Retail vs Online Shop

This week, I learnt something interesting.

A good personal friend purchased a bikini from me, for his wife through the website. I delivered it, and they received the package, happy and excited.

The wife loved the bikini. She tried it on. The bikini top fitted perfectly, however the bottom was too small.

I was more than happy to exchange it for a different size, but they decided to give that bikini to a friend and purchase a different style from me. 

As a friend, I am happy and thankful that they are so supportive of me and my business, but on the other hand, I did not feel good about this inconvenience. Ideally, I would have liked it to be the case where they received the bikini, tried it, it fits perfectly and both of us (customer and seller) are happy.

This got me thinking that perhaps introducing the bikinis through an online store might not be the best strategy for now. As a woman myself, garments like bikinis, bras and panties are personal garments that NEEDS to fit like a glove. We should have the option to be able to try it on and be COMPLETELY satisfied, before making the purchase.

Selling them through an online store might work in the future, AFTER my customers have bought a few pieces and are familiar with the styles and designs (and what looks good on them and what does not). 

Therefore, I am going to change my strategy and make my bikinis available through retail stores. I have already pin-pointed 3 locations where I would like to have my stores, one in Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi and Singapore.

The bikinis by Liquido are of excellent quality and the designs are stunning. Although you can already see how cool the designs are via photos, nothing beats the actual retail experience of trying them on and seeing for yourself how great you look in them.

Hrm… I guess for the next few weeks, I will be patrolling the streets/ retail stores/ boutiques of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore AND the beaches of Langkawi to find suitable partners in my quest to bring you the best service and experience for Liquido beach wear.

*Laces up her sneakers* Time to hit the streets and get busy.

Brazilian models, in Brazilian bikinis in a giant fridge

Ever since my last post, I have achieved the following:

1. Built the new Liquido website (ALL BY MYSELF). You can visit my site here: www.liquido.com.my. I am by NO MEANS an IT person, so I spent MANY, many, many weekends pulling my hair out in frustration. Well, it's done now and it's decent.
I'm having some problems with my shipping costs, so for now, it is a default rate of RM10.00 for shipping. And yes, until I fix the problem, I will ship to ANYWHERE for RM10. From Brazil !!! So go visit my website and buy something before I fix the problem and you have to pay the real cost of international shipping from Brazil.

(in the event that you guys really visit my website, appreciate if you can be a friend and give constructive criticism on how I can improve my website. Bear in mind I'm a startup with minimal capital for any fancy solutions)

2. I've started a blog where I write about all the different beaches that I have been to. The purpose of my blog is to create content that is related to bikinis. And then use my blog as a way to drive traffic to my Liquido website. You can visit my blog here: http://beacheaven.wordpress.com
There's only one post about Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro. I plan to update this blog on a bi-weekly basis, so there should be more content in the coming months :)

Internet marketing is hard, but interesting. This week, I launched 2 Facebook ads campaings.

For one campaign, I uploaded a photoshoot from an episode of 'Brazil's Top Model'. Liquido is a sponsor of 'Brazil's Top Model' and the Liquido bikinis were featured on several episodes. In one episode, the models had to do a photoshoot in a bikini... and guess where the photoshoot was held - in a cold storage meat for beef!

You can view the album here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.539357462783605.1073741826.382716408447712&type=1&l=598ddbc715

So I uploaded the album and ran a FB ad campaign. The campaign managed to attract 7,408 album views. Out of the 7,408 views, 18 people 'Liked' the Liquido Malaysia FB page.
In my second campaign, I uploaded pictures of Liquido's fitness wear. Some of the items are already available for sale on my website and other designs are coming soon. ( http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.539819186070766.1073741827.382716408447712&type=1&l=3a27763edb )

My second campaign attracted 1,636 album views. Out of the 1,636 album views, only 1 person liked my Liquido Malaysia FB page. ONLY ONE !!!

So what did I learn from this? People like seeing pictures of Brazilian models in Brazilian bikinis pose next to a piece of meat in a cold storage. Hahahahahahah!

But seriously? 18 likes out of 7,408 album views? That's like, friggin 0.2% which is pathetic. What I'm trying to figure out now is whether these are normal statistics and how I can improve.

My next challenge is to convert my 'Likes' into buying customers. I know that there is probably some science to this... but I haven't quite discovered it yet.

This is gonna be fun :)

Meeting

Yesterday I had a meeting with the Marketing Manager of Liquido to discuss some plans I had for the brand for the next 3 years. Amoung some of the items we discussed were my plans to sell the product in some 5-star resorts in Langkawi.

Naturally she was thrilled and offered to support me in my efforts in any way she can.

I told her that I want to run a competition in 2014, and the winner would win a trip to Brazil to watch a match during the World Cup 2014. She said that she would speak to the owners and see if they can somehow support or sponsor the competition. She loosely promised that they might sponsor the tickets to watch the football matches, which will be of a tremendous help already!

I am thankful for the support and encouragement that I have been receiving from the brand owners of Liquido so far :)

Top 101 restaurants in the world, right here in São Paulo

As I have come to find out, starting an online business takes more than just posting up a website.

I have both a Facebook page and a website, but sales have been slow... very slow.

I’m gonna put a few things together and see if it works.

