A Shopaholics’
Guide to Online Retail Therapy in Pakistan
Laaleen Khan
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/8779/online-retail-therapy-a-guide-for-pakistani-shoppers/There’s no therapy like retail therapy.
Whether it’s
window-shopping, trying on multiple outfits, or finding something cute on sale,
shopping may lead to a state of euphoria akin to falling in love. And now, it
doesn’t matter where one lives as long as there’s Wi-Fi to enable one’s virtual
shopping fix.
An example of online shopper’s adrenaline rush: clicking
your way through an online bidding war with a young woman in Tokyo over a handbag
made in Italy that’s sold in America and, if you succeed, your prize is
subsequently shipped over to you in Pakistan. Yes, you’ve got it right; as
Pakistan-based consumers, we’ve been used to visiting online shopping sites and
browsing the “what country are you”
dropdown menus and seeing no ‘Pakistan’ option between ‘Oman’ and ‘Panama.’ So
it comes as a pleasurable surprise that our country has finally been added to a
growing number of international retail sites, along with the PKR currency
option (where available).
Call it a global marketplace or a shrinking world economy,
retailers are increasingly focusing on international customers and franchisees
to mark profits or even help keep afloat. Worldwide vendors like International
Checkout and Fifty One provide retailers with a global customer base by
handling the entire export process for them. For example, Macy’s (a popular
U.S. department store) expanded its international shipping destinations to
include 91 countries (including Pakistan, yippee) last June http://www.fiftyone.com/news-events/the-magic-of-macys-goes-international
reflecting a globalized outlook and customer base.
While shoppers are required to pay international retailers
via credit card or Pay Pal, Pakistan-based businesses (listed below in green)
offer multiple channels of payment, including wire transfer and C.O.D.
(cash-on-delivery), for shoppers uncomfortable with providing their credit card
information. Along with shipping to clients within Pakistan, some businesses
also ship worldwide.
Retail therapy is just a few clicks away (collective sigh!);
here are 80 useful links to dent your wallets:
·
Department
Stores: everything under the sun, from apparel and accessories to toys and
furnishings.
o Bloomingdales http://www.bloomingdales.com/ is synonymous for its signature ‘brown bags’ and offers a tasteful array of
merchandise.
o Harrod’s http://www.harrods.com
is a legendary Knightsbridge retailer that delivers luxury gift hampers,
among various other categories of goods.
o Sanaullah http://www.sanaullastore.com/ offers
lawn collections and apparel for women, men and children online based out of
it’s Karachi location.
·
The High
Street: shopping mall staples.
o A Pea in the Pod http://www.apeainthepod.com carries
various maternity labels for expecting mothers.
o Gul Ahmed http://www.gulahmedshop.com/ retails
unstitched and stitched apparel for women and men on its site in addition to
retail locations around the country.
o The Gap http://www.gap.com/
is synonymous with casual,
all-American clothing for men, women and teens.
o True Religion http://www.truereligionbrandjeans.com
offers trendy denim collections for adults and children.
·
Boutiques:
focusing on distinctive styles.
o Elan https://www.facebook.com/elanonline
is a high-end, Lahore-based couturier that provides an online order form
for clients in all locations.
o San Diego-Harley Davidson http://www.shopsandiegoharley.com offers
biker inspired apparel for men, women and kids.
·
Multibrand
boutiques: featuring contemporary
designer labels.
o Basic http://www.basicboutique.com
offers contemporary fashions from designers including Rebecca Minkoff.
o Boutique 1 http://www.boutique1.com is a Beirut
and Dubai based retailer of luxury couture for women and men including Elie
Saab.
·
Accessories
& Beauty
o Enchanted Jewels by Saba
Ghairi http://www.facebook.com/enchanted.jewels.saba are
sold at multibrand boutiques and shipped in Pakistan and worldwide.
o Jewelicious
https://www.facebook.com/JEWELICIOUS.LAHORE
is a Lahore-based retailer of affordable jewelry.
o Luscious Cosmetics http://www.iloveluscious.com offers
deliveries of its beauty products within Pakistan.
