good, it's little wonder that Agneselle reigns as one of the most popular local blogshops.
Much like Agneselle, Catwalkclose features a variety of casual yet chic apparel don by a model that makes everything look fabulous. Unlike Agneselle however, Catwalkclose features collections (self-manufactured too, yes!) that are much more adventurous in its play on prints and colours. We are especially huge fans of the breezy chiffon materials and bright flower prints that have been dominating their recent collections. One of our favourite things about Catwalkclose's apparel is that while it doesn't jump on the bandwagon of latest fashion trends like so many blogshops do, it remains fashion forward, and more importantly, prices are wallet-friendly!
Another one of the seasoned players in the game, HerVelvetVase, or HVV for short, is one of the few blogshops whose popularity has not wavered since its inception. And for good reason. Collections are, of course, self-manufactured, and fashion veers towards apparel in classic cuts and colours, in a range of formal to casual. While it's easy for those who are not careful to border into boring territory when dabbling in basic cuts and colours, HVV keeps their fashion fresh with detailing and and prints. Innate understanding of what makes their costumers tick and what earns their loyalty? HVV definitely possesses it.
Sprightly, cheerful and youthful - that's definitely the vibe that VainGloriousYou has going on with its shop presentation, clothes and model. Targeting perhaps a slightly younger crowd than the rest of its counterparts, VGY has been extremely popular among student shoppers with its edgier street fashion, and brighter hues. Model/owner Tricia, also formerly of Hey! Gorgeous fame, rocks out her outfits and makes even us, who are not huge fans of the street fashion, want to buy her clothes!
What we like about AcrossTheBloodyUniverse (besides its cheeky name of course!) is how the intimate nature of its collections. Each collection only has a couple of pieces, each piece painstakingly designed by co-owners Mery and Sarah, who also model their own apparel. Their small collections ensure that costumers are not overwhelmed by too many choices and have more time to mull over their choices of colours etc. In fact, shopping at AcrossTheBloodyUniverse feels more like being showed the closet of a close girlfriend. Friendly service and intimate atmosphere - the shopping experience with ATBU is indeed a unique one!
One of the younger players in the world of online shopping, there's a reason why Odorikoya has been flourishing as a late entrant while many of its competitors have crashed and burned. Odorikoya catches your attention immediately in two ways, first of all, its Japanese name sets it aside from the rest of its competitors (with an endless array of names with wordplay on "glamour", "allure", "vogue" etc etc, who can differentiate one from another anymore?), and secondly, its layout which is a combination of chic and adorable - irresistible! (we are suckers for pretty layouts!) Excellent presentation, uniquely-sourced collections and reasonable pricing - Odorikoya's definitely a keeper in our books!
One is that the writer attributes the rise of online shopping in this region of the world to blogshopping. I have considered this for a while now, and it is good to see an expert in this field thinking the same.
E-commerce took off in the 1990s in the US and developed parts of the world, but not here in SE Asia. Internet usage rose during the dotcom years, but not online shopping. The main focus of a large part of the academic literature in the field of e-commerce in Malaysia, for instance, focused on trying to understand why people do not buy online. Apart from the buy/sell/trade boards in local online communities like Lowyat and Mudah (which came about much later actually), there was a great lack of Malaysian (or Singaporean or any SE Asian) e-commerce sites like an Amazon or a Dell.com for instance.
My own experience confirms this as well. When I first taught an e-marketing class back in 2006, I used to ask the students every semester if anyone had ever bought anything online. At that time, no hands ever went up. Reasons given are the ones we know so well already- no credit card ownership, fear of being cheated, security concerns, etc. As time went by, more hands rose, and invariably, their online shopping experiences were either with Air Asia... or blogshops. These days, most of my students (the girls in particular) know of blogshops or have ever bought something off one. They still do not purchase off off a major e-commerce portal like eBay or Amazon, but they are apt to have purchased something off a local blogshop.
I think blogshops represent a kind of SE Asian e-commerce boom, not a dotcom boom, but a blogshop boom. It is the small blogshops that have brought online shopping to our shores. It has been happening very quietly, and without garnering much attention.
