In 2003, Christopher Chong opened up Giti’s first retail store in Florida, intending to be a fashion source to college-aged consumers in the area. Several changes and alterations later, Giti Online kept its brand identity but expanded its reach. Now after nearly twenty years, the company has grown and currently services clients around the globe. As one of the most extensive plus-size retailers online, Chong shares the tips and tricks he hopes new business owners take into account if they have dreams of creating an e-commerce platform of their own.
Christopher Chong has seen massive success in recent years, but it wasn’t easy to achieve what Giti Online has today. They went from being retail to a wholesale store and were originally only a storefront before demand allowed them to widen their customer base. He has seen many challenges in the industry, and he hopes to share some of his expertise to help new entrepreneurs on their journeys to success. One of the first tips he can offer entrepreneurs is to focus on one item: brand identity.
Brand identity is one of the essential things that Christopher Chong discovered when creating Giti Online. When asked, Chong shared that it doesn’t matter how much experience or inventory you have for your product. The most important thing is to create a good brand identity. There are many tools to share the word about peoples’ brands, like social media.
Chong advised new entrepreneurs and brands to take advantage of the social media channels. They are great advertising channels that many people don’t take enough advantage of. Media posts are part of the advertising, and it is essential to use this to share your brand identity and begin to create traction for your company.
Being willing to sacrifice and adapt is also part of the success that Chong has earned with Giti Online. He shared that in the beginning, his passion was what kept him going. Christopher didn’t know he would have to make some of the sacrifices he did. Despite all of the challenges, Chong’s glad he could do so and didn’t give up. Chong urges new entrepreneurs to acknowledge that there are no overnight successes and have to make changes, much like Giti did in their early days.
If Christopher Chong had been unwilling to change the business model, they would not have the success that they do today. Giti Online only began as a retail brand. When he saw the opportunity to change their format to wholesale, Chong could have ignored it. If he had, they likely would have remained a smaller retailer for younger audiences. However, it was because of his adaptation that Giti Online has the success that it has today. They found a market need, and they were willing to take risks.
One last piece of advice that Chong has is simple: focus on customer value. Businesses have to find what customers need and match their desires. Part of the reason Christopher stated Giti has seen the success they have is because they could identify the customer demands. As their customer base changed, Giti Online adapted and found new ways to capitalize on new opportunities. Always be willing to adapt and change, but never lose your brand identity. Giti Online has made many changes, but it always kept its brand identity consistent.
Giti has key experts in all its dedicated departments, from Social Media, to Packing & Shipping, to Wholesale. Chong’s very proud of his team.
Christopher Chong and Giti Online have an active social media presence that users can engage with. To check out their sales and promotions, check out their Instagram account, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. For those interested in plus size clothing, be sure to check out their website at all for a vast selection of items!
