From a brand perspective, however, the competition is rather tough. As more and more brands pop up, the competition is increasingly tougher, both online and offline.

But as going online has shifted from being optional to being entirely necessary, what’s a brand to do to stay above the competition?

A success story example can be found in Wearing Klamby, a local fashion brand specializing in modest womenswear. Along with selling through its website klamby.id, the label offers its products on marketplace platform Tokopedia, where the brand recently offered an exclusive family set of matching Muslim clothing that completely sold out in 15 minutes.

In an interview with The Jakarta Post, Wearing Klamby CEO and Co-founder Muhammad Ridho said the brand name was derived from Javanese, with klambi meaning clothing.

“The impetus to draw the name from Javanese was because I went to university in Yogyakarta with my wife and Co-founder Nadine Gaus. We decided to name the brand ‘Wearing Klamby' as a hint of modernization with the hope that it could break into the international market,” he said.

Wearing Klamby’s inspirations often come from the rich culture of Indonesia, which is best represented by the launch of their signature line in 2018. During that time, Ridho explained, demand was very high, as other brands tended to take inspiration from other countries like Japan and Turkey.

From that point, Wearing Klamby has consistently taken inspiration from Indonesian culture for their signature-line collections, which are then juxtaposed with their style of breezy modernity. For this year’s Ramadan collection, the brand looked to Sulawesi.

Going back to the Ramadan family set that sold out in 15 minutes, Ridho acknowledged that one of the main reasons for the success was the increased demand that often came with the holy month but added that another part was branding techniques. Thanks to a combination of digital shows and PR packages, Wearing Klamby products often sell out within minutes. This is amplified by additional brand awareness thanks to Tokopedia.

“One of the reasons we chose Tokopedia as a partner was because we came from the same background of being a homegrown brand. Aside from the business side, we looked for a partner [with which we could] mutually benefit beyond sales - prioritizing a marketplace based on locally made products in line with our aim. As we highlight Indonesian themes, it would be jarring if we joined foreign marketplaces,” Ridho said, adding that he and his family were avid Tokopedia users.

One of the benefits of joining an online marketplaces is to shift slow-moving products. According to Ridho, the brand was also affected by the pandemic. However, after joining Tokopedia, he found that the move helped to move inventory.

Rather appropriate is Wearing Klamby’s onboarding to Tokopedia in late March of this year, when the spirit of welcoming Ramadan was going strong.

“Demand is really high, a large increase compared to before we joined. For our products, demand is 10 times higher than our stock,” he said.

What is interesting is the breakdown of traffic. Though Wearing Klamby was founded in 2013, the current highest component of traffic comes from Tokopedia at 75 percent, while the brand’s own website makes up 25 percent.

“There are several factors that go into the result, like those who asked for the products to be on Tokopedia for stability during sale periods. On the other hand, some also prefer to buy on our website to gain points.”

Thanks to Wearing Klamby’s popularity, the brand’s sales have come from all over Indonesia.

Based on the two months Wearing Klamby has been part of Tokopedia, Ridho said that one of the biggest benefits was the rise in awareness. Tokopedia, he explained, allowed the brand to gain followers and ratings, enabling Wearing Klamby to build a community not unlike on social media.

“We also received front page banners from Tokopedia, along with obtaining Official Store categorization much more easily. The brand also benefited from Tokopedia events and advertisements,” he said, noting that he highly recommended the marketplace platform for other brands seeking to grow their business.

“Even before selling on Tokopedia, I was already recommending the platform. Even without the exclusive collaboration, I was already a loyal Tokopedia user and shopper. I would recommend Tokopedia to other businesses based on my experiences, be they positive or negative.”

Popular

Explore nearby, spend wisely: intra-provincial travel boom

Furniture exporters decry new quarantine rule

Jokowi faces storm of lawsuits six months after stepping down