Try on clothes before you buy them — online

Bungalow Clothing owner Rob Wright says his online retailer has eliminated the worst aspect of shopping for clothes online while preserving the best parts of the experience.

Bungalow Clothing

• Address: 7024 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89117

• Phone: 477-0107

• Email: [email protected]

• Website: www.bungalowclothing.com

• Hours of operation: N/A (24/7 on the web)

• Owned/operated by: Robert Wright

• In business since: May 2013

Describe your business.

Bungalow Clothing is solving the Achilles heel of online apparel shopping: not being able to try things on before buying them. Through a reconfiguration of the shopping process, personal styling and free shipping both ways, Bungalow Clothing is (giving) customers nationwide a new way to buy clothes online.

Who are your customers?

Our customers are women between 30 and 50 years old. The vast majority of them are moms who don’t have time to go to the store but also don’t have time to deal with the traditional e-commerce return process.

How does the process of trying on clothes work?

It works similar to a standard online shopping experience except you aren’t paying in advance. This allows customers to have more styles shipped. Once the “Dressing Room” is delivered to customers, they get 10 days to try on all the clothing, in their own closet, with their existing wardrobe without a pushy salesperson. When they have decided on what they’re keeping, they simply text us and we send FedEx to pick up the return package from their home or office.

Why still own a brick-and-mortar store?

The brick-and-mortar store is really our warehouse, and we are running out of space quickly. We will need to move soon, and then there will not be a brick-and-mortar store.

What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?

So far I’ve had no real problems doing business in Las Vegas. I would say that finding talented and experienced people from the fashion industry isn’t easy to do in Las Vegas. That being said, I think this will become easier for us as the Downtown Project, Stitch Factory, etc., continue to gain national exposure and create a fashion hub in Vegas.

What is the best part about doing business here?

Like most people who come to Las Vegas and never leave the Strip, I too thought that Las Vegas equals the Strip. I was pleasantly surprised that it is much more than the huge casinos and an adult playground. There are great people with great attitudes who want to do big things.

What obstacle has your business overcome?

We struggle with the same issues most startups face … getting the word out. Also, many customers who stumble upon our site think our offering is too good to be true. We hear, “I thought there was a catch.” It’s true, we’ll send you the clothes to try on for free and only bill you for what you keep. Really … we will.

How can Nevada improve its business climate?

I actually think Nevada is pretty high up there in terms of being business-friendly.

Tags: The Sunday
Business

Share