http://www.tofebruary.com/
This is an interesting site based in Walnut CA, USA. Although the site does not identify where it is located, its Face book page has this description of its business:
U.S. based online retail store specializing in Asian inspired fashion / accessories from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China ♥
The site is not a blog platform, but it has a FB page and it sure feels like a blogshop!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Is this a blogshop?
Here is something interesting.
This has a blogshop feel to it- it has forms to fill in, and categories, etc, but it takes credit card, etc. It ships to US, Canada and Asia so its place of origin is kinda hard to determine.
http://www.myhandbagcity.com/
It also has a sister site- a blog about handbags that is made from Word Press.
http://www.myhandbagcity.com/replica-handbags/
This has a blogshop feel to it- it has forms to fill in, and categories, etc, but it takes credit card, etc. It ships to US, Canada and Asia so its place of origin is kinda hard to determine.
http://www.myhandbagcity.com/
It also has a sister site- a blog about handbags that is made from Word Press.
http://www.myhandbagcity.com/replica-handbags/
Online boutiques take on real world
There has been quite a number of articles like this one in the national newspapers recently, and the theme is clear- online boutiques are becoming a factor as they continue to make in-roads offline.
So instead of weekend bazaars and the occasional flea markets, they are now given more permanent physical presence. As it says in the opening line, the critical implication here is that a physical presence is required to overcome the issues of customers not being able to touch and feel items online.
From The Star: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/8/21/central/6067431&sec=central
By YIP YOKE TENG
Shopping online for apparel is fast gaining popularity but there are some who remain sceptical since they cannot see or feel the items.
This is one reason why operators of online boutiques would sometimes sell items at weekend bazaars so potential customers can have a look at the merchandise that was posted on the Internet.
OB Couture at Tropicana City Mall brings the idea up a notch by offering a space for online boutique operators to display their goods and for customers to get them off the rack, in the comfort and convenience of a shopping mall.
Another plus point is shoppers do not need to wait for the weekends to nab their purchases.
Offline presence: Matthew Tang believes his store concept will work in Malaysia. “The concept was started in Taiwan and Singapore, we believe shopping enthusiasts and online boutique operators here will find it useful.
“There are about 1,500 online boutiques in Malaysia, we can offer them our services,” said co-founder Matthew Tang.
The space in OB Couture is divided into 75 slots, each can have 30 hangers to display the apparel as well as a cabinet to store stock. Each slot is leased from RM11 a day.
“We want to reach out to not only the operators of online boutiques, but also fashion designers, fashion graduates and aspiring entrepreneurs,” he added.
Vendors only need to send their merchandise over while the boutique handles the rest — tagging, ironing, selling and replenishing the items among others — and send them a sales report every 10 days.
Embelishments: Accessories are also part of the offerings at OB Couture. The three-month-old boutique is equipped with fitting rooms, a feature much appreciated by online shoppers.
“Prices of the merchandise are all set by vendors so they can have a sense of individuality.
“Some vendors were worried that putting the merchandise together would mean more competition, in fact it would create a synergy that brings the business to a big scale.
“This platform enables them to run their boutiques both online and offline even when they do not have a sizable capital at the moment and we complement their operations with promotions and advertisements,” Tang added.
OB Couture is located at Lot L1-35, First Floor, Tropicana City Mall, Jalan SS20/27, Petaling Jaya. Tang can be reached at 017-202 2710.
So instead of weekend bazaars and the occasional flea markets, they are now given more permanent physical presence. As it says in the opening line, the critical implication here is that a physical presence is required to overcome the issues of customers not being able to touch and feel items online.
From The Star: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/8/21/central/6067431&sec=central
Online boutiques take on real world
By YIP YOKE TENG
teng@thestar.com.my
Photos by UU BAN
Shopping online for apparel is fast gaining popularity but there are some who remain sceptical since they cannot see or feel the items.
This is one reason why operators of online boutiques would sometimes sell items at weekend bazaars so potential customers can have a look at the merchandise that was posted on the Internet.
OB Couture at Tropicana City Mall brings the idea up a notch by offering a space for online boutique operators to display their goods and for customers to get them off the rack, in the comfort and convenience of a shopping mall.
Another plus point is shoppers do not need to wait for the weekends to nab their purchases.
Offline presence: Matthew Tang believes his store concept will work in Malaysia. “There are about 1,500 online boutiques in Malaysia, we can offer them our services,” said co-founder Matthew Tang.
The space in OB Couture is divided into 75 slots, each can have 30 hangers to display the apparel as well as a cabinet to store stock. Each slot is leased from RM11 a day.
“We want to reach out to not only the operators of online boutiques, but also fashion designers, fashion graduates and aspiring entrepreneurs,” he added.
