Seller Blog
Advice, help and support for ASOS Marketplace sellers.
Seller Case Study: From ASOS Marketplace to ASOS.com
"After
10 years of managing design and production for some larger labels, I quit my
job in 2009 and went on a year of exploring. My travels took me through
Thailand and Indonesia and finally to China, where I now call home, running the
label from Hong Kong and working with fantastic suppliers out here to produce
top notch product.
We launched Volklore on Marketplace in March 2011, selling to an
international market and learning a lot about customer care, online
presentation and the value in figuring out how to get your pieces to visually
stand out from other brands online.
Though
we continue to run our Marketplace boutique, being on the site led to the
ASOS.com menswear team approaching us, and we’re now going into our third season
as a brand on ASOS.com.
We
were thrilled to have has stock bought by ASOS.com, but it’s a different ball
game in terms of production numbers and manufacturing. Managing stock levels
for buyers like ASOS.com, whilst also juggling a Marktplace boutique can be a
tricky business – but it also allows us a great deal of freedom, for instance,
this October we will be selling some of our much coveted samples, something we
wouldn’t be able to do in large numbers for a bigger retailer.
We’ve
also begun to design womenswear after a successful trail run on Marketplace, and
our hope is to have future womenswear collections bought by .com too".
Katie Oldham, Senior Marketplace Manager:
"The transition of Volklore from ASOS marketplace to ASOS.com is testament to the hard work and commercial viability of the Volklore collection. It was a natural progression for Volklore to progress from Marketplace to ASOS.com. Marketplace has a fantastic wealth of independent brands who are now in the ASOS family and we hope to see more brands follow suit."
Katie Oldham, Senior Marketplace Manager:
"The transition of Volklore from ASOS marketplace to ASOS.com is testament to the hard work and commercial viability of the Volklore collection. It was a natural progression for Volklore to progress from Marketplace to ASOS.com. Marketplace has a fantastic wealth of independent brands who are now in the ASOS family and we hope to see more brands follow suit."
Seller Case Study: Offline Vs. Online.
I was one of the first sellers on ASOS
Marketplace, starting off as an individual seller then becoming a boutique
after a few months, alongside running my vintage Boutique of the same name in
Margate, UK.
The key to this balancing act is all
in the juggle. Offline & Online can work together really well, you just
have to plan for both aspects and make as much work for both – thus minimising
your costs and maximising your time. Online boutiques are an excellent way of keeping
a steady flow of traffic even when your physical shop is a bit quieter, for
instance – my boutique is based in a seaside town, and so the shop is naturally
a little quieter in the winter months.
Our ASOS Marketplace boutique not only
lets us ride out the slower months, but it’s also great for shifting wintery
stock. We never have trouble selling summer dresses, but a beautiful fake fur
or a winter gown might take a bit more marketing than simply relying on foot
traffic – and that’s where the beauty of keywords and online product
descriptions come in. It’s Google foot traffic!
My top 3 things to remember when
running an online boutique alongside a physical one....
Plan to be interrupted & stay organised.
So you’ve set up your work space in
your boutique and you are mid way through uploading something when a customer
comes in. Trust me, it’s going to happen, and always at the most inopportune moment.
Plan to be interrupted at every stage, and then you won’t begrudge it. Similarly,
if you are doing a shoot in or near your store, expect customers to not only be
interested, but also want to buy the item you have just styled to shoot and
then sell online.
Be rational, a sale is a sale, but
if you think you will get a better price online, then it might be worth keeping
that stock and shooting it when your store isn’t open. Alternatively, always
have a few alternatives on hand, so if a customer buys the scarf you just
knotted beautifully around your models neck – you have another similar one you
picked out earlier to take its place.
It’s just a personal preference, but
I do tend to keep my ASOS Marketplace items separate from the shop floor for
the first week, just to make them more exclusive and so I can keep my head
around stock management.
On that note – organisation is key.
