Africa-Press – Uganda. Charlotte Tatiana Kwagala took an unconventional route after graduating from university. After graduating with a bachelors’ in business computing and following it up with a post-graduate diploma in project planning, Kwagala says the job market was not offering careers that resonated with what she wanted to be. She packed her bag and set off to explore the world in the beauty of women.
Kwagala, 28, is a self-taught makeup artist and is the owner of CK Fashions based in Kampala. She is a make-up artist specialising in bridals, baby showers and birthdays. She also sells women bags, jewellery and perfumes from her parlour on Kalungi Commercial Plaza.
Kwagala paved a new path within the fashion industry by noticing what women that desire to be beautiful wanted and the solutions she could offer. She now sells perfumes – smart collection perfumes, body mists and original perfumes as a means of diversifying her business since 2018.
Passion
Beauty and personal care is a booming business. It is a low skill industry yet more people desire to look fit and beautiful.
Beauty and personal care is historically a female industry and in Kwagala’s mind, this was a perfect opportunity to think big and make good money.
Kwagala says she loves makeup and it has been her childhood dream to give women a beautiful look.
“Growing up, I used to admire people that had makeup on their faces. Actually one time I used a marker to paint my eyes and things went wrong. That is how they got spoiled. I used to do it myself even in school. They used to report me for using lip gloss.
When she got out of school she had her hands on different jobs but she says were not giving enough. That is when she decided to follow her passion.
“I went on YouTube and looked everywhere to get the skills,” she says.
She loved creating magic with powders and lipsticks to transform ordinary faces into the focus of something adorable.
She explains that make-up is a day-to-day requirement for parties, weddings, photoshoots, makeovers or anything similar either to create beauty or enhance it.
She rented a small place on Kalungi Commercial Plaza in the basement where she established a beauty parlour.
Kwagala sells perfumes and jewelry and women bags in her shop and online.
After four years in the business, Kwagala has worked with high class ladies and low-end people. Most of her clients are brides, models for photoshoots and some walk-in customers. But she says she is yet to master the art.
“Fashion evolves a lot. There are many beauty techniques being applied so you keep learning new things,” she says.
Although certification is important, Kwagala says that expertise in makeup application and knowledge of the latest industry trends, genuine products and information, is more important.
Standing out
Research reveals that women have higher purchase intentions than males when exposed to unfamiliar brands, unlike men. For Kwagala, she chose to invest in women’s beauty and personal care because they are “random buyers”.
“I just love to look at women that know how to take care of themselves. So, I chose to deal in women’s things because I wanted to see the woman stand out. I believe as women, everyone can design their own beauty and decide how beautiful they want to look,” she says. “A woman can pass by and buy something they had not planned for but men plan for such luxuries.”
In her approach, Kwagala says that it does not require a lot of stock. She takes orders and delivers according to the customer’s needs.
“You can no longer wait for the customers. It is the other way round. People love their comfort and receive their products,” she says.
Marketing
Kwagala explains that most of her customers are by referral. But she has built others through social media platforms. Kwagala explains that she has given a try on Facebook Ads as part of her marketing game plan.
“I realised that when you promote the Ad, you get more customers that do not know about your business. These generate more recommendations for her as it reaches diverse audiences,” she said.
She has a presence on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snaptchat where she reaches out to more people under Glam by Charly and CK Fashions.
“Some of my friends repost my messages,” she says.
Kwagala explains that although it does not necessarily guarantee success, it is something small businesses can give a try to stay one step ahead of competitors in the busy digital space.
It is an effective strategy that has been used by many businesses for years, but Kwagala explains that sometimes the Ads do not meet her expectations.
When it comes to e-commerce, one of the biggest challenges is to convert shoppers into paying customers.
Kwagala explains that most times the Ads are well viewed but most do not buy.
In her approach, Kwagala delivers her products as a smart way of reaching customers. For perfumes, she accepts pre-orders to cater for the various customer needs while other products are paid on delivery.
She says that delivery was more paying during the Covid-19 pandemic when most people were under quarantine.
After buyers make orders, she hands the packages to her boda-boda riders to make delivery runs.
The delivery experience, she says, has some sad endings.
“Sometimes we have horrible customer experiences. Some never pick up calls when you are at the place they directed you to while others give fake dollars,” Kwagala says.
Other customers in places that are far from Kampala do not want to pay the delivery charges.
She says that in order to avoid such scenarios, she has to ensure that the foreign currency is exchanged in the presence of the customer. She also sends clients a heads up that the delivery is on the way to prepare them in advance.
Plans
According to the United Nations COMTRADE on international trade database, Uganda imports from China were $1.35b during 2020.
Kwagala is among the traders that source for her merchandise in China as well as Dubai.
She says that having trusted sources is important in her business, explaining that some of the time she does not need to spend on air tickets.
But she now plans on expanding her reach even beyond the borders. Online businesses, she says, thrive on websites and she is planning to build one that supports shopping.
The websites are an important part of the product range and brand, she says.
Kwagala wants to tap into more customers and grow her business wholesale.
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