Libas Loungewear, a premium nightwear brand based in Chennai, India, has been a trusted local retail store for women's comfort wear for decades. However, with consumers increasingly leaning towards online shopping, this family-run business recognized the enormous potential of ecommerce and knew they had to pivot from their traditional brick-and-mortar model.
We know the internet is a vast and competitive space, so how did they manage to thrive in a crowded online market? Enter Zoho Commerce.
The business
In 1986, this brand wasn't just established; it rose from the ashes–literally!
Syed Hisamuddin owned a textile shop in Chennai's bustling Moore Market back in 1985, but one day, it was destroyed by a mysterious fire. Determined to get back in business, he relocated his store to Fountain Plaza, one of the city’s oldest mini-malls, and named it "Libas" ("clothing" in Arabic). It was later rebranded as Libas Loungewear to better communicate its focus on premium, chic, and affordable women’s nightwear.
When the founder’s son, Syed Jamaluddin, took over, the brand expanded its vision beyond local retail. "In 2017, we noticed how ecommerce was slowly taking off, yet none of our neighboring stores were utilizing online platforms. We decided to take the leap, starting with social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube. This brought us a new wave of customers, along with positive feedback on our quality and pricing, and it motivated us to keep going," explained Jamaluddin.
The challenge
In 2020, the business was hit with another crisis—the pandemic.
When COVID-19 struck, Libas Loungewear had to temporarily close its physical store. But Jamaluddin spotted a silver lining in it. After all, what better time to sell lounge wear than during a lockdown when cozy, comfy clothes were exactly what everyone wanted? To seize the moment, he ramped up social media promotions for the brand and promised timely order deliveries to customers.
Yet, as they dipped their toes into ecommerce, several new hurdles surfaced. For example, they were operating orders solely through WhatsApp, and it became arduous to process them manually.
“It was a nightmare managing stock availability and tracking orders manually,” recalled Jamaluddin. “We had instances where two customers would place orders for the same product, only for one to find out it was out of stock. This really hurt our credibility.”
Tracking order histories and payments were equally chaotic. Without a proper payment gateway, Libas Loungewear had to rely on sending manual payment links or sharing personal UPI details.
The solution
In their search for the right solution, Libas Loungewear landed on Zoho Commerce through a family member's reference. Then, everything changed. The platform addressed the key challenges they were facing as a growing business, and then some.
“With Zoho Commerce, we no longer have to worry about stock availability,” shared Jamaluddin. “Now, customers can see exactly what’s in stock, place orders, and enjoy a smooth shopping experience.”
Integrating payment gateways like RazorPay with their website made transactions effortless, and they could also offer multiple payment options to customers purchasing online. “We now instantly know who has paid and who has opted for cash on delivery. Everything is automated, and we get immediate clarity on pending payments,” he added.
Zoho Commerce also makes it easy to maintain order histories, which has helped the brand build closer relationships with their customers.
"We can now track past orders in a jiffy and even send personalized notes when we get new stock, which has boosted our customer retention and sales."
– Syed Jamaluddin, Sales and Operations Manager, Libas Loungewear
Beyond these operational improvements, Zoho Commerce ticked all the boxes as the ideal ecommerce platform for Libas Loungewear: affordable pricing, a user-friendly interface, a site builder that didn’t require coding expertise, and customization options that made store management truly efficient for Jamaluddin and his team.
"We can add product filters, create tags, and build collections for our sales strategies," explained Jamaluddin. "For example, we tag some products as 'Zip Nighty' or 'Button Nighty' and create collections accordingly so customers looking for them can easily find them."
In every way, Zoho Commerce empowered Libas Loungewear to level up its online business, making it more efficient, organized, and customer-centric. Riding this momentum, the brand adopted another app from the Zoho ecosystem, Zoho Mail, to receive email notifications whenever a new order is placed or a query is submitted through their website's enquiry form. They've also set up aliases in Zoho Mail for efficiently managing customer support emails.
"We love how Zoho has an app for every business need. Zoho Commerce has played a vital role in taking our business online, enhancing our operations, and significantly increasing our sales. Every business can benefit from this platform."
— Syed Jamaluddin, Sales and Operations Manager, Libas Loungewear
The result
Libas Loungewear's decision to embrace Zoho Commerce paid off in a big way. While the brand launched its Zoho Commerce store in 2021 with just 200 products, it has now grown to feature over a whopping 3,400 products, with more items are being added regularly.
A significant 40% of their sales currently comes through their online store alone. The business has also expanded their customer base to international markets, including Singapore and Dubai.
“Zoho Commerce is like having an extra set of hands,” says Jamaluddin. “It allows us to operate efficiently with minimal manpower.”
With Zoho Commerce, Libas Loungewear saw transformative results.
40% increase in sales
3,400+ SKUs managed
3 countries served
Looking ahead
As the brand continues to grow, they’re excited to keep pushing boundaries.
"As a fashion brand, we’re always working on new collections, experimenting with marketing strategies, and optimizing our website’s user experience. With Zoho Commerce, scaling our business feels limitless."
— Syed Jamaluddin, Sales and Operations Manager, Libas Loungewear
The family-run business that started in the heart of Chennai, India, is now reaching customers internationally, proving that with technology, even a traditional brick-and-mortar store can find global success.
Click here to check out their online store.