You can’t have an item sell on ASOS Marketplace, and then realise it sold in
your shop the day before. That’s poor customer service. Excel spreadsheets. A sticker
system...whatever works for you – stay on top of your stock!
Use your ‘down’ time well.
I know that my shop is quieter on
cold wet days, and the mornings are generally less busy than the afternoons. Scheduling
a shoot for a Monday or Tuesday morning generally means I can man the shop
whilst simultaneously shooting product. I style the model in the store then
the Photographer goes out to shoot the items with the model outside. I can stay
store based whilst they return to the shop for each re-style and to download
images (and cups of tea!).
I would never schedule a shoot for a Saturday
afternoon – unless I definitely had someone else working in the shop. Keep
everything you need to send out an order in grabbing distance. I love that I
have the time to wrap internet-bought items beautifully and send them out that
day. It’s the key to great customer service. Remember that when people search
for your physical boutique in Google, your ASOS Marketplace boutique will come
up too – so everyone can see your feedback. Keep customers sweet to encourage
return visitors.
Also, as most people that run a shop can tell you, there are
days when it’s dead, the admin is done and it’s very, very dull if you work by
yourself. Twitter and Facebook are your friend! Work on promoting your boutique
through every social channel available.
If you can, work with a photographer you trust.
I originally took my own photos,
which were fine, but I wanted to step up ASOS Marketplace my game so I could
support my physical boutique through the quieter winter.
I used to have to shoot outside my
first shop, whilst still serving customers – which a got a little too unmanageable
for my liking.
I decided to ask around if any
photographers wanted to work with me in exchange for portfolio shots as I knew
with my lovely model and my clothing that they would get some beautiful shots, and
I wasn’t wrong, the pics were amazing, and also made my boutique look a lot
more professional whilst boosting the portfolio of local student photographers,
or photographers with new businesses. Since then I’ve started using a few more models and
photographers of who I have found on Facebook and Twitter, and it’s a great way
to build local community business links and help each other out. Don’t ask –
don’t get. I’d also recommend using what you’ve got, location wise.
Margate is
a lovely setting for the photos and really lends itself to that retro seaside
styling, If I lived somewhere more urban, then perhaps my styling would reflect
that and I choose to style my vintage in a more alternative/indie way.
Students get selling!
As a student, there was definitely
a conflict between my love for fashion and my bank balance! I discovered ASOS Marketplace
during my second year of uni and with a wardrobe full of clothing (some still
with the tags on!) I knew that ASOS Marketplace was the perfect place to make
extra cash to fund my “fashion addiction”. I was amazed at how quickly my
clothes sold but I wanted to be a bit more creative, so I started selling some
of my own handmade jewellery.
I loved the feeling I got when making a sale -
someone had actually found your listing, loved it, bought it and was now
wearing it somewhere in the world. I loved it so much that by my third year of
uni, I knew that ASOS Marketplace was where I wanted to start my career.
Throughout my final year, I spent time sourcing new and vintage products and
selling the pieces online. I have since graduated and I am still focusing on
building my boutique and I really think that selling on ASOS marketplace during
my student years was the perfect time to do so. You are that stage in life
where you can try new things out and it proved a nice break from the uni work
too!
The importance of online Customer Service.
There is no denying there is a huge
difference between shop floor customer service and online customer service.
First and foremost, on the web you can’t greet your customers with a smile and
offer them your instant help. But worry not, there are ways to make your online
customers feel special too! Here are my top tips on how to create smiles all
round and receiving that all-important positive feedback.
1. Time goes by so slowly for
those who wait
When you receive a question about a garment
you should always try to reply as swiftly as possible. No one wants to wait two
days to find out what material a bag is, by then they might have forgotten
about it. I know we all can’t sit in front of the computer 24 hours, but by
answering a question as soon as you see it rather than waiting until the end of
the day is going to impress your customer and increase the chance of a sale.