Also, while Amazon and eBay represented e-commerce, blogshops are vehicles of social commerce. If social commerce is the second wave of online shopping, then it can be said that we have bypassed the e-commerce revolution and stepped right into the social commerce revolution.
In this sense, blogshops are an alternative commercial channel, one that operates outside the mainstream. It uses social media and is leveraged upon users' resourcefulness to create a commercial system taht is accessible to the people in the region.
Another interesting point made here is the evolution of the blogshop. Although they started off with 'basic' designs, many have moved on to become more professional and mainstream shops. In this sense, a blogshop can represent a model of how a business is begun (using social media, social connections, etc).
From: http://www.myfatpocket.com/fashion/touch-of-vogue/reigning-queens-of-the-blogshop-world.html
Monday, 15 March 2010 09:59 | by Minyan
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you would have shopped online at one point or another. Online shopping has been in existence for a long time, ever since the existence of internet banking made online transactions possible, but the phenomenon of online shopping in local context only really took off with the rise of online blogshops by enterprising young people who saw the gap in the demand market, filled it, and created a whole new avenue of shopping altogether.
The very first blogshops were basic - they were usually hosted on free websites such as Blogspot or Livejournal, had simple pictures and layouts and boasted relatively small collection of items, usually clothes, for sale. However, as they became immensely popular and more blogshops started sprouting up in the internet world, competition drove many of the owners to find various means and ways to differentiate themselves from the competition.
Some took the time and effort to create beautiful fashion layouts, while others took to designing clothes themselves instead of getting their clothes from the same manufacturer as everyone else. Thing is, competition was so intense that consumers were often spoiled for choice, and the lack of a differentiating shtick meant that many blogshops that joined too late into the game eventually were forced out of competition.
Yet, despite the cutthroat nature of the business, some blogshops have managed to pull so far ahead of the rest of their competitors that they were rumoured to rake in 5-figures sum every month. These blogshops are the ones that people can name from the top of their heads, the ones whose clothes you'd at least have a piece of in your wardrobe, and the ones whose collections are sold out within the first few minutes of their launch. Hard work, excellent customer service, cutting-edge fashion... these are just some of the reasons why some of these blogshops are holding court over the rest in the blogshop world.
Here, we share with you some of our very favourite blogshops. They may not be the biggest or most popular ones around, but they have captured our hearts (and wallets!) in more ways than one!
Little Red Heels
Previously known as LittleRedHeels, now ILoveLRH, owners Min and Xiang owned what could be considered one of the pioneering blogshops in the blogsphere. While many of the earlier blogshops played it safe with their presentations, LRH surged ahead with their gorgeous edgy layouts that looked straight out of the pages of a fashion spread, unique clothing not found in any other blogshop and of course, excellent service. Even if the clothes did not catch our eye in a particular collection, the amazing photography was well worth a second (third, and fourth) look, making LRH one of our early favourites.
LRH has since migrated to a dotcom domain and revamped its site to create a more professional feel. While service standards remain as professional as ever, the beautiful spreads have unfortunately been abandoned, possibly due to a lack of time on the part of the owners. Shame! Nevertheless, we are still fans of their simple and clean layout at the new site and their quirky collections!
BonitoChico
Indisputably the most popular local blogshop right now, BonitoChico's collections are the ones to look out for, because should you even dare to be 10 minutes late for the launch of a new collection, you can be pretty sure the item you're hankering after would be out of stock by the time you place your order. The massive popularity of BonitoChico isn't without its reasons either. We like to think of BonitoChico's selling points as a three-pronged approach: aesthetically pleasing photographs, professional and efficient service, and most important of all, self-designed and manufactured apparel. In a market saturated with blogshops selling the same clothes over and over again, the effort taken to self manufature clothes is refreshing and much appreciated by us shoppers!
