WATCH NOW: 5 Tips on How to use Social Media Lucratively as a Point-of-sale by Nishita
Most mothers of young children have one resounding factor in common. It is the absolute lack of time to do anything that does not actually involve the child. One will cook for the child, massage and bathe the child, think of fun activities to do together, tell bedtime stories, sing lullabies…the whole spectrum. Visiting a departmental store or a mall to shop for the child definitely does not figure at the top of that list. Going to the store with a little baby or a temperamental toddler for company would probably languish at the bottom of that list if it even figures on it at all.
This is where a brand like Little Pixie comes in. The brainchild of Nishita Toprani, a Mumbai-bred fashion designer, Little Pixie lets you pick the perfect ensemble for your discerning diva (have you met 4-year-old girls nowadays?) from the comfort of your home and leaves no room for doubt or reservation. Any concerns over cut, colour, sleeve length or even complex customizations are deftly handled through a simple direct message or phone chat.
Its 2020, and everyone wants a personal experience. Nishita tells Sneha Kamat Bhavnani how she managed to take her small business and grow it into the ultimate personal experience for her customers without the hassle of managing a website.
The Idea
My name is Nishita and I founded a label called Little Pixie in 2014. Little Pixie is a designer clothing brand for little girls between the ages of 6 months to 7 years. I started this brand with the intention of providing stylish clothes for little girls that are not only comfortable and durable, but also do not pinch the pocket. Back then, there were just a handful of International brands such as Mothercare, Zara and H&M that had begun to introduce their kidswear lines to the market, but I felt that mothers wanted something more – something unique and special.I started off primarily with party/occasion wear, and gradually moved on to add Indian wear and casual wear to the product line.
Selling Online
From that time (and even today), I knew I wanted to be an online-only brand. I never saw the appeal of owning a brick and mortar store or a boutique.
In a busy city like Mumbai, I could not envision mothers of small children stepping out of their homes to sit through hours of traffic to purchase a dress. I wanted them to have the convenience of shopping from home, to make the overall experience as smooth and hassle free as possible.
So, I created my social media platforms (Facebook & Instagram) for the brand to begin with, with full intention of eventually moving onto a website when I had the funds and time to manage one. I steadily began to gain followers on both platforms, Instagram taking the lead within about a year of starting.
Because I had not set up a website yet, I was taking orders online through Instagram/Facebook. The process was simple – an interested customer would reach out by leaving a comment on our post or sending a direct message to our inbox, their query would be responded to as soon as possible. If they would want to confirm their order and move forward to payment and delivery details, I would then share my WhatsApp number or ask them for theirs, and then take the order forward from there. This has been the norm for all these years.
The Personalised Experience
Here is why it has been working for the brand and its sales;
- When I get a message from a potential customer, I always start off with an introduction – ‘Hello, my name is Nishita and I am the owner and designer of Little Pixie, how can I help you today?’….This automatically creates a sense of assurance in the customer’s mind that there is an actual person behind the whole process. It’s not just about clicking on buttons to place your order, and your questions will be answered if you have any. It is important for any customer to feel reassured and understood, but even more so for someone who is buying something for their child.
- This one-on-one would also help me get to know my customers on a somewhat personal level, hear their valuable feedback, what their preferences are, suggestions on how we can improve our design, quality etc.
- Promoting the brand through social media has also given me the added advantage of being able to tell the brand’s story.
- With Instagram constantly upgrading its features and offering things like voting Polls, Q&As, quiz options etc. it has made it a far more interactive platform, which in turns helps us engage with our customers on a more individual level.
- Through FB and Instagram, we can showcase so many other things like how we style our photography, work in progress, packaging, mood boards etc. It is more than just focussing on the product and sales.
- Instagram and FB allows others to tag you in their posts or recommend you if they have been satisfied with their shopping experience with you. When other potential customers see this, it creates a sense of reassurance – that if other moms have tried this brand and are happy with it then it must be good.
Photography On Point
Photography plays a big role in what we do because we feel it’s the best way to convey to our potential customers what we are selling. While we try to make our pictures look aesthetically appealing, we also try our best to keep in mind that it needs to be as close to the original garment as possible. We do our photography in-house so we can make sure it comes out exactly the way we want it.This also gives us the comfort to shoot anything whenever we want – work in progress, things that inspire us or just day-to-day stuff that we want to share with our audience.
Looking Ahead
All that being said, I do recognise the immense value and need of having a website and how crucial it is for any business to have. And now, more than ever, it will be on top of our priority list to get one going. However, I am happy to have gone the reverse route all these years. It has been truly insightful and I feel I have gained immense knowledge about my target customers. And I have also virtually met some lovely people in the process.
