Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Stay tuned

For those who are thinking that this blog is dead, it isn't. I am writing some really good articles for all of the clothes lovers out there.

Stay tuned!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Protect Your Skin

PROTECTION, protection, protection! There can never be enough emphasis on protection from the sun's harmful UV rays. Now Elizabeth Arden has come up with a full arsenal to help you out with its Eight Hour Cream Collection, touted to be your skin's complete survival kit. The new Eight Hour Cream Targeted Sun Defense Stick SPF 50 PA+++ combines the benefits of Eight Hour Cream with intense sun protection in a sleek, targeted form. Its easy application and portability make it an active lifestyle must-have. Suitable to shield sensitive, over-exposed areas such as lips, nose, earlobes and even scars, the light-weight water and perspiration-resistant stick glides on smoothly and invisibly. There's also the Eight Hour Cream Sun Defense for Face SPF 50 Sunscreen PA+++, a lightweight, oil-free lotion for all-over face protection, Cream Intensive Daily Moisturizer for Face SPF1 5 and Cream Lip Protectant Stick SPF15. For after-sun care, the Eight  Hour Cream Skin Protectant helps. with dry and irritated sun-exposed skin. Prices range from RM75 to RM128. Available at Elizabeth Arden counters.

Firmer Contours with Shiseido's Revital Lifting Mask Science EX

Good for you if you're following a daily skincare regimen. But a mask treatment once a week can do wonders to nourish your skin. Shiseido introduces its Revital Lifting Mask Science EX, developed to help one achieve fresh, younger-looking skin. Revital's exclusive lifting fibre sheets deliver a generous amount of effective ingredients deep into the skin, while firming and lifting the overall skin with special atten-tion given to three main areas where skin tends to sag. Formulated with Cassumunar extract G, collagen complex and SC Revitalizer to lift the skin from within, the mask targets the eye, cheek and face line areas. The mask comes in two parts: one for the upper half of the face, and the lower half to cover skin from the chin to the temples to firm up the jaw line. Price: RM330 (for six packets). Available at Shiseido counters.

Improved Conditioning with the new Balancing Act Range

IS your scalp oily? Do you have hair with dry ends? Developed and tested by Charles Worthington himself, the new Balancing Act range provides hair with a full detox programme, naturally resetting oil levels. Worthington is one of London's most prolific hairdressers and has won numerous international awards. The Balancing Act Shampoo and Conditioner uses cleansing white nettle to nourish and rebalance oily roots.

White Nettle is a natural ingredient claimed to cleanse thoroughly, and rebalance oily and dry zones on the scalp. The daily conditioner for oily hair is enhanced with white nettle and rice protein, and gently conditions hair without weighing it down. The result is shiny, healthy-looking hair.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Benefits of Running an Online Boutique in Malaysia

With my previous post, I would now like to write a post about the benefits of running an online boutique in Malaysia. Hopefully this will help prospective buyers and also boutique owners to consider an online boutique in the future.

Flexibility
An online boutique runs on the Internet and therefore its operating hours are round the clock. At any time a consumer would like to buy or browse clothes, they can always search for an online boutique and start shopping. Running a boutique online also helps owners reduce their workload by allowing automation. Owners do not need to be physically there for their boutique to operate.

Price
With no business premises, employees, renovation and maintenance to pay for, an online boutique could provide clothes at a much lower price than conventional boutiques. This is not to say there aren't no cost to running an online boutique. You still need to pay the hosting costs, designers, advertising, delivery but all these costs make up only a fraction of what a conventional boutique has to pay for.

Convenience
More and more shoppers in Malaysia are starting to shop online for their goods. An online boutique allows consumers to avoid jams, parking issues, crowds and all other issues to shop from the comfort of their homes. They don't even need to collect the goods as online boutiques usually delivers the purchased goods right to the door steps of consumers.


These are the 3 major benefits of running an online boutique in Malaysia. What else can you think of? Why not share with us?

The Impact of Online Boutiques in Malaysia

Ever since the past 4 years, online boutiques have been mushrooming everywhere in Malaysia. The rate of their growth is surprising and alarming as well.

