Boutique Retailer is an online store that sells shoes, apparel and other products on not only its own website, but eBay, Catch and now, Amazon.
The company has had an online presence for 10 years, with founder and CEO Val Brusylovsky saying that the move from bricks-and-mortar to online was greeted with apprehension and nervousness from family.
“My father started the business 20 years ago and I took over and started the online side of things 10 years ago. What was happening then, was I was literally listing one product at a time onto eBay. I was consistently told by my folks that they’d be surprised if someone purchased a shoe or a plain t-shirt online.
“At the time it was just very different. Not many people were trusting online – it was new and there were doubts about credit card security and that sort of thing. Because it wasn't popular, there was absolutely a lot of apprehension – not from myself – but more so from the generation or two above me.”
Brusylovsky recognised 10 years ago, before the arrival of Amazon in Australia, that traditional retail was starting to slow.
“Essentially in the last 10 years, online retail has grown at such a rapid rate, while the old traditional way of running physical stores started to slow and now no longer works for many operators. They are just not seeing the same sell through and foot traffic they’re used to seeing.
“There's a lot of reasons for that – the major one being the shift in consumer shopping habits and also double digit growth in online shopping in Australia.
“Many shoe brands are going direct to consumer by opening up their own physical stores, to capture this change and [are] developing new offerings in these stores.
“So whilst I believe bricks-and-mortar stores are definitely here to stay, what worked 20 years ago just doesn't work in 2018 to the same degree – especially in metro areas.”
Not recognising these changes, may prove detrimental to businesses looking to see out this transition period. However, ultimately, shopping will always be a vital part of many economies.
“Fundamentally, nothing has actually changed. Customers will continue to purchase shoes – we all need shoes right – it's just the way that we're buying and the channels we're buying through has changed and it will continue to change. As a business it is important to adapt to these changes constantly.
“Oneof those channels is Amazon. It's interesting how the industry evolves over time,” Brusylovsky said.
Boutique Retailer is riding the wave of change, recently launching products on the Australian version of Amazon. Previously, the business had been selling products on Amazon US.
For retailers looking to list items on Amazon, Brusylovsky says that an optimistic outlook coupled with consistent bite sized action steps is key to making it work.
“For people starting out... have a positive mindset, especially if you're a small business or don't yet have a business. Amazon is absolutely massive and if you are just starting out it can get overwhelming – so making small steps initially is key.
“I think the main thing is: register. Even if you just add a couple of products, it's a great start. Even if you don't have any products, just familiarise yourself with the platform because if you're looking to get into e-commerce and building something, it's a super opportunity right now to do it because everyone on Amazon is really starting from zero in Australia.
“So it's a good time to start building your account and familiarise yourself with the processes, the back-end and the way that Amazon works. I think that's the most important thing.”
Amazon's head of fashion, Angela Langmann says that shoes make up an important part of the fashion assortment available on the marketplace.
“Shoes are an important part of the Amazon Fashion offering and we are excited to see customers flocking to brands such as Puma and Novo.
“Having an extensive range available through our retail and marketplace offerings, with sellers such as Styletread and Boutique Retailer ranging their products, means that we are a one stop shop for the Australian customer.”
Brusylovsky emphasises that customers want flexibility and the ability to choose how they want to shop, which is why Boutique Retailer now has a presence on Amazon.
“First thing I should note is that time is the asset. In our day to day lives, we are bombarded with more information than ever before. By shopping online, we're buying time, that's all we're doing.
“The customer just wants flexibility and the ability to be able to shop when, where and how they want. So today for instance, they might not have time, they'll buy something on Amazon and complete the transaction in five minutes. Tomorrow, they've got a day off – they're more than happy go for a stroll in a local shopping centre and maybe pick something up then.
“It's about under-promising and over-delivering. I think that's also a secret to online retailing. You want to make sure you can deliver on your promise and [then] some. So what you're promising must not be the world – it can be the world – but you have to deliver on it and then some.”
When it comes to Amazon's place in the Australian online retail space, Brusylovsky thinks we are yet to see the full impacts, but doesn't doubt that it will become a top market-place soon.
“We haven't really seen the effect of Amazon here yet, so it's exciting because it gives us an opportunity to look ahead and learn the marketplace as it evolves. We can [also] create new offerings that our customers want on the platform.
“I think Amazon will absolutely be one of the top marketplaces in Australia in the near future.”
For more information on getting started on Amazon, click here.