“Wearing lingerie is a necessity and we believe that there is no reason for women to be ashamed of it. Women have to feel proud of themselves and changing how lingerie is viewed is definitely a step in the right direction.” Mr.R.Gopinath, Shyaway
Shyway.com was started in June 2015 by Mr.R.Gopinath when he realised that there was a huge market for lingerie in the country which was being overlooked by most entrepreneurs. He wanted to break this stereotype about lingerie. Reviewing the website- The website uses bold colours in a sexy way. The main background template is clean, sophisticated and white with usage of crisp high resolution image. The idea behind this is to help women feel confident and not ashamed of their needs and their bodies. The website is compatible with all the existing browsers and is very user friendly. Open tabs don’t fail to open, nor does it freeze the browser or pull other pages down. You have the following categories on the page New Arrivals, Best Loved, All Styles, Bras, Panties, Sleepwear, Lingerie Sets, Accessories, Shapewear, Swimwear, Legwear, Accessories, Brands And Sales. Each product selected is given a full footage of what the product will look like with descriptive, clear and informative product information.
Shyaway believes it is very important for women to be confident of themselves in this day and age and hope to achieve this through their website. They wanted a site that was both elegant as well as bold. Women need to realise that lingerie is not something that cannot be spoken of or something that can only be monotonous. They also want to include every woman’s needs to their product list. Using bold and sexy colours helps bring about a sense of empowerment in the minds of these women. Having been in business for a year, the website has seen massive growth. Shyaway advertises on all the social media platforms and search engines. They have been contacted by many bloggers to write articles about their website on their blogs. Also, they host campaigns on 3rd party affiliate websites and coupon sites. Since social media and the internet is now the answer to everything, these methods have been pretty effective.
Being an online multi brand lingerie store, they hold many top brands like Sonari, Bloom, Laavian, Jockey, Enamor, Inner Sense, Liberty World, Vanity Fair, Cross and Pearl and Twin Birds. Apart from this, they also have two brands of their own called Shyle and Pansy. Shyaway.com shares a common passion for all things lingerie and have a wide range of products and styles to fulfil every lingerie need of every customer. From bras, panties, sleepwear, swimwear, shapewear, bra accessories and legwear. These categories also have a number of sub categories such as balconette bras, moulded bras under bras and bikinis, thongs under panties and so on. Whatever the lingerie need, Shyaway can satisfy them. Customer satisfaction is their top most priority. They have a number of policies such as flexible returns and exchanges, free shipping when the amount is over Rs.749 and so on. They also offer a lot of discounts and provide their customers with the latest trends in the lingerie market. Having their own research and development team helps them identify the needs of the customers so that they can serve them to the best of their ability.
“When a customer shops online the first thing they look for is the latest and unique styles which they cannot purchase elsewhere. They also look for the best prices and offers on the products that they like. Another thing that the customers look for is the fit. While this is a major issue faced by customers while shopping online, we have always made sure to provide them with the best services for their satisfaction on such issues.” says, Mr.R.Gopinath CEO of Shyaway.com
Shyaway’s customer care team is, invariably active and ready to help the customers on any issue. Incase of fit issues they also have an option of exchanging the product for the one of their size. Since most of the shopping is done through smartphones, they have developed their own mobile app so the customer can access out site easily. Their brand is also present and can be contacted on all social media platforms, over the phone and on chat to clear any query or solve any problem that the customer might have. A bra fit calculator feature is active on their website so that the customer can find the exact fit before making their purchase.
In conversation with Anderson, spokesperson of Shyaway.com
Before starting up shyaway.com where was Mr.R.Gopinath working ?
Anderson: Mr.R.Gopinath was already a successful entrepreneur in the IT field even before he started Shyaway.com. This lingerie portal, Shyaway.com was his initiative to expand into e-commerce due to the wide scope and the increasing use of the internet by people to meet all their needs. The reason for choosing lingerie in particular is that though there is such a large market for lingerie in this country, very few explore and exploit this field.
Why the name Shyaway?
A: The name Shyaway came up when we thought of how lingerie is generally viewed in the country. Women are generally shy to speak about it in public and it is also considered taboo by most. In a way, we also wanted to break this stereotype about lingerie. Wearing lingerie is a necessity and we believe that there is no reason for women to be ashamed of it. Women have to feel proud of themselves and changing how lingerie is viewed is definitely a step in the right direction.
In what order did you present your company to the world? Did you start with marketing and products, or website, blog and social media?