In the meantime, let’s talk about Brazilian Food! *Slurp*

Last Saturday, in the gracious presence of my darling boyfriend and 2 other good friends, we headed to a very popular Brazilian restaurant located in the northern region in the megalopolis state of São Paulo.

http://www.mocoto.com.br/english/index.html

Mocotó has been voted one of the world’s top 101 restaurants, by Newsweek Magazine. This restaurant has also won several other awards by the local Brazilian media such as ‘Best Brazilian Food’ and ‘Chef of The Year’.

For most people not from Brazil (me included), when I think of Brazilian food, barbequed meat and cachaça come to mind. Other food related items that come to mind are Brazilian coffee and Brazil nuts.

After living in Brazil for almost two years, I have come to learn that the food is much, much more varied than just barbequed meat.

There’s the giant river fish dishes from the Amazonas. (Pirarucu)

Spicy seafood stews of Bahia. (Moqueca)

Thick, comforting stews of beans and pork of Minas Gerais. (Feijoada)

Shrimp baked in a pumpkin, a popular dish at coastal cities. (Camarão na Moranga)

The four dishes above represent just a few drops compared to a sea of mouthwatering fares that this country has to offer.

So on Saturday, in the pouring rain, despite the flooding on several roads, we bravely made our way to Vila Medeiros, north of São Paulo.

The trip was SO worth it. Instead of blabbering, I’ll let the pictures do all the talking.

 

 

 

 

 

Foi fantastico!

Happy New Year!

Hi world!

Happy New Year 2013!
Sorry that I have been MIA for a while. In the midst of bikini shopping, figuring out shipping and import taxes, I have been working on my full time job here in São Paulo, chilling with my boyfriend and taking short weekend trips away from the city when possible.

This year (2013) is the year where I have decided to really concentrate on my business and to grow it.

After 2 months of sending emails back and forth, purchasing stocks, shipping, dealing with paperwork and export matters, the beautiful bikinis have finally arrived into Malaysia.

My bikinis are available for sale on Zalora.
http://www.zalora.com.my/liquido

I have sent over quite a few designs, so happy shopping!

If you would like to leave some feedback on the design that you see on Zalora, kindly leave them here.

Thank you!

Liquido

Kuala Lumpur, and most of the countries located in South East Asia are fairly conservative; yet, there is a growing number of young adults who, due to exposure over the TV & internet have grown liberal in terms of their thoughts, ambitions, dreams; and this also reflects in their sense of style and dressing. 

20 years ago, it would have been almost scandalous to wear a bikini on the beaches of Malaysia, but recently, this has changed significantly. Women are becoming more liberal with their clothing and not shy to express their sensuality.

With the number of young working professionals on the rise and tourism booming within South East Asia, most young people are looking for cool outfits to travel in style.

In terms of bikinis, we are limited for choice in Malaysia.
We would get the cheap and crappy bikinis from China or Thailand which cost peanuts and would disintegrate after 5 washes. On the other side of the spectrum, there are the surfer brands from Australia, such as Roxy and O'niell... which are ok... at best.

You can imagine my delight when I stepped into a Brazilian bikini retail shop for the very first time.
GORGEOUS !!! Every cut, color and design imaginable.

My personal favourite beach and fitness brand is Liquido because the quality is excellent, their designs are fabulous and their prices are affordable.

Take a look at their website for yourself to check out the designs.
http://www.liquidomoda.com.br/

*Disclaimer: the website is in Portuguese but it is not that difficult to nagivate. And you are going to be looking at pictures and not reading texts anyway.

Have fun!

First Post

Hello world and welcome to my life. 

Here's a quick introduction:
I'm a young working adult who has found herself thrown into the largest city in South America; São Paulo, Brazil.

I was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

How I got from KL to São Paulo is a long story that I will tell you over a couple of beers someday. But for now, what is relevant is that I moved from KL to São Paulo in July 2011.

The story of my first 12 months in São Paulo was quite an adventure; and that too, I will tell you over a couple of beers during happy hour someday. 

Long story short, I now call São Paulo my home and am in a relationship with a wonderful Brazilian man.

And then in August 2012, my father (in Kuala Lumpur) passed away.

A friend once said that a significant event such as this (my father's death) is like a catalyst that can change the course of one's life.

My father was the most important person in my life and I loved him dearly. Just before he passed away, I told him that I was interested to import Brazilian bikinis to be sold in South East Asia, namely in countries like Singapore and in the beach resort areas of Thailand and Indonesia (Bali!). Dad was very supportive and he set up a company in my name to faciliate my business idea. And a few short weeks later, he passed on.

It almost seemed as if it were his dying wish for me to take on this business and fly with it. And I am going to do just that.

Over the course of the next 5 years, I intend to accomplish the following:
1. Export Brazilian bikinis to South East Asia and becomes Kuala Lumpur's first Brazilian bikini tycoon.
2. Grow my business so that I can quite my full time job and work on this instead.
3. I want to be close to my family back in KL, but I still and always will have a soft spot for Brazil, so I intend to grow my business so that I will have the option to travel and live in both countries.
4. Marry the man I love and build our life together.

So this blog will basically be about how I will build my export business between Brazil & South East Asia. I will also talk about life in São Paulo. And of course I will talk about Brazilian bikinis.

It starts now!