Why is it alarming? Online boutiques offer a different shopping experience for the typical consumer. Brick and mortar boutiques are able to operate only during business hours whereas online boutiques operates round the clock. Not only can consumers shop all the time, they can also get their goods at cheaper prices than their traditional siblings.

These two benefits alone are causing many brick and mortar boutiques to be out of business. The boutique owners are blaming it on the rise of online boutiques and their low prices. However, online boutique owners claim that it is the failure for the conventional boutiques to move along the trend of consumers. They are defending that major clothes retailers are still doing well in the retail market because jumped onto the internet bandwagon will providing their retail services as usual.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Will online boutiques one day replace the brick and mortar boutiques?

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Body Shop & TRAFFIC to Help Wildlife

THE Body Shop, the global retail franchise of naturally inspired beauty and cosmetics products, has teamed up with TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, a wildlife trade monitoring network, to build awareness among Malaysians in relation to the importance of preserving and conserving wildlife. Dubbed "Where's My Mama?", the campaign has countless young crazy animals at heart whilst they are orphaned each day when their mothers are captured or slaughtered for their medicinal value or to be kept while pets. Besides the online campaign by TRAFFIC on its Facebook page, the organisation is providing materials to The Body Shop to draw attention to the animals at the mad that are in need of protection. The Body Shop hopes to touch the hearts of any 700,000 people who walk into its stores on a monthly basis. Its staff have been trained to disseminate information of the campaign to patrons. Rampai Niaga Sdn Bhd managing director Datin Mina Cheah-Foong said she hopes the materials will make people sit up and recognise the lost faces of the three chosen species of animals that will grace the paper bags, postcards and posters placed at The Body Shop's 58 stores at the peninsula. Rampai Niaga is the franchise holder of The Body Shop in Peninsular Malaysia. The three chosen animals are the Malayan sun bear, the Malayan tiger and the Bornean orang-utan.

"It's a kick off point to get people to consider the impact of their purchases or the animals they see kept as pets at the pet shops or at their friend's house, or the exotic meat that's being served at restaurants where they dine," she said, adding that the latest campaign was a natural progression from its previous "Save Temenggor" campaign. Cheah-Foong said the preservation of wildlife that the country is known for is merely as crucial for the tourism industry, citing the decreasing sightings of the leatherback sea turtles at the East Coast when an example of a dying charm. "Malaysia is so concerned concerning economical development, gross domestic product growth, as a first class nation that we forget that if we were to move up, we need to take everything along with us. "Where are our animals? What's happening to them? If we do not start doing something now, we will be losing a part of our heritage - not plainly for ourselves but for the whole world," she added. Stemming from The Body Shop International's policy of not testing its cosmetic products and ingredients on animals, Cheah-Foong said the latest campaign was not done as it was fashionable. "We do it since it has to be done," she said, expressing hopes that Malaysians will feel a sense of ownership towards wildlife and are moved to take action. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia regional director Dr William Schaedla said the illegal pet trade at the region is an enormous underground industry. "The public are encouraged to call the telephone number stated on The Body Shop postcards and paper bags as they spot something not right," Schaedla said. The hotline is managed by the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers - a coalition of wildlife conservation bodies.

Sephora Malaysia opens flagship store in Kuala Lumpur

FRENCH beauty retailer, Sephora, officially launched its debut flagship store in Kuala Lumpur last week - setting another milestone in its successful global business development. Sephora Malaysia's flagship joins the ranks of other flagship presence in exciting cities such when Paris, Rome and New York, cementing this township's crusade for another beauty revolution. The 2 -storey stand-alone architectural marvel at Starhill Gallery along Bintang Walk, aims to deliver an alternative shopping familiarity that encourages Sephora's beliefs of quality in retailing, freedom to choose, emotion evoked via the exciting product range and an audacity that constantly surprises the customer. Sephora (South and South East Asia, Australia/New Zealand) president Ravi Thakran said: "Sephora's vision for Malaysia is to be a beauty authority, promoting a new shopping familiarity to this country's men and women alike, offering an unparalleled range of products and a high average of service. "We are very excited and hope for everyone
to be part of this with us. More importantly, we hope to make Sephora Malaysia a destination where customers can constantly study the latest beauty trends and tips." The to,000 sq ft flagship store carries leading beauty and make-up brands such while Clinique, Dior, Estee Lauder, Lancome and some of the
coolest and generally cutting-edge brands analogous Awesome Cosmetics, Bare Minerals, Urban Decay and Sephora personal label collection. Being a beauty authority, Sephora is a one-stop beauty emporium that embodies a unique personality that's hip, fun, cool, interactive and sophisticated

Saturday, April 30, 2011

How Can You be Paid Online?

