SnappyFit offers a dressing room for online shopping

Book an appointment to fit items you have found online.

The risk in online shopping is purchasing items, particularly clothes and shoes, that may not fit you well. The startup Snappyfit hopes to address such an issue.

According to its founder, Ong Sin Ning, Snappyfit started when she realized the problems she encounters when she’s shopping for clothes.

“I started my company ironically because I hate shopping. However I like clothes. With my Size 14 shoulder and Size 8 waist, shopping is not an easy feat for me. For someone like me, online shopping would be the most convenient and easiest way to search for clothes - however for the exact same reason, I would need to try them on first to make sure that the material, quality and colour are as per my expectations” explains Sin Ning.

With this, she started looking more into issues that concern online shopping. She has found out that a lot of other online shoppers have concerns over purchasing items without having the chance to fit them or check them out in person. A lot of online shoppers recognize the great risk of possibly purchasing something that ends up not what they thought it would be which also leads to them limiting their purchases to “safe buys”.

What started out as a personal insight to online shopping eventually turned into a potential idea for a startup which was submitted for application in Spring Singapore’s “YES! Start up” fund. Sin Ning’s idea eventually received the grant to begin SnappyFit.

SnappyFit conveniently offers online shoppers the chance to fit the items they are interested in purchasing and try them on on their own convenient time. They play on the concept of a traditional and physical fitting room service despite shopping online.

Also compared to a concierge-type of service, shoppers can go to SnappyFit’s website to choose items among their partner brands. After selecting these items, users can book their appointment and come to SnappyFit’s dressing room in Singapore Shopping Centre (next to Park Mall; Dhoby Ghaut MRT Exit B) or in SnappyFit's private and personalized showroom beside Redhill MRT.

Their Redhill MRT location is a treat they give to their valued customers. It's a private showroom which they only open for their regulars.

All SnappyFit clients will be welcomed ready with a personalized rack of all items which they have chosen to fit. They can pay for the items they wish to purchase on site or also opt to have the brand new pieces delivered to them for no extra charge.

A pioneer concept, SnappyFit aims to deliver convenience not just to its customers but also reach out to other businesses. Sin Ning explains, “We also envision to promote and support local SMEs and independent designers that wish to have their own unique curation, or pursue their own creative inspirations by providing them an affordable fitting room alternative to renting a physical retail space of their own.”

They claim they want to put prime on quality purchases, giving their consumers the opportunity to purchase quality items at reasonable prices which falls in between the usual “cheap and affordable” and “high-end luxury” items sold online. They also want to cater to those whose body may not be of “standard” type when it comes to RTW clothing.

‘"Non-standard" body types could be a size S or M person who have slightly bigger hips, smaller/bigger bust, broader/narrower shoulders and who may find fit of clothes a challenge at times’, Sin Ning points out. “As such, we strive to provide multiple sizing as much as possible and also provide alteration outsourcing services, including mailing the finished altered item to them” she adds.

SnappyFit’s outlook is to expand its services, by providing more products which don’t necessarily need to be fitted but customers would opt to “feel” or inspect prior to purchase. Sin Ning says that there is a growing potential for the “try before you buy” concept in Singapore which their company aims to uphold.

She adds, “We also wish to support our customers to have a balanced lifestyle - where time is made for family, friends, health, career and last but not least - an appreciation for one's own personal development and image.”

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Name of the company: SnappyFit Pte. Ltd.
Founder/Founders: Ong Sin Ning
Website: www.snappyfit.sg
Major Investors: Ong Sin Ning, Spring Singapore
Total funding at hand: Confidential
Target fund: Confidential
Source of funding: Private funding, plus Spring Singapore YES! Start up grant
Start of operation: 15th October 2012

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