Vendors only need to send their merchandise over while the boutique handles the rest — tagging, ironing, selling and replenishing the items among others — and send them a sales report every 10 days.
Embelishments: Accessories are also part of the offerings at OB Couture.“Prices of the merchandise are all set by vendors so they can have a sense of individuality.
“Some vendors were worried that putting the merchandise together would mean more competition, in fact it would create a synergy that brings the business to a big scale.
“This platform enables them to run their boutiques both online and offline even when they do not have a sizable capital at the moment and we complement their operations with promotions and advertisements,” Tang added.
OB Couture is located at Lot L1-35, First Floor, Tropicana City Mall, Jalan SS20/27, Petaling Jaya. Tang can be reached at 017-202 2710.
Conventional e-commerce sites
I have been looking so much at blogshops that I thought I needed to re-acquaint myself with conventional e-commerce sites.
Not big sites or corporate owned behemoths like Amazon or Dell, by smaller sites owned by individuals perhaps.
Here is one in the US that sells swimming wear: http://www.swimwearclothingstore.com/index.php
The differences between this and a blogshop:
1. EC/dotcom sites like this are not hosted on blogs.
2. They have credit cards and Paypal facilities
3. They have shopping carts. This allows for orders-via-clicking, and way more automation.
4. They have privacy statements, and thus appear more 'professional' or 'legit'.
5. They have articles about the product they are selling.
Not big sites or corporate owned behemoths like Amazon or Dell, by smaller sites owned by individuals perhaps.
Here is one in the US that sells swimming wear: http://www.swimwearclothingstore.com/index.php
The differences between this and a blogshop:
1. EC/dotcom sites like this are not hosted on blogs.
2. They have credit cards and Paypal facilities
3. They have shopping carts. This allows for orders-via-clicking, and way more automation.
4. They have privacy statements, and thus appear more 'professional' or 'legit'.
5. They have articles about the product they are selling.
Flea Markets and Bazaar Organizers
Bazaars and flea markets are now an important part of the blogshop scene. This creates an opportunity for businesses to emerge that provides specialized services that cater to these offline events for blogshops.
This is an example of a company in Malaysia that specializes in such events.
http://panoramaflea.onsugar.com/page/305783
I think this type of company are like event organizers, albeit more specialized.
This is yet another example of the self-organizing and collaborative spirit that mark the blogshop culture. The phenomenon feeds on itself and new entities are created to fill specific needs and thus spur further growth of blogshop enterprises.
This is an example of a company in Malaysia that specializes in such events.
http://panoramaflea.onsugar.com/page/305783
I think this type of company are like event organizers, albeit more specialized.
This is yet another example of the self-organizing and collaborative spirit that mark the blogshop culture. The phenomenon feeds on itself and new entities are created to fill specific needs and thus spur further growth of blogshop enterprises.
From: http://fareiny.blogspot.com/2010/08/blogshop-bloghop.html
It seems like the online business industry is mushrooming everywhere. So much so that I have had the opportunity to be tagged to so many stuff that I don't need and certainly not interested in, in Facebook.
Don't get me wrong, I am not against online sellers in any way. In fact, I would have to admit to the occassional splurge here and there, and online buying is certainly one of the alternatives to satisfying a need to shop especially when it's already midnight and all the stores are closed.
I would have to say that I do salute some of the online sellers that I have had the opportunity to do business with once in a while. Most of them really do treat their business as real as a brick-and-mortar shop and I do think that for some, they earn more than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. They update their products regularly, most at least once a week and for some, several times a week. They respond to customers orders really fast (which I really like and is a nice change compared to the snotty salesgirls that you meet in some high-end clothing boutiques), and the best part is, if you are really good (which translates into having the time to surf around and compare prices among the different online stores) you might get a really, really GOOD BARGAIN.
Okay, let me highlight one example in which I had the opportunity to not only be witness to, but I actually experienced the whole situation! There was this shawl which I really fancied. I was introduced to in Facebook by a close friend of mine (who also blog-shops, by the way), and at that page the owner (I presume) requested all sales be made to her blog site instead of Facebook. There is apparently a form that you have to fill in the blog. From that blog, I found that the price of the shawl is RM39 (not inclusive of postage which costs about RM5 per shawl). Luckily the shawl was sold out, otherwise I wouldn't have trolled through the net in search of another seller in my attempt of buying the shawl (I really fancied it, you see). Lucky me, I found another seller and surprise, surprise, the price of the shawl was RM25 (at another blog-shop, also not inclusive of an RM5 postage fee). Wow! An RM14 difference for the same shawl?! I was over the moon and immediately made my purchase. A few days later, I received the shawl (and was obviously very pleased with the fast delivery and how beautiful the shawl is in real life compared to on the Net) so I decided to make another purchase. But this time, I decided to look through Facebook to the page of this seller whom I have ordered shawls a couple of times before. And imagine my surprise when this seller offered the same shawl at a price of RM20! OMG. Almost half the price of the first seller. The best part is, the same seller will be giving me a discount as I am considered a regular customer since I have bought with her before. How cool is that!