These days when transactions are made through the Internet, it is best that you know about different payment methods you can use online. This is important because when you put a site that offers products and services, you must provide a payment method for customers so they know where to pay. There are a lot of payment methods currently available, but you should know what are the most reliable, so you do not fall victim to online scams that can rob your money.

This is a list of payment methods which I have used before and my feedback on them.

PayPal
Probably the most popular payment method you can use when you have products to sell on the Internet. PayPal offers its subscribers with an easy to use, fast delivery of payment transactions, and an efficient registration process. All you need is to register a credit card or debit card and you're ready to do his business.

AlertPay
Another fast-growing payment method you can trust is AlertPay. Similar to PayPal, AlertPay is a low-cost money transfer services you can use when you have to sell goods and services online. Like PayPal, you must first register and get verified to obtain payment, and you can get your money in a short period of time.

Xoom
Another method of online payment online is the Xoom payment methodology. If you have an account with the company, all you have to do is submit the tracking number to a company that accepts Xoom payments (such as banks and pawnshops) to recover payment for items sold on the internet. Xoom payments may take several days to process, but they give timely updates on what's happening to your transaction so you know where your money is going.

ePassporte 
ePassporte is the online payment service that provides a user card which you receive your payment. A lot of affiliate marketing sites use ePassporte as part of their payment methods, as it was one of the pioneers in the industry of online money transfer.

These online payment methods are known for their reliability and efficiency in terms of keeping your money, but they are not meant for everyone, especially when you are expecting a large sum of money to arrive. Because of this, you can turn to online payment transfer can be done through bank transfer or bank to bank, but the process also takes some time.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ways to Get Supplies for Your Online Boutique

The number one question we receive from readers who want to open their own shop online is the way to go about finding vendors and suppliers. How I can buy wholesale? Should I drop ship or do I contact the manufacturer directly?

Drop Shipping

Most people fall into the trap of sending excited about the fall of the first open your online store. Drop shipping seems attractive for several reasons. On the one hand, you do not have to stock any merchandise. Each time an order comes in, just place the exact same order that the drop shipper and reap the benefits on the basis of the difference in price.

There is no inventory, no compliance obligations and all you have to do is take orders. Sounds like a dream come true?

What many do not realize is that profit margins often suck and you have to provide customer support for problems that are completely out of his hands.

What if the bolts drop shipper for order or shipping the product to the end? What if the drop shipper ships routine defective items? You know what? You must address all these issues even though they are not their fault.

Couple that with the fact that profit margins are very small and have a situation where you are sacrificing your mental about things outside their control for very little money.

Even if you manage to find a reliable drop shipper, customer problems and still will be much more difficult to deal with them when they have no control over their products. In short, we play the prestige of your business in a third party who may not have your interests in mind.

Buy Wholesale Internally

Because virtually nothing is being done in America anymore, utmost care of all the problems of import and storage of goods from the manufacturer. You do not have to travel to a strange place. You do not have to deal with shipping or customs. You just place your order and the merchandise appears at your door.

Buy in bulk also saves you time from having to perform a continuous quality control checking of their merchandise, presumably because the wholesaler has been through already.

But guess what? All these benefits come at a price and directly affect your bottom line. What if you could manage it all yourself?

Buy direct from foreign manufacturers

Buy direct from the manufacturer is the holy grail of marketing, but also has the most work, dedication and time. These days, almost everything is manufactured overseas because labor costs are much cheaper there.

Buy directly from the manufacturer or supplier abroad is the best way to get lower prices, but also presents the biggest headaches in advance. Here is a list of things we had to face in finding our suppliers.