2. Personal,
yet professional
You should, rather obviously, always write
to your customers in a polite manner. It is the small details that will create
a trusting relationship with your customer, so make sure you have no spelling
mistakes. The language should be a good balance of professional and personal,
professional enough to imply that you are a serious seller and personal enough
to make your customers feel special (no one wants to talk to a robot!).
3. Communication
is key
Your customers will
get worried if they have placed an order and haven’t heard from you in a couple
of days. Always, always, let you customer know as soon as you have shipped
their item (and do so as soon as you can!). Knowing the item is on its way is
like waiting for Santa to arrive at your door.If you have a tracking number
(recommended) you should include this in your shipping message together with the
tracking website address. We receive tons of positive feedback about our swift
shipping and regular updates on the process of orders.
4. Can
I have a refund?
Yes you can! Having a refund policy is key
to any online boutique and we aim to make this process as hassle free as
possible. Include a returns note with your packaging and once you have received
the item back, process the refund as soon as you can. Once the refund has been
processed you should let your customer know that you have received their item
and that their money should be back in their PayPal account. If it is this easy
to get a refund, your customer will feel safe to buy from you again and again!
5. Pretty
little things
So, you may not be able to give a smile to
your customer, but what you can do is provide pretty packaging that is going to
make your customer feel special. Always make sure the item you are sending is
clean, not creased and folded up nicely. We like to treat our customers by
wrapping the garments in tissue paper (as this will also protect the item) and
including a handwritten personal note with each sale. Including a copy of the
order is also a good idea so that the customer can see what they have bought
and how much they paid. (Tips: Including
a small gift or a promo code every now and again will definitely result in some
great feedback!)
6.
Be honest
Be as accurate as you can when you describe
your garment, always ensure that any damage to the product is present in the
description to avoid disappointment. The same things goes for sizing, provide
all the necessary measurements and if the garment has been pinned on the model
it should say so in the description.
7. The
customer is always right
Everyone who has ever worked in retail or
ecommerce knows that this statement is not always true. What is true however is
that if you want to gain a great reputation and maintain a high score of
feedback, going the extra mile for a customer is of immense importance. If
something gets lost in the post it probably isn’t your fault but taking
responsibility and issuing a refund as soon as you are sure the item is lost is
worth it in the long run.
How to get new wholesale accounts and get your small brand or independent label stocked in more stores
Selling on-line is a fantastic way to build and grow your business, but small brands and labels often need a physical presence too - getting pieces directly into stores and having larger retailers buy their stock too.
Trade show 101: How to prep for your first trade show.
The STITCH menswear show
works with hundreds of brands and thousands of buyers from over 62 countries,
and this is growing season on season. As a lot of our brands exhibit at both STITCH and other tradeshows, we asked Brian Duffy, the founder of STITCH to jot down
his top 5 tips for getting the most out of a tradeshow if you’re a small designer
brand or label.
How to pitch and approach editors & bloggers and get them on board with your brand.
There are rules of engagement when approaching fashion editors and bloggers that are derived from simple logic; their inboxes are flooded daily with hundreds of emails, they are busy and more often than not, working to deadlines or blogging in addition to holding down a 9 to 5. You must understand who you are talking to and why. Without existing relationships, these content creators and web-influencers can be hard to reach and as such, the most effective approach is a well researched and customised one.
Menswear on Marketplace
The ASOS Marketplace is buzzing with breakout indie
labels and small menswear brands, as well as some savvy Sirs making a tidy
profit selling on old wardrobe favourites and vintage finds. We collared 4 of
our best menswear sellers to share a little more about the way they make bank
on Marketplace.
How we spot counterfeits, and what to do to prove your item is the real deal.
At ASOS Marketplace, we operate a zero tolerance policy when it comes to the sale of counterfeit goods, as part of our Fashion Not Fakes campaign. Fakes aren't just frowned on; they’re illegal, which is why we make you lovely lot prove that your designer items are the real deal.
