When it comes to finding beauty products in Uganda, consumers are usually stuck in a tricky corner. Either settle for fake products which are budget friendly, or part with exorbitant amounts of money for the real thing. There is a brand that decided to handle both of these issues, serving customers skincare and makeup products which are genuine at a reasonable price.
AYOCHA is a retail beauty brand, a brain child of Patricia Otoa Ayo, and managed by her sister Victoria Oluka, since Patricia no longer lives in Uganda. While Patricia handles logistics and suppliers, Victoria handles sales here at home. We caught up with the sisters to hear more about the brand.
What is Ayocha?
P: Ayocha is a beauty brand. Coincidentally the first three letters are also my surname, so I was looking for a name that would be really striking and memorable for our customers, as well as describe what our products are all about which is HOT products. Ayo is my surname so I thought it was the perfect name for the brand.
It was founded based on the fact that previously when living in Kampala, my sister and I used to struggle to find authentic and affordable makeup products. Whenever we would find a store that had really nice products that we liked, they were so expensive! You could pay an arm and a leg for a MAC foundation. When I moved, the first thing that I looked at was providing products for women living in Kampala. We all love to look beautiful, that’s what I love about Ugandans. For me, it was exciting to know I was bringing products to people who were like sisters, it was like a sisterhood. I feel good when I see another Ugandan woman looking good, so I started by sharing the products that I found here with my sister, and she said “you know the prices are amazing!!” The Idea was to provide beauty products at affordable prices, and ensuring that they are all authentic.
V: It needs to be authentic, for instance, it’s hard for me to get good makeup and not end up with a rash yet the prices in Kampala for authentic products can be a bit too exaggerated.
There are so many fake products at a fraction of the price. Are they any competition?
V: It actually isn’t, because for the clients we have now who have tried our products, we got good feedback. The feedback we get is “my lips are not cracking” or “lipstick is not turning my lips darker.” From just that kind of feedback, there is a difference. We have products for everyone. If you want a lipstick for shs10,000, you will get it. NYX for example, have those lipsticks and gloss in that range, which we plan to bring soon.
What kind of products can someone find on AYOCHA?
V: Lipsticks, foundations, mascara as well as nail polish. We also have the tools used to apply the makeup.
How has COVID affected the business?
P: Covid has meant that our delivery times have been a lot slower – sometimes the UK is in lockdown and products need to move or be shipped from somewhere else. That was frustrating, not only for us but also our customers.
It has hit every business hard, and has impacted many businesses all over the world, we feel so grateful that we are still able to have customers who still support us and are understanding. In terms of sales they have been a bit volatile, and also the elections played a part in that as well. Sometimes you cannot predict how sales will be going, before Covid, you could tell how much you are going to sell over January and the next few months, but right now, it goes up one minute and the next the sales are at a minimum.
I’m really grateful that our customers are reaching out to us despite these hard times. They still want the beauty products; they still want to look good. And that is why I love Uganda – no matter how hard things get, we always do our best to look good! You don’t show up looking funny because things are hard at home, you dress up and look your best, put on your lipstick and shine!
V: It affected business, but it was also the best time! We had more people visiting our websites, visiting our pages and ordering products. People being at home gave us a platform to advertise.
What if someone at home wants to buy a foundation, how can they make sure what they buy is the right shade for them?
V: With every foundation that we sell, we have a sample. It depends on the client. If you want we can arrange a meeting, you try out the samples and see what works. In the case that you are too far I would show you a swatch and you choose what is closest. Most of our clients already know the shades they use, the codes.
Why e-commerce? What made you choose that business model?
P: The reason we chose e-commerce is because I looked at the research while looking to start up. I read that studies projected that worldwide retail e-commerce sales will reach a growth of 265% by 2021, and that’s exactly what helped us decide that an e-commerce platform would be best.
Also, having studied I.T, I felt I had the added advantage of quickly creating and managing a website, an online store, rather than having to deal with physical products in a shop in Kampala. I thought by creating a website it would be easy for everybody to access what they were looking for. They could be able to create wish lists, to purchase products and view what was available. It made things manageable for everybody.
In terms of interactivity it would be easier to talk to our clients and find out what they are looking for. It was easy to choose e-commerce.
How are the products sourced? How do you choose which brands to sell?
P: Our products are sourced from the UK, all over the EU and the US. We have all sorts of beauty brands and leading brands, and as I mentioned before, we guarantee authenticity, we buy directly from the retailers and make sure we are selling only authentic products, we have certificates for that as well, we have codes for them, to ensure that we are offering our customers what is authentic. The way sourcing works, we receive requests depending on whatever products they are looking for, whether it’s lipstick, foundation or mascara, skincare, they are able to reach out to us via wish lists and email, they can let us know what they are looking for.
We recently had an internet shutdown. How did it affect the business?
V: It has affected us a lot, because we have been down for a week or two now. You can’t share images, you can’t post new communications, the clients cannot even see you if they are not online! It has been a long pause. With the options we have, we try to get in touch, but still not everyone is connected. It’s still on hold. The people we are serving now are return clients. It’s a waiting game, we hope something changes.
Any advice for budding entrepreneurs?
P: I’d say just go for it! I say that all the time and it sounds so cliché, but I believe it, people should just go for it. I once started a business with shs 400,000 and I left my job, but I just went for it! I did not look and worry about what’s going to happen, because what happens is you get into panic mode and create these mental blocks which don’t help you kick off. The advice I’d give to entrepreneurs is just go for it, there are so many opportunities, so just work at it and put your ideas into action.
You can start with whatever you’ve got. I know that because I started with around shs. 400,000 and I made shs. 100 Million within a couple of years. I believe anybody can do it, it’s really important to just put your ideas into action. Don’t talk about it, just do.
V: Start small. You can get a few things, even selling your own items just to see how it goes. Eventually you will get to the point you want to be. Also, saving! Save, as little as it is. Eventually it piles up and you can put it back into the business.
How does the business give back to small entrepreneurs?
As AYOCHA, we are supporting people to grow as well with our bundle packages. We give you foundation, lipstick, mascara etc, at a reduced price, say shs. 200,000. What you get in that bundle, you decide. We would have already arranged the different brands. Then they go and sell, and come back. We mostly do that for makeup artists, especially those who are just coming up. They are doing small gigs within salons. It helps to grow the community.
You can find beauty products from Ayocha on their Instagram here and Facebook page here.
Browse their online shop at www.ayocha.com
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