Agneselle
It's true: Girls like to look at other girls, especially if they're pretty! Blame it on our voyeuristic or kaypoh nature, there's no doubt that a blogshop with pretty models would attract more attention comparatively. (yes, we are superficial, get over it) But of course, that's only one of the reasons why Agneselle (with model/owner Pei Ling of Hey! Gorgeous fame) is vastly popular among the avid online shoppers. With its self-manufactured collections skewed more towards young working adults, its apparel are often a mix of casual chic and dressy. Paired with a model that makes everything look impossibly good, it's little wonder that Agneselle reigns as one of the most popular local blogshops.
Catwalkclose
Much like Agneselle, Catwalkclose features a variety of casual yet chic apparel don by a model that makes everything look fabulous. Unlike Agneselle however, Catwalkclose features collections (self-manufactured too, yes!) that are much more adventurous in its play on prints and colours. We are especially huge fans of the breezy chiffon materials and bright flower prints that have been dominating their recent collections. One of our favourite things about Catwalkclose's apparel is that while it doesn't jump on the bandwagon of latest fashion trends like so many blogshops do, it remains fashion forward, and more importantly, prices are wallet-friendly!
HerVelvetVase
Another one of the seasoned players in the game, HerVelvetVase, or HVV for short, is one of the few blogshops whose popularity has not wavered since its inception. And for good reason. Collections are, of course, self-manufactured, and fashion veers towards apparel in classic cuts and colours, in a range of formal to casual. While it's easy for those who are not careful to border into boring territory when dabbling in basic cuts and colours, HVV keeps their fashion fresh with detailing and and prints. Innate understanding of what makes their costumers tick and what earns their loyalty? HVV definitely possesses it.
VainGloriousYou
Sprightly, cheerful and youthful - that's definitely the vibe that VainGloriousYou has going on with its shop presentation, clothes and model. Targeting perhaps a slightly younger crowd than the rest of its counterparts, VGY has been extremely popular among student shoppers with its edgier street fashion, and brighter hues. Model/owner Tricia, also formerly of Hey! Gorgeous fame, rocks out her outfits and makes even us, who are not huge fans of the street fashion, want to buy her clothes!
AcrossTheBloodyUniverse
What we like about AcrossTheBloodyUniverse (besides its cheeky name of course!) is how the intimate nature of its collections. Each collection only has a couple of pieces, each piece painstakingly designed by co-owners Mery and Sarah, who also model their own apparel. Their small collections ensure that costumers are not overwhelmed by too many choices and have more time to mull over their choices of colours etc. In fact, shopping at AcrossTheBloodyUniverse feels more like being showed the closet of a close girlfriend. Friendly service and intimate atmosphere - the shopping experience with ATBU is indeed a unique one!
Odorikoya
One of the younger players in the world of online shopping, there's a reason why Odorikoya has been flourishing as a late entrant while many of its competitors have crashed and burned. Odorikoya catches your attention immediately in two ways, first of all, its Japanese name sets it aside from the rest of its competitors (with an endless array of names with wordplay on "glamour", "allure", "vogue" etc etc, who can differentiate one from another anymore?), and secondly, its layout which is a combination of chic and adorable - irresistible! (we are suckers for pretty layouts!) Excellent presentation, uniquely-sourced collections and reasonable pricing - Odorikoya's definitely a keeper in our books!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
How Shopaholics created the blogshop universe
This blogshop review blog explains how shopaholics have created the blogshop universe.
Blogshops emerged because fashion conscious individuals (fashionistas) discover gaps in the local fashion scene and opportunities for them to become sellers.
Blogshops need to be linked and found by others, so other individuals step in and fill a variety ofrelated online shopping needs. In this blog, the owner decided to become a reviewer, as well as to provide links to blogshops.
Thus, owning a blogshop is only one way to participate in the fashion hobby. You can also provide blogshop reviews, a site that lists blogshops (directory), and a variety of otherroles that support blogshops.
http://diaryofane-shopaholic.blogspot.com/
Blogshops emerged because fashion conscious individuals (fashionistas) discover gaps in the local fashion scene and opportunities for them to become sellers.
