Page 34 - Varsity Special Issue

32 / Lifestyle / 33

their business. Now they have over Gem Palace selling crystals on Insta- starting a retail store is three to four
1,400 followers on Instagram since gram. times more than an online business,”
they launched their business in July. When Kwong was a secondary Kwong says. The profit from her on-
But not everything goes well for school student, she had one online line business was channelled into in-
Yeung and her partner. They some- shop selling accessories but it did not vesting in her physical store.
times have different views about how work well. She believes that her fail- Unlike many other businesses,
to advertise and market their prod- ing experience has helped her succeed Kwong’s business benefits from the
ucts and it takes them some time to this time around. pandemic. “More people are buying
settle their differences. They take ref- “I thought job hunting might not crystals due to the pandemic. Crystals
erence from other competitors and go well in the current situation of the can help people, as they counteract
conduct trial and error. For example, pandemic so I build my career by ex- negatives brought by the pandemic,”
they try posting at different times to panding my business,” she says. Kwong explains.
learn posting on Sundays can help Kwong says starting an online shop “E-commerce has benefited from
gain more traffic. is like a stepping stone that helps her the pandemic,” Tim Chan, founder of
Eva Kwong is also a graduate of the set up a physical shop in Kwun Tong Growth Marketer Academy says. “But
class of 2020. She runs an online store in April 2020. “The financial cost of it still depends on product categories.

“

I thought job hunting might not go well in the current

situation of the pandemic so I build my career by ex-

time career.
panding my business.
-
w
Kwong runs both a physical and online store as her full-time career.
K
nline store as her full
ng runs both a physical and o
o
Sunlight through the ”
Cracks

Running online stores is becoming a popular career choice for graduates hit
by the pandemic.

By Agnes Lam

anice Yeung, 22, a graduate of the for her to start her own business in- rose to 11.7 per cent from 5 per cent
class of 2020, is now running her stead of looking for a full-time job. in the same period of 2019.
Jown online boutique Twosloth “We think that we have nothing to Yeung started shopping from Ins-
with her friend who also graduated lose,” Yeung says. “The tough job mar- tagram boutiques since her secondary
this year. They sell clothes imported ket during the pandemic discourages school days. She has been a customer
from Japan on their Instagram online me to look for full-time work. Starting of online boutiques for over five years.
shop. my own business is a better choice for She started preparation work with her
The labour market is gloomy for me,” she says. partner for their online store in May
fresh graduates due to the pandemic. The unemployment rate of people after their last school term had ended
Yeung thinks it is a great opportunity aged 20-29 in April and June 2020 and invested around HK$10,000 in Yeu ng and her partner learn t when to post c o n ten t throu gh trial and error.
Yeung and her partner learnt when to post content through trial and error.