Swapzaar's True North.

As of now I am obsessed with Swapzaar and growing this little baby.
So you might find that my content has veered away from fashion-related topics, towards growing a fashion startup. Also- I might be less frequent with my posts, and may share stuff from my other blog which is the Swapzaar blog.

I was looking at this TED talk video the other day, and I realized we were making the same mistake and so I decided to make a clear statement that captures the answer to the question "Why does Swapzaar exist?" in a manner that connects with our intended consumers.

Yes, that's what we need to remember- that is our "True North"
Of course it sounds big and scary, but that is the point. If it doesn't scare you a little, you should aim higher.

We have started off with the Marketplace model and we plan to migrate to a Hybrid model soon.
Take a look at our Presentation, and let us know your feedback.

Swapzaar updated short pitch deck from Veena Srinath

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Disclaimer- The writer does not claim any rights to the images and videos you see on this blog, unless mentioned otherwise. The pictures and videos etc used in the blog, have been collected using the internet and have been either modified or used "as is" on this Non-Commercial blog.

The "Resale" market: what consumers want.

A recent study conducted by Global Market Insite (GMI) shows that shopping for resale/second-hand items is growing in popularity across the board (men, women, young and old alike).

And while eBay is the most popular place to buys such goods, garage sales and car-boot sales are popular across age groups too.

The cash-strapped young folks between 18-24 and prefer to shop online for resale/second hand items mostly for the cost and variety factors.

Older folks do second-hand shopping too, but the reasons they state are different, they like to support a charitable cause while still enjoying shopping.

Women state that they like to do it for the bargain hunting thrill, but men are a little slower to adopt second had shopping.

Younger people pick up more clothes and fashion items, while the older folks prefer to pick up Books or Furniture etc. Women are more likely to shop for Vintage clothes, Books and jewellery while men tend to pick up DVDs, Tools, Books and so on.

Some reports state that UK consumers have over £30bn worth of clothes in their wardrobes, of which 30 per cent haven’t been used for a year, and it is likely to be a similar figure across most developed and developing nations, so there definitely is a lot of stuff to be sold and bought!

Overall it looks like the second hand goods market is likely to continue growing, the mixed motivations of finding a bargain and supporting a cause (A charity or fashion with a conscience) seems to be resonating with consumers.

This fantastic infographic reveals a lot about the preferences of second-hand goods shoppers. (click on image to see the larger version)





Some research reports that are available for download (not the one by GMI) are linked below:

http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/study-consumer-second-hand-shopping-identify-re-use-behaviour-0

http://dominique-roux.e-monsite.com/medias/files/Roux-and-Guiot-RAM-English-edition-2008-23-4.pdf

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2135785






The "Resale" market: what consumers want.

The online "fashion re-sale" or "pre-owned fashion" market is heating up!

It had to happen...what would many decades of unbridled consumerism lead to?
Too much of everything, what else?

There are a minimum of three-four collections released every year by every major fashion label and now even the high-street brands are doing it! Naturally not everything sells at full price, so what happens? Sales, of course.
Every time there is a sale, women rush and buy stuff- more stuff than they can ever hope to use- and before they can wear some of those things once or twice,  lo-and-behold; the next collection is here, or the next sale is declared, and the women are off again!

I can't blame them, who can resist new stuff at half price?
The fashion magazines and the blogs only fuel this burning desire to buy more and more fashion.  Fashion is a Multi-Billion dollar Industry and it's not about "inner beauty" is it?
But what happens is, we end up having more-and-more things but wearing them less-and-less than ever! The worst part is we feel guilty, and yet we carry on buying, it's unstoppable...If I don't have that shoe, I won't ever be happy again...I work so hard I deserve to be happy.

Yes, the best solution is to have a highly efficient classic wardrobe and stop being so trend driven, and yes, we all need to be more thoughtful in our purchases and go on a mindful fashion diet...but all this is easier said than done.

Before you think I'm in some recession hangover, and that I am about to advocate some form of austerity, or preach green living, let me assure you I am not.  I am a huge shopper myself and- much as I worry that humans are destroying Earth or that we might need to colonize a new Planet soon- I can't help buying new clothes and accessories with alarming regularity.
And my closet is full of stuff I have worn just once or twice...I am one of "those" impulsive women.

So read on...there is hope for all us alpha shoppers and for those beautiful fashion things  stuck in a dark part of our closet waiting to be rescued.

I was thrilled to read these highly knowledgeable articles (embedded below) from business of fashion  about the "suddenly very busy" online market for resale of fashion items.There are many business models coming up vintage stores, online auctions, online fashion borrowing libraries, and online swapping parties are just a few options. And, women are taking to these options like they took to high-heels!

But in India it's going to take a little time for things to reach that level of maturity. People need to realize that these sites are not a dumping ground for cheap or tasteless old clothes, they are a place where people who love fashion exchange stuff they have used with care (and that happens to be in excellent condition) with other like-minded people. There is amazing stuff waiting in your closet, that could be worth a pretty penny, and even be exactly what someone was looking for.

It's a new way of looking at fashion, it needs a fresh mindset- it doesn't matter if someone else wore it before, it belongs to you now and you are rocking the look! If someone asks where you got it, just sound mysterious and say " it's vintage".

What about you? would you dare to buy fashion resale items and wear them with style? Or are you too afraid to experiment?

Op ed will the online fashion resale market take a flash sales nosedive- - bo_f - the business of fashion from mailforveena

With a flurry of activity, online vintage heats up bo f - the business of fashion from mailforveena

Swapzaar.com our upcoming website is a platform for swapping your pre-owned but fabulous fashion and lifestyle goods with other people through our virtual currency system.

It is a little like eBay, except that we will curate every single item that gets uploaded on the website and you can upload five items for free.The price is suggested by you and fixed by us, if your item sells, you get paid in our currency and you use this currency to buy other cool stuff on our platform (uploaded by other cool people like yourself).
You can also collect the currency/credits and after a certain amount you can encash it for real money! Delayed gratification will help you feel in control.What’s more, you can even earn free credits by playing games, participating in polls and contest and spreading the word on social media!! In phase 2, we plan to integrate a small but highly curated quirky eCommerce store with stuff from Indie designers, where you can use the currency as well.
How fun is that? Fashion swapping, Fashion games, Vintage fashion, Indie fashion; all on one great platform! Certainly better than your sale item getting lost on some  huge general listing or auction websites, right?!