Afaqs: Ishita Swarup, Anchal Jain and Anup Prakash have recently launched their fashion store on the Internet by the name www.99labels.com. It is the only retail store on the Internet in the Indian market. The portal went live in December’2009.
Swarup explains: “The concept behind 99labels was to build an exclusive online platform that organized private, online event-based sales of well-established luxury and premium brands.” She also admits that this is not a new idea globally but since it did not have a presence in India she ventured into it.
While membership is free, it is strictly by invitation only. There are three ways through which you can become a member, explains Swarup – an invitation by 99labels, a reference by an existing member, or a limited-time invitation from 99labels.
Swarup has already managed to tie up with handful of top brands that include Ritu Kumar, Rina Dhaka, besides international brands like Guess, Esprit, Police, etc. The products of the same are listed on the site. She says accessories are a hit as many people buy it as gift item.
“It’s like a 24×7 shopping experience and we make sure that members get a heads up on all sales two days in advance,” she adds. The e-retailers have tried to bring some real shopping details into their virtual venture – like detailed product descriptions with relevant images, in addition to flexible payment options like cash on delivery, net banking and, of course, credit card.
Swarup and her partners were discouraged while conceptualizing 99labels.com. But they ignored critics, who reasoned “people are still wary of online transactions”. She says: “We felt that, if given the right products, people would buy online.”