LOS ANGELES, June 25, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Serial entrepreneur Green Xia had just launched his streetwear store, Shine Marketplace, on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, just down the street from such iconic rivals as Supreme and The Hundreds. His curated selection of apparel from up-and-coming Chinese designers was attracting customers from around the world. And he was preparing to unveil a new store design that would evoke a classic Chinese convenience store.
Then COVID-19 struck, and all the fashion retailers on Fairfax were forced to close their doors. Green's first response was to shift to ecommerce, but his L.A.-based warehouse was forced to shut down, too. For many startup retailers, that would be a death sentence.
But as an ardent basketball fan, Green knew all about pivoting: a quick change in direction by the ball handler to identify new opportunities. And that's what he did with Shine Marketplace. Since he couldn't wait for quarantine mandates to lift, Green pivoted his L.A.-based brick-and-mortar retailer into a digital-first global operation:
- The Shine Marketplace team ramped up its online activities, from increased Instagram postings, to an enhanced, Shopify-based website. Green also livestreamed about Shine Marketplace on Chinese social media, where he has millions of followers.
- Green arranged to have most of the shipping done from China. Since shipping to other countries is cheaper from China than from the United States, this led to a multinational strategy. Shine Marketplace's Google ads started to target potential customers in Canada and Europe, as well as the United States.
- To continue to build credibility — critical for online retailers — Green continued to showcase his brick-and-mortar store in L.A. The remodeling of the store was also finished during the shutdown.
The result: amidst the shutdown, the Shine Marketplace brand has grown, increasing its online following and generating ecommerce sales from around the world.
"It's been stressful," confessed Green. "But that's part of the streetwear culture: being resilient and creative in the face of challenges. Sure, it cost me a lot of money, but we're stronger now because of everything my team did during this time."
Green is planning to re-open Shine Marketplace in L.A. on June 27, assuming the quarantine continues to ease for retailers. "We were excited about the redesign before," he noted. "But because of the last two months, all of us — including our fans — are even more excited."
About Shine Marketplace: Founded by Jiahuan "Green" Xia, who is also a co-founder of the streetwear venture Solestage,Shine Marketplace is the first Chinese hype-culture streetwear incubator in North America. The fashion startup supports artists, creators, and entrepreneurs with the goal of redefining the hype lifestyle and breaking streetwear-retail traditions.
SOURCE Shine Marketplace
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