HKMB Hong Kong Means Business

Hong Kong Means Business Hong Kong Means Business
  • Login / Register

Languages

  • EN
  • 繁
  • 简
  • Events
  • My Feed
  • Contact HKTDC
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe

Section Menu

  • Market Opportunities
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Sustainability
  • Creativity & Lifestyle
  • HKTDC Updates
  • Featured Topics

Languages

  • EN
  • 繁
  • 简
  • HKTDC.com |
  • About HKTDC |
  • My HKTDC |
  • Login / Register |

HKTDC.com About HKTDC My HKTDC

Login Register

Hong Kong Means Business

Section Menu

  • Market Opportunities
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Sustainability
  • Creativity & Lifestyle
  • HKTDC Updates
  • Featured Topics

https://hkmb.hktdc.com/en/OYsfwnL2

Creativity & Lifestyle
SAVE FOR LATER
SHARE / SEND

"Scan QR Code" in WeChat and tap "..." to share.

Cosmetics start-up hits sweet spot

A nail wrap designer has reaped rewards from the HKTDC’s T-box programme and has set its sights on regional expansion.

07 December 2022


Social-distancing rules led to many nail salons closing during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting two university classmates to step out of their comfort zones and invest a significant sum in starting up a home-based nail art business. The duo design and produce relatively environmentally friendly and easy-to-use nail art stickers that allow even novices to easily decorate their own nails.

Within less than a year, Nail n Things had established a physical and online sales network. The popularity of the products ensured that the business quickly broke even.

The brand joined the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's (HKTDC) T-box transformation programme, which recommended Nail n Things reach more consumers by selling through the HKTDC Design Gallery. The company is already looking to the future, with plans to expand their business and gradually develop markets such as Taiwan and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Entrepreneurs' paradise



Nail n Things co-founders Michelle Li (left) and Missy Lee believe the biggest challenge is the lack understanding of nail wraps among consumers, leading the company to hold workshops and other activities to spread awareness

Nail n Things was founded by Michelle Li and Missy Lee. Ms Li was born and raised in Hong Kong but went to the United States to study design and has been engaged in the fashion industry for more than a decade. Ms Lee grew up in Taipei and also studied in the United States before working in Shanghai.

Proficient in marketing and internet marketing, Ms Lee said that having resided and started a business in Hong Kong , she regarded the city as the best place to be. "Hong Kong is a diverse city with many cultures. Consumers easily accept new things, making new product promotion easy. Hong Kong is also a trend-setting metropolis in the region, which is very suitable for brand development in a new industry like ours," she said.

Ms Li explained that earlier versions of nail art stickers on the market tended to be brightly coloured, avant-garde and extravagant, while office workers preferred elegant and fashionable designs. “This gap in the market offered us an entrepreneurial opportunity to launch nail wraps that are more beautiful and more in line with the tastes and daily needs of Hong Kong and Asian people,” she said.

Asian culture



Office ladies prefer elegant rather than bold designs

Ms Li said that nail art stickers have the advantage of being "fast, pretty, and positive".

"Generally, it takes at least 1.5 hours for a girl to go to a nail bar for get gel nails. Whether they are beautiful or not depends on the nail artist's skills. Removing the gel nails requires chemicals and long-term polishing which means there’s a greater chance of the nail bed being damaged. With nail art stickers, everything takes just half an hour, and you can be sure of getting the pattern you want. Also, it’s easy to remove the nail decoration simply by soaking your hands in hot water.”

She added that even children and pregnant women can use the nail wraps, which are odourless and non-toxic. Their durability is comparable to gel nails, which can last for up to two weeks, and each pack of nail wraps is sufficient for two to four applications. "Compared with going to a nail art salon, it costs just half or even less. Of course, there are also some people who enjoy going for a manicure service, and they will buy the nail wraps and ask the manicurist to apply them.”

Fully prepared



Designs incorporate Asian elements such as koi carp, which symbolise good fortune

The Nail n Things founders did their homework before beginning the business, starting with data collection, researching market demand and consumer preferences, then designing nail wrap styles and sample boards. They also compared the effects of materials and the quality and stability of each manufacturer's products, formulating their promotion strategy and business development plan.

"This made us more confident and more steadfast in embarking on the road of entrepreneurship," Ms Li said.

They were determined to handle everything themselves from the outset. They dealt with product design, manufacturer liaison, product photography, website construction and management, publicity and promotion, in addition to customer service activities such as packaging, mailing and shipping out online orders, answering inquiries, and subsequent inventory management and account management.

“We have the best understanding of our brand positioning and product selling points so we endeavoured to handle things ourselves. However, as the business expands, we plan to hire two or three employees to handle the day-to-day tasks so we can focus more on the future development of the brand."

