Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - January / February 2021

154 If they work with vulnerable women, pay a living wage and safe working conditions and they are women-led then we are interested. What are your plans to develop your online presence? We are expanding via online marketplaces at the moment (including Etsy) and for wholesale we are exploring the wholesale marketplaces – currently we are on Fairling. Do you undertake any charitable initiatives? If so, what? We are an impact business, so we measure the positive impact of everything we do. Do you attend any trade shows and if so, which ones and why? Not at the moment! We are currently exploring the online trade marketplaces and will decide on physical shows next year. How do you see the future of retail in the current environment? Is the future digital? I think COVID has shown a number of different routes – I think the retail space is always important, consumers need to see and touch and feel products. Whilst central high streets are suffering, local shops have been doing well (when they are allowed to be open!) so there are mixed trends happening. Online sales have undoubtably gone up and they may maintain, but I don’t think it will stop the demand for physical retail spaces – especially if they can be more experiential. What has been your standout moment since opening the store, and why? There’s been so many! Economically empowering over 8000 women and their families in some of the poorest communities across the world. Being in Vogue magazine and being featured in Forbes, selling into Bloomingdales and Anthropology and setting up our concession stand in Topshop. It’s been a rollercoaster ride so far – 2021 will be amazing! What advice would you give other retailers to succeed in the e-commerce world? Remember you don’t have passing trade, so you need to go out and find it – by forming collective support through groups like #shoplocal you can amplify your voice. Newsletters are also key, repeat customers are your bread and butter so make sure you capture them and send out regular newsletters. What are your plans for the future? Grow, grow, grow! Wholesale currently makes up a small proportion of our sales and I would like that to dwarf direct to customer sales within the next 18 months. The more we grow, the more we have a positive impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable women in the world. SO JUST SHOP www.sojustshop.com