The pop up market scene in Malaysia is really starting to shine. At least that’s how we feel when we find ourselves gawking at the latest handcrafted products at yet another market. This time, we paid a visit to A Little Bit of Pop Up /Market. Held at Awegallery in Taman Paramount late last year, it was a great place to pick up fashionable bits and bobs, and other creative lifestyle essentials.
What really caught our attention though, was the enthusiasm of the vendors in finding new ways to connect with their customers. After all, what good is a great product if it stays in the inventory?
Sapu-lah
www.facebook.com/sapulahspread
Enticing display with charming illustrations
The witty name is just the start of our love affair with Sapu-lah. The effort put into the packaging design and overall brand experience tells us that the creative duo behind this brand are serious about their business.
A little bit of wisdom:
When you don’t have a physical store, your online presence is the main storefront for potential customers. Investing time into the branding and marketing of your business online will help you stand out from other players in the market.
As they’ve already got a delicious product and the aesthetics down pat, their focus for the coming year is to get a better grip on inventory and distribution.
Awesome Pawsome
www.facebook.com/myawesomepawsome
Four-legged furkids are so lucky to have these awesome duo on their side! Photo credit: Awegallery
Vivian and Jill set up Awesome Pawsome as they were concerned about the quality of ingredients used in pet food. Instead of competing with the big brands in supermarkets, they focus on serving a tight knit community of pet lovers who share the same vision.
A little bit of wisdom:
Knowing your target audience is important. Other than selling a good product, always try to offer more value to your customers. For example, we like sharing cute dog videos and photos on our Facebook page so that you don’t just read about us all the time!
Apart from using social media to share their passion, Vivian and Jill also use it to receive orders and inform customers what’s the status of their purchase.
Medium Rare
www.facebook.com/Medium.Rare.Store.MR
Stylish socks and shades that are friendly on your pocket
Guys usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to fashion. Well, Medium Rare is on a mission to change that. From socks to sunglasses, this brand prides itself on offering great design for guys and girls. They’ve also started manufacturing their own socks right here in Malaysia.
A little bit of wisdom:
Find what is lacking in the market and create a great product to fill that gap. It may take some time for people to warm up to your product so persevere and believe in yourself.
Medium Rare’s confidence in their product offering has paid off, with orders coming in from Singapore, Taiwan and even the US.
A Soap Affair
We certainly don’t mind starting an affair with these luscious soaps. Photo credit: A Soap Affair
Before your roll your eyes and go “not another handmade soap brand!”, take a moment to appreciate the simple, fuss-free soapy goodness that A Soap Affair brings to the market. Each soap is made with 72% olive oil and 28% coconut oil, with no room left for nasties like artificial preservatives and synthetic ingredients.
A little bit of wisdom:
When you have a quality product and you go all out to understand your customer’s needs – you don’t have to invest heavily in paid advertising. We rely purely on word of mouth and that has worked out great for us.
Of course, having a cute and creative name for each soap makes showering a lot more fun and interesting too!
We Are Hooey 無理
Eye-catching stationery in a swirl of colours. Photo credit: We Are Hooey
Although much of our lives take place in the digital realm these days, there is still a need for tactile, handcrafted goods. After all, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making a mess to create a beautiful outcome. We Are Hooey are experts in that area and their choice of mess is paper marbling.
A little bit of wisdom:
It can be tough for small businesses to survive alone so we believe in being part of a larger creative community. That’s why you can also find us at Supermart Collective, Sunway Pyramid. If we work together we can spread the goodness of handmade products to a bigger audience!
If you’re a small business owner looking to stay organised online and offline, download Pocketbook and give it a go! Or, if you’re an organiser of a bazaar, drop us a note and we can discuss how we can give your vendors a headstart with Pocketbook.
The pop up market scene in Malaysia is really starting to shine. At least that’s how we feel when we find ourselves…
Posted by Shoppertise on Tuesday, February 23, 2016