·
Teens
& 20s: trendy and low priced.
o Goddess
Collection by Shen https://www.facebook.com/GCbySHEN?ref=ts
provides trendy casuals and party wear made to order in Karachi.
o Miss Selfridge http://www.missselfridge.com is a
popular UK label featuring fun apparel and accessories for girls.
o Quiz Clothing http://www.quizclothing.co.uk offers
low priced, trendy clothing for girls and young women.
·
Kids: newborn
to 14 years.
o Alex and Alexa http://www.alexandalexa.com/ carries
children’s luxury brands including Roberto Cavalli and Burberry.
o Delish Apparel
Imports https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialdelish/
retails US labels like Bonnie Jean and Rare Editions for little girls via
C.O.D. in Pakistan.
o Dija https://www.facebook.com/DIJACHILDRENSDESIGNERWEARLABEL
offers online orders for children’s desi clothes based out of
Lahore.
o Swirly Twirly
Hair Bows https://www.facebook.com/frillyfairy
sells handmade hair accessories for girls.
o The Children’s Place http://www.childrensplace.com offers
cute apparel at recession-friendly prices.
·
Undies (Note
to drooling male customers—models aren’t included with your purchase):
o Fig Leaves http://www.figleaves.com/uk features
many brands for women, men and teens along with sleepwear.
o Victoria’s Secret http://www.victoriassecret.com/ offers
swimsuits, clothing, shoes and, of course, lingerie.
·
Shoes: from
stilettos to sneakers.
o Chinese Laundry http://www.chineselaundry.com retails
trendy women’s footwear in materials including genuine and faux leather.
o Foot Locker http://www.footlocker.com is a major
retailer of athletic footwear from Puma to Ed Hardy.
o Piper Lime http://piperlime.gap.com/ offers
shoes, apparel and accessories for women, men, teens and kids in various labels
including Kate Spade and J Brand.
o The Shoe Snob http://www.facebook.com/theshoesnob.online?sk=wall retails
footwear from Hong Kong and Singapore from Xenab’s Atelier in Karachi.
·
Reading
& Leisure: books, Kindle, eReader, DVDs.
o Amazon USA http://www.amazon.com
and Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk offer a wide
selection including books, clothes, gadgets and gifts.
o Kitabain http://www.kitabain.com is an online
marketplace for buying and selling books, an offshoot of The Reader’s Club http://www.thereadersclub.com/
o Liberty Books
http://www.libertybooks.com is a
Karachi based bookseller that also offers online purchases.
·
Home: décor,
furniture and gadgets.
o Crate & Barrel http://www.crateandbarrel.com/ is
a stylish destination for interior and exterior furnishings.
o Pottery Barn http://www.potterybarn.com & Pottery
Barn Kids http://www.potterybarnkids.com
offers a cozy array of home interiors and accessories.
o ShopaholicPK
http://shopaholic.pk is a source for
discounted appliances and gadgets for home and office use.
·
Party
planning: from weddings to kids’ parties.
o Essence Baking
Studio https://www.facebook.com/EssenceBakingStudio is a Karachi-based cake and cupcake business.
o Funky Bakes https://www.facebook.com/pages/Funky-Bake-CupCake-cafe-Islamabad
are made-to-order cupcakes and cakes in Islamabad.
o Mahj Design
Studio http://mahjdesigns.com/ is
a Karachi based design service specializing in invitation cards that delivers
worldwide.
o My Little Cupcake http://www.mylittlecupcakepop specializes
in cupcake pops (mini cupcakes on sticks) in various flavours and delivers
worldwise.
o Party Place https://www.facebook.com/pages/Party-Place
is a children’s event planner based in Islamabad.
o Party World
Crafty Creations https://www.facebook.com/pages/Party-World-Crafty-Creations
retails birthday themes and rentals in Karachi.
o Sugar n’ Crumbs
https://www.facebook.com/SugarnCrumbs
features a detailed online order form for specialty cakes in Islamabad.
o Trinketz http://www.trinketz.org/ is an
Islamabad based designer of birth and wedding announcements.
(Note to readers and retailers: please feel free to add more
retail hyperlinks in the ‘comments’ section below).
1 comment:
omg! This is amazing! i got my sisters invitations from Mahj Design studio delivered to New York and they did an awsome job with it!
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