Introduce your business and tell us your story: How did you decide on what to sell, and how did you source your products?
I always had an interest in lingerie. Being a petite Asian woman myself, I always had problems finding lingerie that provided good fit and comfort. And so the shop was started to provide options for petite Asian women. The site originally sold items stocked from other brands (e.g Eberjey, Honeydew, Mimi Holiday). Today, the vast majority of the site's sales stem from our in-house brand - Perk by Kate - pieces of which are handmade in Saigon.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
We started using Facebook ads about a year ago and noticed a drastic improvement in traffic and sales. These ads drive traffic to the site, but we believe good service and quality products help retain customers.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
We use quite a few shopify apps to run the store - product reviews, back in store, order printer. These apps do the bulk of the heavy lifting for us in terms of store operations. The entire operation of the store is run by only two individuals. Fulfillment is handled internally - we care alot about packaging and delivery. Every item should be delivered quick and packaged nicely as a nice "perk me up" for the customer. Online shopping shouldn't have to be delivered any less attractive.
What are your top recommendations for new store owners?
Pay attention to product quality and customer service. Happy customers will do marketing on your behalf by spreading the word to their friends. Oh, and keep track of cash flows closely. This keeps the business alive! Out of cash, out of business.