TrimmingsAndLace For ShopInOnIt

Much like the last time, TrimmingsAndLace provided me with an incredible opportunity to indulge in an educative, interesting and an extremely live-wire discussion with Suezelle D'Costa - Merchandising Manager at ShopInOnIt. Online retailing is a prominent and thriving part of our lives today. For someone like me, this domain is strongly plugged into my system. I do not regard it as a mere platform to shop and blog about what I shopped. For me, what I see as a buyer is as important as to learn what goes behind the curtains. Its more like research for my own work. Thus when I was presented with this opportunity I knew I had no reason to refuse. I knew I had to jump on!

Sharing with you all some excerpts from our discussion. Hope you enjoy reading them...

1. What does your day to day job entail?

• Researching latest trends and styles. 
• Scouting for brands that provide products that are of:

a. Fine quality, and

b. Fit with our website

• Presenting the brand to our merchandising team
• Contacting brands approved by the team to get them on board ShopInOnIt.   

2. What is the most exciting thing about your job?

The most exciting thing is staying on top of all the latest trends and being aware of and having access to new and interesting labels and really getting a vibe for what’s going on with these designers. Finding products that will get our consumers excited is challenging but thoroughly enjoyable.

3. How critical is merchandising for an online brand like ShopInOnIt?   

We aim to be a platform for emerging, unique designers and brands across the country. We provide everything from fashion apparel, to home décor products and pet accessories, so a merchandising team is critical to ensure that customers get the best variety of products that are available in the market. The merchandising team scouts for brands that will appeal to all tastes so there is something for everyone who visits the website.

Three Summer Prints To Own

Here's Why You Need A LWD In Your Closet

4. What are the key considerations while selecting a brand and/or product to be retailed through ShopInOnIt?

  

The main criteria we look for while selecting a brand for ShopInOnIt are:   

• Aesthetic products that adhere to current trends and will appeal to customers.
• Products should be of fine quality. 
• Product images should not be misleading, the product should look exactly how it does in the image so the customers know exactly what to expect. 
• The pricing should be right.
• The brand is able to provide orders on time, as we follow a policy that orders must be shipped to customers within 7 working days. 

5. How do you stay updated on the latest trends and customer preferences?

ShopInOnIt has a style blog http://blog.inonit.in/ which is maintained by our in-house fashion expert that helps us stay updated on all the latest trends, how to wear them, what celebs are wearing and how to put together different looks. It’s the best way to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and styles. We are always aware of our best selling products based on orders and interest from customers, and we also get feedback from customers once they receive a product. Additionally, we are constantly interacting with customers through our social media channels like Twitter and Facebook, so we are quite up-to-date about customer preferences. ShopInOnIt has also participated in various shopping exhibitions across Mumbai where we have had the opportunity to gauge people’s likes and dislikes. 

6. What is the most difficult aspect of your job?

The most difficult aspect would be zeroing in on labels and brands that have products we like and know our customers would appreciate and have the capacity to do organized retail. There are a lot of labels that make amazing stuff but retail only through exhibitions or make products only once in a while, so such brands are unable to provide products for orders all year round. 

7. How is ShopInOnIt handling competition from other online brands?

ShopInOnIt is constantly evolving; we are adding new brands by the day and expanding our product range. We recently reached the milestone of bringing over 100 brands to our customers and counting. Our motive is to spoil you for choice. We strive to ensure the best customer service and take into consideration customer feedback as your satisfaction is what helps in beating the competition.

8. As a brand, what do you regard as your USP?

A plethora of hand-picked products of fine quality under every category. Be it fashion, home, pets or gifting and bulk orders, we are a one-stop shop for any kind of shopaholic.

9. According to you, how important is the role of bloggers for the online retail industry?

Bloggers have become extremely important in today’s online retail industry. The blogging community has grown and how! They spread awareness about the latest happenings and trends as well as provide advice to readers. Bloggers have given everyone a voice as they are so interactive compared to magazines and allow people to share their thoughts and opinions. They are definitely a breath of fresh air in the online world.

10. What advice would you like to give to the bloggers who wish to establish their work as a recognized brand?

I think the bloggers should most importantly focus on originality. Providing new and unique information to readers is important as well as interacting with them and taking into consideration what your readers would like to read about. Also, frequent and consistent updates on your blog will go a long way in generating popularity.  

Some of my favorite pieces from their store:

SHOP - here, here, here, here, here and here

For all ShopInOnIt updates you can tune into their Facebook page - Facebook/ShopInOnIt, follow them on Twitter - Twitter/ShopInOnIt or sign up for their newsletter to stay updated on what's new!

Thank you stopping by...

Love

Agam