Differentiating In The Cluttered World Of Fashion E-Commerce

UK-based online fashion brand, Koovs, wants to stand out amidst the ecommerce crowd by offering affordable western fashion sensibilities. The company’s CEO, Mary Turner, is clear that she’d have done well, if she occupies even 10 per cent of the Indian fashion ecommerce market, within a few years.

- Vibhuti Jaswal

“Two years ago when we looked at the market in India, we saw a white space in the authentic western, affordable fashion for the twenty-something audience. And, that became our key differentiator,” says Mary Turner, CEO of Koovs, the online store for western fashion. She has a point. Before Koovs hit the Indian market there was no other online store that catered to an authentic, western affordable fashion sensibilities. Ordering clothes online would take days, even weeks and while ASOS was (and continues to be) popular in this segment, it wasn’t easy on the pockets. However, now, due to its unprecedented economic boom, India is closely following China in becoming one of the largest e-commerce markets in the world.

Turner has been a non-executive director at Koovs since July 2014. Prior to this, she was non-executive director at ASOS PLC. She carries over 20 years of experience in the consumer Internet space, having worked with brands such as BTLineOne and Tiscali UK. “Everybody else was focusing on the premium market and we were on the other hand trying to make our products affordable. It‘s the same philosophy that runs deep in Koovs as well; we keep thinking of ways to make fashion affordable for everyone,” she says.

An Eye For Opportunity