The ironic thing is, the first seller, selling at RM39 per shawl had sold out all her shawls. The other two sellers selling both at RM25 and RM20 respectively did not. Why are people more willing to buy something at twice the price? From my point of view, the first seller had better photos and are therefore able to present her goods in a better light than the other two. Funny, isn't it? How by packaging your product well, you get to sell it at a premium. By showing the product in a way that doesn't highlight the beauty of the product, you get to sell at a cheaper price but still do not sell as compared to the first seller.
My advice to all sellers out there, showcase your product as a superstar. It only takes one glance at your product to determine whether the customer wants to BUY your goods or NOT.
Blog~Shop, Blog~Hop
Don't get me wrong, I am not against online sellers in any way. In fact, I would have to admit to the occassional splurge here and there, and online buying is certainly one of the alternatives to satisfying a need to shop especially when it's already midnight and all the stores are closed.
I would have to say that I do salute some of the online sellers that I have had the opportunity to do business with once in a while. Most of them really do treat their business as real as a brick-and-mortar shop and I do think that for some, they earn more than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. They update their products regularly, most at least once a week and for some, several times a week. They respond to customers orders really fast (which I really like and is a nice change compared to the snotty salesgirls that you meet in some high-end clothing boutiques), and the best part is, if you are really good (which translates into having the time to surf around and compare prices among the different online stores) you might get a really, really GOOD BARGAIN.
Okay, let me highlight one example in which I had the opportunity to not only be witness to, but I actually experienced the whole situation! There was this shawl which I really fancied. I was introduced to in Facebook by a close friend of mine (who also blog-shops, by the way), and at that page the owner (I presume) requested all sales be made to her blog site instead of Facebook. There is apparently a form that you have to fill in the blog. From that blog, I found that the price of the shawl is RM39 (not inclusive of postage which costs about RM5 per shawl). Luckily the shawl was sold out, otherwise I wouldn't have trolled through the net in search of another seller in my attempt of buying the shawl (I really fancied it, you see). Lucky me, I found another seller and surprise, surprise, the price of the shawl was RM25 (at another blog-shop, also not inclusive of an RM5 postage fee). Wow! An RM14 difference for the same shawl?! I was over the moon and immediately made my purchase. A few days later, I received the shawl (and was obviously very pleased with the fast delivery and how beautiful the shawl is in real life compared to on the Net) so I decided to make another purchase. But this time, I decided to look through Facebook to the page of this seller whom I have ordered shawls a couple of times before. And imagine my surprise when this seller offered the same shawl at a price of RM20! OMG. Almost half the price of the first seller. The best part is, the same seller will be giving me a discount as I am considered a regular customer since I have bought with her before. How cool is that!
The ironic thing is, the first seller, selling at RM39 per shawl had sold out all her shawls. The other two sellers selling both at RM25 and RM20 respectively did not. Why are people more willing to buy something at twice the price? From my point of view, the first seller had better photos and are therefore able to present her goods in a better light than the other two. Funny, isn't it? How by packaging your product well, you get to sell it at a premium. By showing the product in a way that doesn't highlight the beauty of the product, you get to sell at a cheaper price but still do not sell as compared to the first seller.
My advice to all sellers out there, showcase your product as a superstar. It only takes one glance at your product to determine whether the customer wants to BUY your goods or NOT.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
US home based entrepreneurs using social networks
Although I have not yet found a US-based blogshop, there is plenty of evidence that Americans are also using freely available social media sites to build home based businesses. In this case, Facebook seems to be a popular choice as the social network site provides tools and a strong social platform to support this model.
Blogshops pre-date Facebook, which might explain the popularity of blogs as a social media tool in SE Asia.
Here is something from the Business.Gov site which is the official site that links to the US Governement: http://community2.business.gov/t5/Self-Employed-Home-Based/Requirements-for-Online-Boutique/m-p/31233/highlight/true#M3419
Blogshops pre-date Facebook, which might explain the popularity of blogs as a social media tool in SE Asia.
Here is something from the Business.Gov site which is the official site that links to the US Governement: http://community2.business.gov/t5/Self-Employed-Home-Based/Requirements-for-Online-Boutique/m-p/31233/highlight/true#M3419
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)