Australian Retailer Pink Zebra’s E-Boutique Model
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Pink Zebra is an Australian e-Boutique which has created an innovative online retail store model. Pink Zebra owner Sarah Paykel had to find a way to adapt her brick and mortar retail boutique to the online world as e-commerce becomes more popular in Australia.
Ms. Paykel saw a large drop in earnings for her Sydney business over the last 2 years which she blames on the rise of online shopping. She notes that many of the visitors to her boutique today are simply there to try on clothes and determine their sizes.
Shoppers will also snap pictures of bar codes and labels in the store with their iPhones in order to go home and purchase the same items for less online. Due to the large drop in sales, Paykel was forced to put her business in voluntary administration while she figured out a way to embrace the trend of online shopping.
Pink Zebra has been forced into becoming an e-Boutique in order to stay in business after nearly a decade of success. The company got off to a great start 7 years ago by bringing popular US fashion labels to Australia. However, a lot has changed since that time and more of these US brands have become accessible from online sources at cheaper prices with no GST.
As her business began to dry up, Ms Paykel was forced to shut down one of the three stores she operated in Sydney and try to raise capital for an innovative online shopping concept. This new retail model combines brick and mortar stores with online shopping by encouraging customers to use the Pink Zebra boutiques as fitting rooms and to then place orders online with assistance from store staff.
The new e-Boutique model would benefit shoppers by giving them access to the brands they crave, such as Rich & Skinny, Michael Stars, J Brand and Vince, while lowering the cost to compete with the rates available online. Pink Zebra would also offer the additional benefit of handling all returns for the customer.
Paykel believes that the new model will help to boost her business because she is responding to what customers are asking for today and finding a unique way to add value to their shopping experience. She has been able to convince some investors that her concept has merit and is close to securing all of the funding needed to relaunch the Pink Zebra store brand.
Ms. Paykel has informed all of her suppliers and customers about the new e-Boutique approach. She has received a lot of support for the idea from existing customers who received an email on the changes. Included in the plan will be a remodel of the existing retail stores to include big screen TVs for screening labels.
Through these TVs, customers will be able to access information on each label, including which of their favourite celebrities wears the label. While admitting that the remodel will be costly, Ms. Paykel believes it is necessary in order to compete in the new retail environment. In fact, an executive of the National Retailers Association of Australia has been quoted in saying that: “Australians are being drawn to overseas-based online businesses, where they do not have to pay GST, import duty or customer charges on their purchases.”
You can use the link below to check out the Pink Zebra website.
