Styline, an exclusive online hijab lifestyle shop, officially launched in April 2015. While the idea behind the startup has been in the making long before, Styline launched their own e-medium just this year and has been growing rapidly. Khobaib Chowdhury who is the founder of the company previously tried another ecommerce platform called -OnlineKenakata and is a recent graduate from The Founder Institute which influenced his inspiration to build something more connected to people. Khobaib wanted to serve a niche market for which online commerce can be a huge convenience. After a lot of research, the observed that the religious female youth of Bangladesh is a huge consumer demographic that is untapped.
The core idea behind Styline is to offer young, stylish and religious Bangladeshi women best quality modest lifestyle products at affordable prices.. It aims to be a one-stop solution for the women who wear hijab to suit their lifestyles and hijab trends in every way. According to Khobaib, Styline is the first Hijab e-commerce in Bangladesh as the current ones are either mostly based in Dhaka with outlets or don't have online presence or if they have, they run by a facebook page, which is still far from offering what an ecommerce should be.
However, Styline is serving the young women of Bangladesh to give them better choices, while being elegant and reasonably priced. “We want to serve our customers with stylish and best quality products and we can. That’s the beauty of online marketing. That you know your target, and you can reach them easily - uninterrupted and specific”, says Khobaib.
Since the usage of mobile internet has increased exponentially in Bangladesh, it is easier for everyone to do online shopping and have access to many different sellers and businesses. Khobaib realizes that the female youth, even beyond Dhaka and other major cities, also need to be served for their hijab needs. The thought is not only to make it more accessible but also to make it more convenient for young women living in and out of Dhaka, to be able to avail good quality and elegant clothing easily, without the troubles of retail shopping, and also have them at reasonable prices.
The current products being offered at Styline are hijabs, undercaps, hijab pins and accessories. Even in a short time of less than 2 months, the startup has grown at a fast pace and has reached women in different corners of Bangladesh through Facebook and Styline’s own website.
Styline offers an online store-front where you can find everything related to your hijab trend. All our products are imported and we offer some top-class local products also. Our vision is not limited to selling, we aim to make this platform interactive so that at some point, you can order your own design product and you can connect with friends and family to share your shopping experience. The dream is big and we are here to walk together with our well-wishers and customers.
Khobaib, who is a technologist and a salesman at the same time, has immense experience in the tech and IS area, is very enthusiastic and extremely passionate about his startup. Customer satisfaction and quality are main values of Styline, and he understands it very well. Delivering the product at the fastest possible time with the best experience for the customer is certainly a core value that Styline is determined to uphold.
The sales have grown steeply and the startup has also grown in popularity since April when they ran the Matter Of Heart campaign to establish brand association. Initially, it was difficult for some to know how to place an order through the website, but as the craze of online shopping grows, more people are becoming aware how to shop through online websites. Moreover, Styline has dedicated customer representatives and sales team to help customers find their way.
This is where an ecommerce can outperform a physical store or a facebook page; with an automated, seamless experience no matter where you are based in, you can navigate thousands of product and order instantly. And you will get the delivery at your doorstep. What you just need is a smartphone or a computer and you already have one, no? And what if you start getting customers 10 times higher? Just scale it. What do you think can a facebook business or a brick and mortar store be scaled so easily?
The advantage of Styline having its own website is that customers are able to see through the product details (such as, prices, colors, materials) very easily. Moreover, they can check available and out-of-stock items quickly; check offers, specials and discounts, without clicking on items individually, and also place orders any time without the difficulty of waiting for a customer representative to note down the order.
Styline is currently a team of 5 hardworking and determined individuals who are enthusiastic to deliver modesty in a box of happiness. The startup has already begun to grow rapidly and is adding more products and services to its line. There is big market for Styline but given the fact that ecommerce is a long game, Styline has to have the capacity to run the marathon while keeping it competitive in the market.
