YesideFashionStore.com; Nigerian Online Fashion Store
If you are live on Facebook you might as well have heard about this newly launched online fashion store. Owned by a U.K based young Nigerian couple Yeside and Martin. I fired an interview with Yeside, the CEO of the company, she relayed her passion for fashion and vision for the Nigerian customers.
By the way, this is our first interview of the year, so I say congrat to Yeside! Read below, it such an inspiration!
WTN= Web Trends Nigeria
WTN: Can we get to know you?
Yeside: My Name is Mrs Yeside Asekun. Martin and I co own www.YesideFashionStore.com and www.facebook.com/yesidefashionstores1, No 1 Online Fashion Store, Nigeria.Yeside Fashion Stores.
WTN: Take us into the world of Yeside Fashion Stores, how it started, when it started and how long you have been around?
Yeside: Yeside Fashion Stores Offers clothes and fashion accessories to the Nigeria public anywhere in Nigeria. We are committed to getting Quality fashion trends to anywhere and everywhere in Nigeria at great value for money.
WTN: What inspired you to start an online store in Nigeria?
Yeside: The need to increase volume inspired me to start an online store. I felt the internet will give me the opportunity to sell to someone in Sokoto while the warehouse was in Lagos and the more i thought about it the more i loved it. I knew there will surely be women in other parts of Nigeria who want what we sell and will gladly shop with us if only they could see it. so i started a website but it did not take off then i moved to facebook and now we combine the two.
WTN: Do you get good response from Nigerians?
Yeside: Nigerian women are so fashion fierce even when they are running simple errands. I am so inspired. We are so fashionable and love to look good. They put all this pieces together and seal it with confidence and they always come back for more. The only thing is i will like to see more individualistic fashion you know the “i am different from you and this is my style kind of thing”!
WTN: You never worked for anybody since you left school, where did the capital to start the business come from?
Yeside: The capital came from my savings from the selling of fashion items while in school as well as from my parents and my husband…basically i raided everybody..lol.
WTN: Let’s deviate a bit, please gist us about life in Babcock University with the compulsory wearing of skirts, no meat and all the rules. 6. I miss Babcock University!
Yeside: Basically it’s a simple environment with rules that are very clear like everywhere else and if you abide by the rules you get rewarded with a degree subject to how hard you work in your academics, however if you do not abide by the rules you get punished. The rule i did not like was the no meat even though right now i am deliberately cutting down on red meat in my
WTN: You started selling clothes from when you were in Babcock University, any particular love for clothes?
Yeside: I love clothes, everything we sell i could wear and if not for my husband i probably will… Retailing fashion is just something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s my passion. I love luxury. I like dressing up but my personal style is quite individualistic and simple yet girlie girl.
WTN: How did you move from a group on Facebook to opening your own website?
Yeside: We are very fortunate to have found facebook as it has given us a terrific reach to our target market and it continues to do that as we have most of our stock at our shop on facebook where we add over 500 new items every week for pre-order at www.facebook.com/yesidefashionstores1 along with our website where we sell items already in Nigeria.
WTN: Any ATM fraud issues for customers that pay online?
Yeside: We have never had any issues with ATM Fraud, We use interswitch which is very secure they are encrypted by VeriSign which is what other international payment gateways use as well i.e. PayPal. Please pay as long as you see the pay secure sign at check out.
WTN: Any plans of expanding the online stores farther than the online base it is on now?
Yeside: The business models of a physical retail shop and an online retail shop is so different the only disadvantage of having a web shop is that it’s extremely difficult to get the emotional side of the transaction across on the internet i.e. you cannot smile to a customer who walks into your web shop so you are left very vulnerable indeed.
The internet is such a new world that you cannot really beat your chest and say this is what the future will bring unlike the physical market where you can read up history and learn from other people’s past mistakes. We have managed so far with using the trial and error tactics and focusing on consumer behaviour on the internet, but who knows what the future brings.
WTN: You are barely 30 and yet you have been able to build up a brand for yourself, how did you achieve this?
Yeside: I’ve been very fortunate and I thank God for this. Basically we are an observant company that communicates clarity of what we offer and are consistent with what we offer. We have a simple business model which gives us the ability to make long term strategic decisions rather than short term financial decisions and i believe that this is what will keep us in any of our businesses for the next 50 years or more…
WTN: Do you think Nigerians are open enough to online shopping?
Yeside: Online shopping is very convenient. In the last few years we have seen a tremendous soar in the paychecks of people with readymade jobs and that comes at a price and that is none availability of time for other things i.e. shopping. So our target market has embraced online shopping because of its strength of being convenient.
WTN: Any major challenges while starting up and presently?
Yeside: We will love for every home in Nigeria to have cheap broadband like other parts of the world, it’s a great challenge. We keep working on our supply chain, it’s a lot better than it used to be but basically the cheap broadband will be the ultimate icing on the cake. It will push our business to phenomenal heights.
WTN: How do you go about getting your goods?
Yeside: When we first started we chose price over quality and that was great and did well with the customers but now we have expanded our target market from just students to the working class young trendy women as well. So we now place convenience and quality over price thereby giving great value for money.
WTN: A lot of young Nigerians sit at home waiting to get a readymade job, Why do you think they are not trying to start up something for themselves like you did?
Yeside: I personally believe everyone has something of value they can exchange for something that is valuable to them i.e paycheck.I have nothing against getting a Job but sitting at home and not exchanging value for value can be detrimental i.e short term Hunger or even lasting poverty.
WTN: If you were to do something else other than your current business, what will you go into?
Yeside: When we studied Maslow’s hierarchy of need at school ,I was quite fascinated and because of this i learnt to invest in what people need.
We are currently into Poultry Farming and look forward to expanding in this but the ultimate icing on the cake will be Real Estate, its such a billionaire’s game that i have no idea where to start from but that is where i will love to go to.
WTN: You do home delivery too? How does that work? Do customers get that for free?
We deliver to anywhere and everywhere in Nigeria no matter how remote, though what we charge for delivery is a paltry fee compared to getting on the airplane or bus to come down to our warehouse. At the risk of repeating myself it’s incredibly convenient to shop online with us.
WTN: Is delivery limited to Lagos only?
No we are not limited to Lagos!!!
We deliver to anywhere and everywhere in Nigeria no matter how remote.
WTN: Where do you see yourself in about five years from now?
Yeside: I will love to be wearing some big shoes like Alhaji Dangote’s shoes or its equivalent.
WTN: Advice to young Nigerians out there that might want to follow your footsteps?
Yeside:. Do not doubt yourself or think you can fail despite what is happening now, just be very positive.
If there’s anything negative, avoid it.
Don’t get too stressed out about what people say or what other people think.
Be a creator of new ideas, new formulas and new ways of solving problems i.e. if Mr. A has created a broom then his customers will soon need a dustpan so you solve their problem by creating a dustpan and they in turn reward you for it.
Give to charity by blessing others, finally and most important thank the Almighty and customers all the time.
WTN: Thank you for your time Yeside!
Yeside: You are wlecome!