Blogshops need to be linked and found by others, so other individuals step in and fill a variety ofrelated online shopping needs. In this blog, the owner decided to become a reviewer, as well as to provide links to blogshops.
Thus, owning a blogshop is only one way to participate in the fashion hobby. You can also provide blogshop reviews, a site that lists blogshops (directory), and a variety of otherroles that support blogshops.
http://diaryofane-shopaholic.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
One Blogshop Reviews Another
Blogshop owners have varying degrees of influence in their area. In fashion, a blogshop owner's collection (those with handpicked stocks) reflects her personal tastes. Thus, some buyers may be attracted to a particular blogshop because the blogshop's collection is in line with their personal likes and styles.
This puts blogshop owners in a position of influence, akin to that of celebrity fashion designers whose styles and designs influence the fashionista masses.
The type or degree of influence a blogshop owner can exert can take on the following forms:
Labels: blogshop reviews
This puts blogshop owners in a position of influence, akin to that of celebrity fashion designers whose styles and designs influence the fashionista masses.
The type or degree of influence a blogshop owner can exert can take on the following forms:
- as a fashion consultant/expert to buyers
- as a fashion reviewer
- as a blogshop reviewer
Reviews on Blogshops I've visited.
* Word heavy.
So here are some review on blogshops.
SGLady.com (Review)
I rate this blogshop 2.5/5
Why only 2.5 ?!
Ok, they have super fast delivery.
But some items are just so lousy !
*WARNING : Please do NOT buy cosmetics/beauty tools from here.
I regretted buying things from here because it does not help,
eyelashes I bought from there, totally dirty and cheap.
But seriously heed my advice, you can buy stickers or notepads or boxes.
BUT NOT COSMETICS. You will regret 200000%.
Okay, I don't want to talk too much about it.
BEST BUY WORLD sg.bestbuy-world.com (Review)
I rate is 4/5
Ok, prompt delivery but delivery fee is expensive.
Bought BRA from here and others.
BRA size not very fittable.
But all the others are great.
Good quality and branded stuffs.
I love it.
Rosebelle.org (Review)
I rate 4.5/5
Where does the 0.5 goes to?!
It went to the expensive price of the products.
Other than that, everything is nice, pretty.
Prompt delivery and e-mail updates.
Hi everyone !
Here is a review on the Singapore's blogshops that I've visited.
Hmmm, I myself have a blogshop but I'm still an online shopper.
I love the stuffs that I can buy online and also I'm a lazy girl that is lazy to go shopping.
As a shopper, I also understands how other shoppers feel.
So here are some review on blogshops.
SGLady.com (Review)
I rate this blogshop 2.5/5
Why only 2.5 ?!
Ok, they have super fast delivery.
But some items are just so lousy !
*WARNING : Please do NOT buy cosmetics/beauty tools from here.
I regretted buying things from here because it does not help,
eyelashes I bought from there, totally dirty and cheap.
But seriously heed my advice, you can buy stickers or notepads or boxes.
BUT NOT COSMETICS. You will regret 200000%.
Okay, I don't want to talk too much about it.
BEST BUY WORLD sg.bestbuy-world.com (Review)
I rate is 4/5
Ok, prompt delivery but delivery fee is expensive.
Bought BRA from here and others.
BRA size not very fittable.
But all the others are great.
Good quality and branded stuffs.
I love it.
Rosebelle.org (Review)
I rate 4.5/5
Where does the 0.5 goes to?!
It went to the expensive price of the products.
Other than that, everything is nice, pretty.
Prompt delivery and e-mail updates.
That's all for now, I might just do up a few more ! =D
Monday, September 13, 2010
Blogshop Reviewers talk about Blogshops
Blogshop reviewers play a major role in the blogshop-sphere. Here is an article that interviews a number of them who are quite prominent in the blogshop scene.
NOTE: There is a strong sense in which blogshops are synonymous with e-commerce in Malaysia.