What Is & Isn't Vintage?
“Thanks!
It’s vintage!”
Words we
all like to ping back at someone complimenting a piece you are
wearing. Trouble is, as the Vintage market grows & grows, we’re seeing a
lot of ‘Vintage’ pieces that are not ‘Vintage’ – they are simply not old enough
to classify as Vintage, or they are listed as Vintage but are just ‘Vintage
style’ – i.e. A new dress that simply has a fifties shape.
Vintage 101: How to run a successful vintage boutique on ASOS Marketplace
One of my favourite things about the Vintage Boutiques on ASOS Marketplace is seeing how each boutique has it’s own style and identity. Whether you’re a 1950s loving Marilyn wannabe or a 1990s kid with dreams that they will re-make Clueless (just imagine what they could do with THAT revolving wardrobe 20 years on) there’s really something for everyone.
So, you’ve got your boutique identity, you’ve got your
product, you’ve got the kettle on and the biscuits are ready for a-dunking.
Let’s do this...
1.The Imagery
I know, it sounds so obvious, right? But I cannot emphasize
just how important your imagery is and how it can make the difference between a
sale or not. Have you selected an appropriate location? Have you got a suitable
model? Have you put the time and effort into styling the model and the product?
These are all things you need to ask yourself when you are shooting because, if
the answer is no to any of them, you are probably not doing the product
justice.
You need to put your customer hat on and consider, if you
were going to buy the product what would you want to see? Have you taken enough
detail images and shown the product from all angles?
We love beautiful imagery. Swooning over the weekends
uploads along with a bucket of tea sets me up for the day, but you must
remember that you are selling an item. Keep the abstract for your portfolio and
show us the product. Over editing or using flash can completely change the
appearance of an item, so please (pretty please) don't.
It’s a good idea to have some consistency running through
your images making it easy for the
buyer to connect with you, recognise your style and for their eye to flow
naturally through your collection.
2.The Customer
No one wants a bad rep. It may have been cool at school, but
even Danny Zuko realised it wasn’t the way forward by the end.
You must provide good customer service. You should
bend over backwards for your customers because without them, you have no
business. Have you ever had a great dinner in a restaurant but resigned
yourself to never going back due to the poor service? Same thing applies here.
Customers will not return and they will not recommend you to anyone else if
they receive bad service. We understand that this may not always be the easiest
thing to do, but you cannot take a return or a comment personally. You must put
your business hat on and respond as a business.
3. The Promotion
We do
all we can to help promote the sellers on the site, but with limited space and
thousands of uploads a week... you do the math. You need to be prepared
to promote your ASOS Marketplace shop yourself and the best way to do this,
especially for start up businesses, is via social media. Use everything
available to you including Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and
whatever new platforms pop up. Run competitions in order to increase your
followers, interact with others as much as possible, and keep it business. If
you want to rant about your boyfriend’s inability to commit that’s fine, but
get a personal account too and do it there. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be
personal, customers like to know the people behind the product, but keep it
light and fun. We’ll also do all we can to help by re-tweeting, liking or
pinning your post and products.
We might be an online platform, but don’t underestimate the
value of offline marketing too. Are there any local events you can go to? Any
appropriate magazines or local papers you could work with? Any fairs or
festivals you can attend? Sometimes you need to think outside the box.
We love it when boutiques get a lil more creative with their ideas, for instance, REDROCK tweet about a blogger wearing their stuff and then cash in on it by running a competition:
4. The Product
I'm sure you have all (as have I) encountered some form of,
shall we say, snobbery towards Vintage clothing at some point during your time
selling. You must avoid dragging them to your stock cupboard in order to prove
them wrong (no one wants ‘false imprisonment’ on their record) and instead,
send items that prove just how amazing buying Vintage can be.