A: We started with the website, blog and social media. Through these social media sites and blogs, we not only promote our brand but also give health tips, fashion ideas, give the meaning for each type of lingerie, give facts which are not very known and so on. The concept behind this is that we believe the page should not just be to promote ourselves but also to educate and empower women.
Do you advertise locally in newspapers and/or nationally in magazines? Are they effective?
A: Yes, we have advertised in newspapers and magazines. These are circulated all around the country. People may read one at a salon or while travelling or even take time out every day or week to read them. This helps us make an impression in the subconscious minds of the readers. So the next time they think of lingerie, their first thought will be of us. So far this has worked to our favour. Our customer base is rapidly increasing and expanding.
Do you belong to community sharing websites? Which ones and how effective are they in building your audience? What are the best features that help your business?
A: Yes. We belong to community sharing websites as they help us bring quality customers to our site. Our best feature is that we are the only multi brand lingerie platform in the country and that really plays to our advantage. We also have a wide range of products, collections and designs for the customers to choose from.
Could you describe your packaging?
A: Our packaging is always 100% discreet. All the products go through a 3 stage quality check after which they are boxed in a carton in a way that nobody can find out what’s inside. When it comes to lingerie, people like their privacy and our main objective while packing these products is to maintain this privacy. We pack in such a way that the content cannot be found out by anyone, from the delivery boy to the nosy neighbours.
If you sell products, are they produced in the India or abroad?
A: We have our own manufacturing unit and designers in Tirupur. Apart from this, we also buy products from China, Thailand and a few other places to suit our exquisite needs. Designing our own lingerie gives us an opportunity to have unique designs. Buying products from other countries gives us a good understanding of what the global market for lingerie is like. Both of these help us provide both unique and trendy products to our consumers and that’s what keeps them coming back for more.
Are the majority of your customers women or men?
A: Men constitute about 60% of our customers. They purchase lingerie for their loved ones and also make such purchases on special occasions. Women who buy from our website shop for themselves or their daughters. Since we have products for women of all ages, we provide all these people with exactly what they are looking for.
Can you tell us a little bit about your business model?
A: Our business model is the concept of inclusion. We have products for all women irrespective of their age, size, style and so on. Many businesses restrict their sizes to only a few. This leaves a lot of women with no option but to wear the closest size available to their actual sizes. Our model of inclusion helps us serve these women also to the best of our ability. Also, we focus on introducing online lingerie shopping to tier II and tier III cities where the other brands don’t reach. While the customers in the bigger cities have a lot of options in everything, these guys often lag behind. We focus on these people to provide them with the same quality and variety of products as the rest.
How did you decide which type of designer to work with, or did you design your own identity and web presence?
A: Our designer, Ms. Olivia Krishnan, has obtained her degree in fashion technology, worked on a number of projects with top companies and has a lot of exposure in the field of designing. She is not afraid to be innovative and likes to constantly update her designs according to the trend. We liked her passion for design and to create something unique as it was exactly what we needed for our website.
How does a business owner determine if e-commerce is a smart solution? According to you Where will e-commerce be in five years?
A: A business owner generally looks for a good space and good products for their shop. While these shops are generally restricted to specific locations, e-commerce websites have global reach. They can reach customers living on the other side of the planet and vice versa with a click of the mouse. Anyone who wants a business which targets customers from every nook and corner should definitely take up this option. With the increase in the use and reach of the internet, most of the shopping done today is done online. With the busy schedules of people and increasing needs, this is the easiest and best option that they have. We believe that soon every shop will be either entirely online or will have an online store to support their physical stores.
What will be your suggestion for new start ups or students planning to take up entrepreneurship in online retail?
A: In today’s world, this would be the best option for a business. Being a platform without a boundary, this reaches and satisfies the most number of people. Anyone who is looking to start something up should definitely consider doing it online. However, they should have a clear idea and focus to help them be sure of what they want and also to stand out from the crowd. This is what will pave their way to success.
What should small business owners do to ensure their customer’s information is secure?
A: An SSL certificate will help the owners protect the data of their customers from any kind of payment frauds and sharing of data with any 3rd party. Also the best servers can be used to secure the identity and details of their customersThis will help small business owners ensure that their customers details are secure.
What are your future plans for shyaway.com? How do you see this journey of success?
A: Since the start of the website in 2015, we have seen about 200% increases in sales every month. Our plans for the future is to reach as many women as possible worldwide and fulfil every lingerie need better than how we are doing now. We want to break the stereotype around lingerie and empower women and we are sure to achieve it in the years to come
