KUALA LUMPUR: In today's fiercely competitive retail landscape, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the fashion industry encounter significant hurdles in captivating shoppers, even across e-commerce. 

Unlike other sectors, fashion MSMEs not only vie against each other but also contend with prominent, resource-rich brands with broad recognition. The vast array of online options available to consumers poses a challenge for smaller players to stand out.

Constrained by limited budgets, manpower and tech limitations, coupled with the need to establish trust with potential customers, local MSMEs face an uphill battle in driving conversions and nurturing repeat business.

Amid these challenges, strategic solutions are available to support the growth of MSMEs. By focusing on outstanding customer service and customer-centric strategies, Malaysian businesses can stand out from the competition, forging strong, lasting relationships with shoppers. 

Beyond this, tools that help enhance the shopping experience, such as livestreaming, offer great potential for sellers to capture buyers online. Additionally, converting satisfied shoppers into advocates harnesses the power of positive word-of-mouth and glowing ratings and reviews, drives further growth, and helps establish a loyal customer base. 

PERSONALISED FASHION ADVICE FROM PERAK 

One business that has achieved success through exceptional customer engagement is KM Fashion Center. 

Located in Teluk Intan, Perak, KM Fashion Center sets itself apart with stylish yet affordable fashion selections that resonate with Malaysian shoppers. 

Their dedication to excellence and affordability is complemented by a strong commitment to delivering a personalised customer-focused approach, positioning them uniquely in a competitive market.

KM Fashion Center heavily relies on Shopee's interactive features, such as Shopee Live and Shopee Chat, to provide a hands-on, tailored approach beyond the mere transactional aspect of shopping to cultivate enduring relationships with its customers. 

In addition, using Shopee's analytics tools allows them to curate their collections to precisely match customers' preferences with their best-performing products, allowing them to offer a diverse range of choices that suit shoppers' tastes.

This customer-centric strategy has fueled remarkable growth for the brand, especially evident during the recent 6.6 campaign day, when order sizes tripled, and sales revenues doubled compared to the previous month. 

"Shopee has been a game-changer in facilitating direct connections with our customers. Shopee Live allows us to showcase our latest designs, which has helped to significantly boost our visibility and sales," said KM Fashion Center director Cris Low.

KM Fashion Center also uses Shopee Live to deepen its customer engagement. It serves as a trusted channel for the brand to provide tailored fashion recommendations, collect direct feedback, and promptly respond to customer inquiries. 

Through Shopee Live, the brand is able to reach more customers beyond their physical location, while still maintaining a high level of customer service. This has helped create a new touchpoint for KM Fashion Center by highlighting the brand's product quality and expertise while fostering brand loyalty.

UNLOCKING SUCCESS WITH AUTHENTIC CUSTOMER REVIEWS

Research by Shopee has shown that reviews and ratings are important to building customer trust and loyalty, especially when accompanied by authentic photos and videos.

Shopee's recent 'The Future of Shopping' survey conducted with Kantar Profiles revealed that 19 per cent of Gen Z respondents prioritised "highly recommended brands", while 27 per cent relied heavily on reviews, demonstrations, and endorsements when deciding on what to buy.

One success story to exemplify this is Tudung Exclusive, a Kuala Lumpur fashion brand that has achieved success on Shopee by virtue of authentic customer reviews on the platform.

Within four years, the brand which focuses on elegant hijabs for young Malaysian women, has created a loyal consumer base of 75,000 followers with a 4.9-rating. This has allowed Tudung Exclusive to continue growing and setting benchmarks on the e-commerce platform.

"Positive reviews and ratings not only affirm our dedication to excellence but also drive our ongoing efforts to offer customers high-quality, versatile and affordable hijabs," said Tudung Exclusive manager Muhammad Abdullah.

CONTINUOUS INNOVATION

For Shopee, the leading e-commerce marketplace in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, prioritising the continuous development of strategies and solutions to assist local businesses in overcoming challenges has always been a fundamental focus.

Shopee Malaysia Marketing and Business Intelligence head Ming Kit Tan said: "At Shopee, our commitment to delivering excellent service quality to our users and driving the growth and development of local businesses have always been at the heart of what we do." 

"This is why we continue to enhance our services which include improving the buying and delivery experience in collaboration with our third-party logistics partners, such as with the On-Time Guarantee programme and the new 15 Days Free Returns programme. 

"These programmes empower buyers with the assurance of prompt order fulfilment by all Shopee Supported Logistics and instil greater trust with buyers. Shopee reinforces their commitment to this promise with a RM5 voucher for all deliveries that exceed the estimated delivery date provided," he added. 

Shopee recently launched Shopee Video, which provides browsing consumers with helpful bite-sized videos from content creators.

Similar to Shopee Live, this new feature helps sellers by generating positive word-of-mouth reviews and recommendations for their products, which leads to improved awareness and reach in their brands.

These new initiatives demonstrate Shopee's dedication to sellers and consumers and its ability to meet their evolving needs. Shopee remains the trusted e-commerce destination for all.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/07/1075291/how-fashion-msmes-seize-opportunities-e-commerce