Published
Apr 24, 2020
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FabAlley focuses online sales but expects reduced orders and revenue

Published
Apr 24, 2020

Womenswear brand FabAlley said its e-commerce store remains open for orders with delayed shipping under lockdown, and management have taken a pay-cut, as orders drop significantly.

‘Work from Home’ wear suggestions from FabAlley - FabAlley- Facebook

 
FabAlley’s management has decided to take a 20% to 25% pay-cut and the brand’s founders, Shivani Poddar and Tanvi Mallik, are taking a 60% pay-cut to offset losses caused by the ongoing pan-India lockdown, ET Online reported.

The brand has seen orders on its dedicated e-commerce platform drop from around 600 to 700 a day to between 50 and 100. The brand is focusing on its online channel and expects that e-commerce sales will pick up faster than brick-and-mortar sales after lockdown is lifted.

The Ministry of Home Affairs decided not to allow deliveries of non-essential goods purchased online from April 20 as had previously been mooted. Clothing orders will now have to wait to May 3 to be delivered to customers. 
 
“We will continue some of our online orders which are ‘buy now, ship later’ ones,” said Malik.

“The six to seven week period has pushed us back already. The relaxations sure would have been a bonus, but we had already assumed that cash flows would remain a constraint till the lockdown period. So it won’t change much for us.” 
 
The brand has turned its focus to leisure wear and ‘work from home’ (WFH) wear, which has become a new and highly popular product category for apparel brands. FabAlley is sharing outfits suitable for conference calls such as playful suits on its Facebook page as demand for WFH overtakes demand for summer clothing and occasion wear. 
 
“Everyone is focusing on essentials right now,” said Malik, about consumer demand during lockdown.

“Fashion retail is among the worst hit sectors. Fashion has an innate connection to socialising. That explains it well enough as all social gatherings are now a thing of the past. Even when the lockdown is lifted, things won’t return to normal quickly enough.”

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