Australian e-tail may lag the rest of the world, but intrepid companies like Queen Bee are reaping great rewards by being ahead of the swarm, writes Belinda Smart
Queen Bee Maternity is an exclusive Australian boutique which stocks "modern, ultra-chic maternity clothes and nursing wear sourced from around the globe", providing world class labels and designs to Australian shores. Its collection includes maternity jeans, swimwear, nursing wear, sleepwear and lingerie, bras and hosiery, evening dresses for formal occasions and comfortable lounge wear.
So far, so savvy. But what really sets this particular boutique apart is the fact that it has bucked Australian trends by launching and remaining an online only store.
A new mum when she began the business in 2005, founder Sharon Chim says the decision to tout her wares in cyberspace was as much about practicalities as commercial considerations.
"An online store was the only way I could still spend time with my children and work from home during the hours that suited me. The start-up costs associated with the launch were significantly lower compared to a physical store, [it was] easier to market, could advertise online, and could reach a larger target audience not restricted by any geographical boundaries."
With an annual turnover of over $1.2 million and sales growth of 20 per cent, the company is clearly hitting home with said target audience, a captive market of house bound mothers-to-be in need of attainable, quality clothing. But if all this makes setting up an internet company sound like a walk in the park, Chim knows otherwise. Creating a site that's updated daily and offers new product weekly is no mean feat, not to mention perfecting the minutiae of customer service.
"We have a dedicated 1300 number customer service line, we reply to all email queries instantly or at least promptly, and notify customers every step of the way with their order, from when the order is placed, processed and shipped. Every order can be tracked online and we include an easy return/exchange form with each parcel."
Per force, Chim is now also an expert on that holy of e-tail holies, search engine optimisation (SEO).
"We have been working on this heavily during the past year, especially given that competition has increased so much during this time for online maternity and baby wear businesses. We outsource a private company to help maintain our high rankings for most maternity wear related terms and they have a lot of experience in optimisation strategies for keeping our position."
Chim adds that she can't reveal too much about what is probably her most powerful trade secret. "I spent a great deal of time researching and doing courses to understand how get to this position."
The pay off? Great exposure and gratifying levels of customer loyalty.
"I am very surprised at the number of repeat sales we have, especially considering ladies are only pregnant for nine months! But we have ladies coming back even after their baby is born, as they like the styles so much. We also send fortnightly e-newsletters with new product information and also include flyers with each package."
Other promotional activities include ads in leading pregnancy publications and selected online directories. Queen Bee's new Trimester range, set for launch in March, will also come with a glossy mail order catalogue. With its eye firmly on boosting international sales, Trimester will comprise around 30 pieces a season, priced from $39.95 to $139.95 and focusing on a trans-seasonal range of stylish, affordable maternity basics in trend colours and quality fabrics.
If Chim seems quietly confident of Trimester's success, it could be because she's already informally piloted the label with a signature wrap dress, a continuing best seller.
"They look fabulous and fit pregnant ladies of all stages. They have plenty of stretch and can be dressed up or down and teamed with bold accessories to make a statement. They can be worn over a turtleneck with high boots for winter or strappy sandals for summer - a great trans-seasonal item."
Queen Bee also buys in labels, often with an international or exclusive edge, with the current crop including 1 In The Oven, 2 Chix, Maternal America, Momzee, Childish Clothing and Seraphine London.
All this amounts to a thriving business, and a far cry from the first sleep-deprived ambitions of Chim's early motherhood.
"My first son Mitchell never slept much as a baby so I was constantly awake all hours of the night and perhaps you can say I 'dreamt' up the idea. I began with breastfeeding clothes as there were no stylish garments on the Australian market, and then expanded into maternity wear. I have never looked back."
She now employs five permanent staff - trained in the MYOB accounting package and Outlook to streamline office admin procedures - as well as specialist contractors, and is a proponent of the maxim that you're only as good as the people around you.
"We offer fabulous working conditions and a great office space in Belrose Park, as well as paid lunches, bonuses and regular pay increases."
Looking ahead, one of Chim's key aims is to grow Queen Bee's international business.
"We send overseas parcels up to four times a week to countries such as New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, the US and the UK. We offer fast worldwide delivery through registered Australia Post and have found a large number of sales are to Australians working abroad who can't find decent maternity wear."
Clearly holding a prime spot on the information superhighway has helped global sales, and while online retail does have one disadvantage, negating the opportunity of customer fittings, Chim has got around this by ensuring low shipping costs and an easy returns and exchanges policy. Meanwhile the advantages are numerous, not least the "fabulous working hours", she says.
"In the beginning time was of the essence as my first son was only six months old so I would work when he slept."
It's a safe bet much of the company's success lies in Chim's empathy with her customers, who probably take the same approach to shopping.