Malaysian brand of maternity clothes and nursing products – Wired PR Lifestyle Story
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At the University of Hertfordshire, UK, Eaugene (Eau) and Fion began their careers at an electronic MNC in Japan and a jewelry company in Singapore, respectively.
But following Fion’s complaints about finding nice, cheap clothes on her maternity trip, the couple quit their jobs to start their own business. In 2010, they launched a cart business that sold outfitting clothing products in malls, which was respectful of the mass market.
Later, they focused their business on selling more niche products in response to the needs of women looking for maternity and nursing clothing. This is due to the decline in sales of their clothing business due to the growing trend in e-commerce and the fact that their brand has not introduced any new products.
The change also coincided with Fion’s personal need for cheaper maternity and nursing products while her third child was pregnant, exclusively for breastfeeding.
The pivot bore fruit, according to Eau and Fion. Between 2017 and 2021, their maternity and nursing brand, Shapee, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41.4%.
Modern solutions for modern mothers
From our observations, it seems that many of the maternity brands on the market are aimed at baby products, but not so much to help the mother. In a way, the postpartum mother’s care seems to be a little more neglected.
Existing maternity brands also appear more focused on fashionable maternity clothes, but not on postpartum panties, milk storage bags, breastfeeding support products, and so on.
Eau affirmed that there is no clear market leader in this space.
“It simply came to our notice then. The mothers of the 90’s and 00’s are different from the mothers of the 70’s and 80’s, ”said Eau. In other words, they value both functional and aesthetic elements, which Shape believes can meet two criteria.
Maintain leadership
The Malaysian maternity and nursing market has grown over the last decade. It can be seen with the presentation of such brands Jae Ko Designs it offers stylish but functional diaper bags, and more competitors to Shapee for nursing outfits such as brands. The main mother.
When asked if this competition was for Eauri, based on historical data, she answered that the care of children and mothers was a global market. it is expected to grow Between 2016 and 2021 at a CAGR of 6.52%. Compare Shapee’s 41.4% CAGR over a similar period of time, and it is certain that they will be able to maintain this growth trend.
“From now on, the same market will continue to maintain the single-digit CAGR, and Shapee’s revenue will definitely exceed the market benchmark with the double-digit CAGR for the next 5 years,” Eau added.
But looking at competitors and introducing new products may not be enough to keep Shapee moving forward, so the team is trying to do more.
In addition to focusing on nursing outfits, they aim to provide an end-to-end solution while also providing parents with a digital learning platform.
The Parenting Circle will have blogs and articles on pregnancy and child care, along with a directory of services and information related to motherhood and children. She is also associated with a Facebook maternity community called SuperMom.
“We want to raise awareness and educate women about the importance of breastfeeding and our goal is to reach 10 million. [people]. It is a journey we want to make with our mothers, so that the next generation can get the best possible start to nature, ”said Eau.
Sustainability and passion are key
Shapee has grown from being a pushcart business to a nationwide presence in the multi-channel market. There have certainly been growing pains over the last 10 years, but the fact that they are still in operation today requires founders to find solutions.
There were 3 main challenges that Eau reminded us of. First, they had tight cash flow problems while expanding their business because they were unable to access banking facilities, being a start-up company (less than 3 years old).
In addition to bootstrapping, other methods that helped them optimize their operational efficiency, control their inventory billing, customer payment terms, and later create a close relationship with banks.
Although the pivot was a turning point in their growth, Eau noted that B2B customer acceptance was very low in the early days due to being a brand new one.
Their products were listed first in shipments, and it took 3 to 6 months for Shapee to prove its sales and achieve a shopping model with B2B customers. Finally, they can reap immediate benefits.
To achieve the above, Eau and Fion focused on building, marketing and ensuring product quality and customer satisfaction.
For a company like Shapee, the lack of new product launches can also have a negative impact on the business. Thus, the team is constantly looking to create a complete solution for maternity and nursing products.
“One thing to remember about entrepreneurship is that failure is not the end of everything, but the chance for a new beginning. Failure is just another lesson in success, ”Eau concluded.
Financing for growth
In the last decade of growing the business, Shapee has been fully launched. The company now seeks to raise between Rs 500,000 and Rs 1.5 crore through an ECF (ECF) campaign to be launched in January 2022.
Investors who enter the vessel will earn common shares in each RM9 company. Funding will be used for Shapee’s expansion plans to gain a larger share of the local market in the near future and eventually gain access to regional markets.
You know: Ordinary shares (also called ordinary shares) represent proportional ownership of a business.
Increasing the company’s sales next year will be the group’s first work activity. To date, Shapee has generated revenue of RM 2.57 million in FY21, more than the RM1.7 million generated in the previous year.
“The market potential is exciting both in Malaysia and in the region, with our target markets in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines having a birth rate of between 1.5 and 2.5,” Eau said.
Featured Image Credit: Fion Tan, Chief Operating Officer, and Eaugene Eau, Founder and Managing Director of Shapee
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