While online shopping came on the scene with the dotcoms in the 1990s, they were not big in Malaysia then. There were some e-commerce sites dedicated to e-commerce, and a handful of auction and online community sites like Lelong and Lowyat that provided spaces for e-commerce (usually C2C), but online shopping then was still insignificant (I need to research deeper into this to get some statistics about the early days of e-commerce and online shopping in Malaysia to get a confirmation on this).
Therefore, do blogshops represent the e-commerce/online shopping revolution in this part of the world?
In other words, are we having our own 'version' of e-commerce, one that is fueled by cost-free blogshops instead of typical e-commerce sites from the dotcom era?
From the Sun2Surf site: http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=51748
Shopping redefined
ABOUT a year ago online shopping was a bizarre idea to many of us who until today still prefer to get shopping done at malls even though shopping convenience is only a few clicks away on the computer. It was a new concept which took a while to sink into shoppers’ minds while having to get used to receiving shopping items through snail mail. This however did not stop blogshop and e-boutique owners from establishing a "buy and sell" community on the wireless sphere. Today, based on statistics provided by four individuals whom have been actively keeping tabs on these businesses online which are based in Malaysia alone, the number has risen to more than 2,000 sites.
As for A Shopaholic’s Den (www.ashopaholicsden.com), a reviewer who many regard as the pioneer who kick-started blogshop review sites, Soh Yien Yee, 22, continues to keep readers informed with the latest updates posted by blogshops although she is now a full-time events management executive. However, Soh noticed several downsides of the current reviewing trend as compared to when she started back in 2008.
Updated: 11:25AM Mon, 13 Sep 2010
NOTE: There is a strong sense in which blogshops are synonymous with e-commerce in Malaysia.
While online shopping came on the scene with the dotcoms in the 1990s, they were not big in Malaysia then. There were some e-commerce sites dedicated to e-commerce, and a handful of auction and online community sites like Lelong and Lowyat that provided spaces for e-commerce (usually C2C), but online shopping then was still insignificant (I need to research deeper into this to get some statistics about the early days of e-commerce and online shopping in Malaysia to get a confirmation on this).
Therefore, do blogshops represent the e-commerce/online shopping revolution in this part of the world?
In other words, are we having our own 'version' of e-commerce, one that is fueled by cost-free blogshops instead of typical e-commerce sites from the dotcom era?
From the Sun2Surf site: http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=51748
Shopping redefined
 |  |
Pung Sha-Lene | Michelle Ong |
Yes, you read it correctly. There are more than 2,000 shops online and the figure is rising. You begin to think, there are so many physical shops out there which you cannot actually cope with, how can you keep track of these additional shopping avenues? Well, this is where blogshop reviewers come to our rescue. The majority of us would assume, how hard can it be to manage a blog site, but think again, with information overload from existing blogshops, the new emergence of blogshops and not forgetting continuous requests for new blogshops to be featured, it is not an easy task to juggle.
Some have been successful whereas many have shut down without a trace. Similar to how you do your research online with regards to what is the best buy of a certain item through reviews, the blogshop review sites serve the same purpose for online shoppers. But which do you actually want to read and believe before you make an investment on an item?
REVIEW WITH A DIFFRENCE
"There is no competition among us blogshop reviewers. At least from my side, I don’t see that we are competing. My observations show that blogshop reviewers complement each other in the blog-sphere as there are too many blogshops to keep track of and due to that, I feel that there is no way that I can list all of them," explained Pung Sha-Lene, 22, of yourshoppingkaki.blogspot.com, who is a student majoring in journalism and communications at Monash University in Bandar Sunway.
Introduced to online shopping in 2009, Sha-Lene is the host of Your Shopping Kaki blogshop review site where she provides firsthand shopping experiences and tips. It was not something which was planned, but simply because she enjoyed writing and loved the convenience of shopping online.
"Your Shopping Kaki takes on a different approach where readers get insights to where or why I’ve purchased certain items. Each review is written in an article form where I feature blogshops I’ve purchased items from instead of telling someone about what other blogshops have without purchasing anything from them. I also feature other shops in my review site and blogshop owners are most welcome to share links on Your Shopping Kaki where readers can locate certain items which they’re looking for," added Sha-Lene.