Building brand awareness

Nail n Things sells through its own website and multiple physical stores, with sales points in Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mongkok, Kwun Tong, San Po Kong and Sai Kung. The T-box team recommended they leverage the HKTDC Design Gallery at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to expand their retail network and enhance brand awareness.



Nail n Things is selling its products at the HKTDC Design Gallery shop through consignment, with sales volumes exceeding the company’s expectations



Nail n Things sets up pop-up stalls in shopping malls and flea markets to promote its products and brand concept

Pop-up stores in shopping malls and flea markets in various districts –including K11, iSQUARE, D2 Place, Central Market and Discovery Bay – have also been useful for promoting products and brand concepts and expanding their customer base.

"Many of our long-term online shopping customers have been brought in this way. We cherish this kind of face-to-face interaction. We can introduce the usage and benefits of the products and gather people’s views on how to further improve our product design. For example, many customers expressed that they want to use purple nail wraps. We also launched festive collections and trial kits in response to public opinion, and the response has been overwhelming.”

Risk management



Customer feedback has helped the firm to launch festive themed products, such as stickers in the shape of reindeer and snowflakes

COVID-19 led to delivery delays and boosted logistics costs significantly. The company needed to reserve more production time, and also cooperate with factories in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Taipei to manage operational risks.

"These factories each have their own strengths and are good at producing different types of nail wraps and related products. If one of the factories shuts down, we can still continue production at another factory to avoid inventory shortage,” Ms Li said.

Looking ahead, Nail n Things is actively preparing to expand its business in Taiwan. The firm has just opened a special page on Pinkoi, an etailing website specialising in selling designs and collections, and the response has been good.



The starter kit includes two different sets of nail wraps, a glossy gel and a mini UV lamp. Minimal product packaging is used to reduce waste

“When we launch more product series, we may use the Amazon and eBay platforms to enter the European and American markets in a similar manner. We also have a strong interest in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and hope to obtain more practical information through the support of the T-box team, such as a market profile for the GBA, the support for start-ups and government funding programmes in various cities in the region, and the cross-border e-commerce service launched by the Design Gallery and JD.com to help companies enter the domestic market.”

Nail n Things is also actively exploring the business-to-business (B2B) market. “In addition to cooperating with other brands to launch joint products and wholesale products to other retailers, we can design nail wraps for companies that match their corporate image and provide exclusive customisation services,” Ms Li said. “We can also organise interest classes for employees or cooperate with fashion brands to provide a nail wrap experience for valued customers in their promotional activities.”

Related link
Nail n Things

BACK TO TOP ^
CONTENT PROVIDED BY
    Topics:
  • Health & Beauty,
  • Hong Kong,
  • Taiwan,
  • start-ups,
  • fashion,
  • beauty,
  • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION,
  • Success Stories
  • Health & Beauty
  • Hong Kong
  • Taiwan
  • Hong Kong
  • Taiwan
Home

Article Topics

ARTICLE TOPICS

HEALTH & BEAUTY24616
HONG KONG36026
TAIWAN36198
START-UPS98715
FASHION80840

ARTICLE TOPICS

HEALTH & BEAUTY24616
HONG KONG36026
TAIWAN36198
START-UPS98715
FASHION80840
BEAUTY81354
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION147721
SUCCESS STORIES117676

interest_article

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

21 November 2022

Herbal tea shop thinks big

04 November 2022

New fitness concept gains ground

13 October 2022

A safe haven for digital assets

29 September 2022

Cloud lining for supply chain disruptions

Related Events

RELATED EVENTS

12 - 15 April 2023

HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) 2023 (Physical Fair)

12 - 22 April 2023

HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) 2023 (Click2Match)

26 - 28 May 2023

Chic HK, Shenzhen

17 - 21 August 2023

HKTDC Beauty & Wellness Expo 2023
FIND AN EVENT

Social Share

FOLLOW US

GET WEEKLY UPDATES

newpaper-img

GET OUR WEEKLY EMAIL UPDATES

banner-img


I acknowledge that the above information may be used by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) for incorporation in all or any of its database for direct marketing or business matching purpose (and may therefore become available to the public within and/or outside of Hong Kong for use by them), and for any other purposes as stated in the Privacy Policy Statement; I confirm that I have the consent and the authority of each individual named in this form to release their personal data for the purposes stated herein.


*For non-EU/EEA customers, please skip this box which is solely for EU/EEA customers as required by the relevant data protection law in the EU.

THANK YOU

Thank you for registering.

SHARE THIS STORY

EMAIL
LINKEDIN
WeChat
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
WHATSAPP

ID: HKTDCofficial

Don't have an account?

Create An Account

successfully added on your preferences.