Fashion retailers turn to online sales
Many slash prices to clear excess stock
GEORGE TOWN: Fashion retailers have been forced by the Covid-19 pandemic to dispose of their clothes on the cheap via online shopping platforms.
They do this so that they can clear their stock and sustain business.
Unable to open her shop since last year, outlet owner Chuah York Chin, 38, said many fashion retailers had taken their businesses to online shopping platforms such as Shopee and Lazada.
“We have been relying heavily on online sales since our stores are unable to open.
“At this point, we are looking at clearing our old stock and those from the previous festive season like Chinese New Year.
“We are slashing prices just to let go of our old stock as we cannot keep them for too long.
“Clothes will not go bad like food but we try to keep up with trends.
“People who follow fashion would not want to buy outdated pieces,” she added.
“For us, we need to clear our current stock and prepare for the upcoming festive seasons such as
Deepavali and Christmas in November and December,” she said when met at her store in Prangin Mall here recently.
Chuah said they needed to continue pushing their online sales as they still have rentals and staff salaries to pay.
“Due to the current economy, we only see one or two transactions from our online platforms each day.
“If the situation does not improve soon, we will need to cut down on the stock we order for the upcoming festive seasons,” she said.
At another store, an assistant who wanted to be known as Peter, 30, said they were relying on online sales to sustain the business.
“We are also clearing our old stock. Right now, we only visit our stores once a week to pick up and pack customers’ online orders to be shipped or delivered.
“As we have leftover stock from last year, we need to clear them as well,” he said.
Over at Queensbay Mall near here, sleepwear and undergarments retail owner Elisa Ng, 52, said they recently downsized their retail stores to cut down on expenses.
“We originally had two retail stores here but they have been merged into one outlet to sustain our business.
“The workers also took a 20% pay cut. The Covid-19 cases are still too high,” she added.
“Even if we are allowed to reopen, my staff and I would not feel safe. So, we rely on online sales,” she said.
Ng said as many people shop online nowadays, it was able to help sustain their retail store.
“As we are selling mainly sleepwear and undergarments, we are able to let our supply come and go naturally.
“There are hardly any fashion restrictions or trends in these categories of clothing, so we are able to hang onto our stock for some time,” she added.
“Clothes will not go bad like food but we try to keep up with trends.” Chuah york Chin