MOTHER OF ALL REVIEWERS
 |  |
Soh Yien Yee | Sara Khong |
As for A Shopaholic’s Den (www.ashopaholicsden.com), a reviewer who many regard as the pioneer who kick-started blogshop review sites, Soh Yien Yee, 22, continues to keep readers informed with the latest updates posted by blogshops although she is now a full-time events management executive. However, Soh noticed several downsides of the current reviewing trend as compared to when she started back in 2008.
"When I first started the review site, it focused on helping friends and fellow shoppers locate items which they could not find at their usual shopping spots or if they were avid online shoppers and were looking for something in particular. On my site I share about what’s in and where shoppers can purchase them online and tips on shopping efficiently online. At times I would also be reviewing products if there are requests," said Soh.
"However lately, I’ve noticed that there are several review sites which are set up solely for profit-earning purposes. I think it is unethical to do so especially when you have just started the review site and have not even gained credibility or traffic. To immediately post up advertisement space just doesn’t fit the picture. We’re supposed to be sharing knowledge and not profiting from others’ knowledge," expressed Soh.
ROLL-ING IT RIGHTThe number of blogshops kept growing and so did Michelle Ong’s review site, shoppingroll.blogspot.com since the 20-year-old wanted to list down as many blogshops in the blog-sphere. Still Ong needed to do regular maintenance work where she monitored the activity of blogshops to see whether or not they were constantly updated in order to be "kept" on Shopping Roll.
"I started shopping online in 2006, way before people even heard about buying things online. So you can imagine the amount of shops I explored on the Internet. I didn’t start the review site immediately but instead only started in 2009 when more and more shops were available. In fact, the database in Malaysia has grown to about 2,200 blogshops on my count. Initially starting with two blog rolls, I have nine today!" Ong further elaborated.
"As a shopper myself, occasionally I do go around investigating if certain blogshops are providing good services or whether they are honest in dealing with shoppers. Apart from that, on Shopping Roll, you will notice that I have a ‘Looking For’ column where shoppers can post items which they are looking for and I will try my best to help them locate them. At the same time, blogshop owners can also exchange information through that column by matching items to a shopper’s request," added Ong.
SHOPPING EFFICIENLY
Just like any shopper who was new to the idea of shopping online, Sara Khong, 24, the host of the fashiono.my site, was once clueless about the hype of doing shopping without driving to the mall.
"I only started shopping online a year ago and I knew nothing about it. I had so many questions; How do I make a transfer via Maybank2u? How to place an order? What does COD means? What other boutiques are available online? I couldn’t find any site which have all that I wanted to know. So I decided to start a site which not only tell girls where to shop online, but how to shop online," said Khong.
Preferring to regard it as an "online fashion" review site, Khong reviews only blogshops in Malaysia and goes by the tagline: "An online shopping guide and fashion review site for Malaysians." Although she has written about various blogshops in Singapore, Khong stated that she prefers to focus on Malaysia’s e-commerce sites and readers.
"Starting this site not only educated me as it also helped many clueless online shoppers like me earn some pocket money and make friends with other entrepreneurs. Seeing that things were going on well, I’ve decided to put looking for a job in the legal department aside and give myself a shot at running this review site as my full-time career. I’ve found three wonderful writers who are really into fashion to help me. I am also planning my new e-commerce site, www.zikkos.com that sells accessories," added Khong, a law graduate.
INTENSE COMPETITION
With the increasing number of blogshops in the market, there is definitely intense competition to grab a bigger market share. Keeping this factor in mind, blogshop reviewers make it a point not to compare the price of items or products in different blogshops.
So, are you an online shopper yet? Or have you been wanting to try it out? If you have qualms about shopping online and did not know where to look for answers, check out the blogshop review sites here and shop away!With the increasing number of blogshops in the market, there is definitely intense competition to grab a bigger market share. Keeping this factor in mind, blogshop reviewers make it a point not to compare the price of items or products in different blogshops.
Updated: 11:25AM Mon, 13 Sep 2010
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