Don’t ruin someone’s shopping experience by sending them a
product that smells of last weeks poached Salmon (no matter how delicious it
was) or a months worth of cigarette smoke. Clean the items, iron them and keep
them away from any strong smells.
It’s a good idea to keep up to date with trends and buy or
list accordingly. Vintage might be timeless but trends still apply. We all knew
Kelly Kapowski was a trend setter; it was only a matter of time before high
waisted baggy denim was back. The worst thing with trends is the risk that
someone else will be wearing the exact same thing, but with on trend Vintage
that’s not a problem.
5. The Details
Sizing:
Vintage sizing can be really different to modern day sizing.
It may say size 14 in the label but fit a 10 by today’s standards. Make sure
you let your customers know this in the ‘Sizing & Care’ section and detail
measurements to confirm.
Packaging:
Vintage can be a really personal thing to both the seller
and the customer. Enhance your brand and your customer service by packaging
your items in a way that makes the customer feel they are receiving something
really special.
So there you have it. Happy Selling!
Samantha x
Do’s & Dont's for a successful Marketplace Boutique.
Every seller wants to know ‘the secret’ to having a successful boutique, but the truth is, there isn’t a secret as such, just a few points you have to master in order to keep those orders coming. I've rounded up some of the most important things to bear in mind for your boutique.
Top Tweets! 10 twitter tips for your ASOS Marketplace listings.
Natalie Wall is putting the glam back into geek one tweet at a time. With over 10 years retail experience for some of the UK’s biggest brands including Tesco, Topshop and ASOS and currently flexing her online editorial muscle over at Cosmopolitan and Le Blow, she certainly knows her SEO from her SMO; her CMS from her CRM, and her Burberry from her Mulberry - so she's perfectly placed to help guide you through her top twitter tips.
How to write the perfect product description (and get found by Google!)
So, you've set up your Marketplace account, your stock is prepped, and you want to make sure as many people see your listings as possible. The more visible your product is, the greater the chance of a sale, right?
Social Success Story - Q&A with @PoppyD
As a small fashion business, you've probably already heard
of @PoppyD, but just in case you’ve been under a stone coloured pair of khakis
for the last year, here’s the scoop on one of our favourite fashion entrepreneurs.
Poppy started her blog ‘What I Wore Today’ in 2010 to encourage herself to wear
more of her wardrobe by posting photos of herself in a different outfit each
day.
As with so many of these stories, the next couple of chapters are fairly predictable:
girl keeps blogging, gains army of followers, becomes ‘internet sensation’,
gets Daily Mail article labelling her ‘saucy’.
It’s the chapters post initial blog-fame that make Poppy a force to reckoned with, and the perfect person to answer your social questions.
It’s the chapters post initial blog-fame that make Poppy a force to reckoned with, and the perfect person to answer your social questions.
Instead of resting on her blog-laurels, Poppy formed a fully
fledged brand, business and social network out of her original concept,
allowing users all over the globe to post their own outfits and chronicle their
own style timelines. She’s a social 'power playa', and the
ideal lady to put your social questions too. Also, she makes us laugh. A lot. Never a bad thing.
Have a read of her Q&A with us below, then get ready to ask her your
own questions through twitter at 5pm BST. Simply tweet @ASOSMarketplace & @PoppyD with your questions and she’ll get back to you from there.
Q: How long did it take before
you felt you were really getting somewhere on your social platforms – did it
take a while before there was a tipping point? When was that?
A:I don't know what the tipping point was, but I have invested a disgusting amount of time into social networks. I have blogged for 12 years now. I joined Facebook in 2005 when you needed a top university email address to register and I've been on Twitter since 2008. It certainly hasn't been an overnight thing, I've been boring people with what I'm eating/listening to/watching/wearing (obvs) for years. I've always had a really engaged following though, even when it was a couple of hundred people, it's just that the following has grown. I'm followed by a lot of influencers and I guess I noticed that really taking off a couple of years ago. I'm followed by a lot of journalists now, which is great for my business.