* You must buy product in bulk, sometimes more than they are comfortable with
* The logistics of shipping large number of products abroad can be a major nuisance
* You will receive products shipped shit at some point and have to constantly go back and forth with your provider about quality issues until resolved.
* Product returns are very complicated
* No long lead times for the manufacture of products you have to plan ahead.
* There may be long lead times just to get samples of products you wish to sell.
* Some of these vendors are frankly incomplete

Direct purchase overseas is worth it?

After reading about all the disadvantages described above, is it really worth it? The answer is a resounding yes. The prices are unbeatable and the initial investment is a value in the long term.

Once you've established a good relationship with a vendor, it becomes smooth sailing thereafter. You will be able to competitively priced products. You will be able to price the larger chains and you will be able to differentiate themselves from competitors.

Once you have confidence in their manufacturers then have the freedom to start designing their own products and that's where the money starts to kick insi you have the talent to design their own articles, which have the potential sales totally unique products that no other store in the world has to offer.

How to find overseas suppliers?

A great place to start is online. A variety of search engines for overseas manufacturers. For example, alibaba.com is good starting point for a wide variety of items.

Once you've found some potential providers, call them and email them. Having an idea of ​​whether or not to bring the products you are interested in.

Once you have narrowed down potential suppliers, you should jump on a plane and visit directly. Especially if it comes to Asian suppliers face to face communication is absolutely necessary to establish a good relationship.

By visiting directly, they are achieving three main things. One of them, you are showing them that you are serious about buying them. Two, you get to see their stocks of goods in person to judge its quality. And three, to be able to put a face with a name and get to know on a personal level.

The choice is yours


How would you prefer to get their products from their suppliers depends on you, but the direct purchase is a no brainer in my book. The more work you are willing to put into your business, more profits are going to do. No one said that opening an online store would be easy. To make a greater investment of your time in advance, which will pave the way for greater rewards in the future.

How Do You Start an Online Boutique Store (Part 1) - Market Study

Market research is the key to success in business. In case you need to first make a conscious decision to decide your target market, and from there you can investigate and determine, with a very high degree of accuracy, the product of the interests of your target market. Depending on your industry, the S & P may be able to offer ideas along with other publications and websites. If you're selling products commonly found in stores, go and take a look at some of these stores and what they are for people on the ground, as this will tell you what I found to work for them, and what sold in your area. Because you are selling online, allowing you to actually "reserve" a number of products in limited quantities, then if they run out, you are entitled to allow customers to follow the orders placement depends on them knowing that the item is back-ordered and will arrive within a timeframe established.

Once you have decided what we stock and suppliers we use, I suggest creating a consumer has with the companies you do business with this for a couple of things. First, depending on the size of provider and size of orders being placed, they should be entitled to discounts and other incentives once your name is on your system. The other advantage of creating an account with suppliers is what allows for you to buy them on credit. For example, if you place an order and get the product in late January, do not pay them (the seller) until the end of February or in some cases by mid-March. When they pay, pay with a credit card that allows you to hold your money for a month, which makes its actual payment to be submitted usually in late March, two months after receiving the product from the supplier. The advantage of this system is allowing two months to sell the product and are paid by the end user, which is useful when you are starting and sales have a tendency to be slow.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Online Boutique Industry in Malaysia - How It Started

Online boutiques in Malaysia seems to be the in thing now. 1 in 10 friends of mine has a blog selling clothes online. Their blogs sell everything from clothes, handbags, fashion accessories - most which are not locally available. That could be the reason why many Malaysians prefer to buy from online boutiques.

Our craze with drama shows from Korea, Japan and Taiwan ignited our obsession with their fashion style. However it is almost impossible to find retail boutiques in the Klang Valley selling clothes from these countries. With the craze over their idols and the need for certain groups of people to project a unique fashion style, it wasn't too long before someone decided that they should start importing clothes and sell online.

Why online? It is cost effective, much easier to set up, more accessible and most importantly, convenient. A startup blog can earn  as much as RM 200 a day in the first month of operation. That is indeed good money. Once the news start to spread, more people especially students or housewives started exploring this concept.

This is how I thought the whole online boutique industry in Malaysia started. Do you have another theory?