As online shopping continues to grow exponentially, one retailer stands out for both its massive product catalog and tantalizingly low prices. YesStyle has become the go-to destination for budget-conscious shoppers seeking the latest Asian fashion and beauty trends at highly affordable price points.
But with such competitive pricing on offer, how does YesStyle manage to profit while undercutting nearly every other major e-commerce player? What’s the business model that enables YesStyle to be so cheap yet still sustainably successful?
To understand the secrets behind YesStyle’s pricing, we need to take a deep dive into key aspects of their operations and cost structure.
When examined closely, it becomes clear how YesStyle built an optimized global supply chain and ultra-efficient business to offer customers rock-bottom prices that seem almost too good to be true.
Reasons For YesStyle Being So Cheap
Here is a list of these reasons:
- Eliminating Brick-and-Mortar Overhead
- Strategic Locations Lower Expenses
- Direct Sourcing Relationships With Suppliers
- Targeted Digital Marketing
- Generous Coupons and Discounts
- Cheaper Pricing for Asia-Only Brands
- Higher Margins on Private Label Merchandise
- Optimized Global Fulfillment
- Customer Service and User Experience Need
Let’s talk about these reasons in detail!
Also Read: Reasons For Belk Being So Cheap.
Eliminating Brick-and-Mortar Overhead
As an online-only retailer, YesStyle does not operate any physical stores or retail spaces. This immediately eliminates a massive cost burden that traditional retailers take on. Renting or owning real estate on shopping streets or in malls is tremendously expensive.
On top of rent, stores also require extensive staffing to cover sales, stocking, cashiers, and management.
By being online-only, YesStyle avoids the huge overhead costs associated with running physical retail outlets. Without this burden, YesStyle can pass the savings directly to customers in the form of lower prices.
And as consumers increasingly shop online for convenience, YesStyle made the strategic decision early to be digital-first.
Flashy stores were once considered essential for fashion and beauty brands to convey a high-end sense of luxury. But YesStyle rightly predicted that for value-focused Gen Z and millennial shoppers, convenience and price matter much more.
Operating as an online-exclusive retailer has allowed YesStyle to direct resources into e-commerce technology and logistics to make the virtual shopping experience seamless.
Without shareholders demanding rich physical retail expansion, YesStyle smartly ignored conventional wisdom and opted for a digital-only approach. This critical strategic decision is arguably the #1 factor allowing YesStyle to operate so efficiently with minimal overhead expenses.
Strategic Locations Lower Expenses
Although YesStyle takes orders worldwide, the company is headquartered and run out of Hong Kong. This provides two key cost advantages versus competitors located in North America or Europe.
Firstly, corporate tax rates in Hong Kong are far lower than Western countries. So YesStyle is able to keep more revenue as profit due to lower corporate taxes. Competitors like ASOS or Boohoo based in the UK face higher corporate tax burdens that squeeze margins.
Secondly, operating costs like labour and real estate are generally cheaper in Hong Kong than Los Angeles or London. YesStyle’s local workforce enjoys lower salaries and benefits versus staff at North American retailers. The savings on these basic operating expenses add up as YesStyle scales globally.
YesStyle also maintains extensive warehouse facilities throughout Asia and the USA. Storing inventory across multiple fulfillment centers close to end markets cuts down on expensive cross-border shipping. This global distribution footprint took years to optimize, but provides major cost efficiencies today.
Direct Sourcing Relationships With Suppliers
Instead of working through layers of distributors or third-party vendors, YesStyle maintains direct relationships and connections with manufacturers. This is hugely beneficial for securing the best possible wholesale pricing.
For all the Korean skincare and Japanese beauty brands carried by YesStyle, they work directly with those suppliers to import inventory. By purchasing directly from the source labs and factories, YesStyle avoids any middleman markups.
The same goes for apparel and accessories produced by the hundreds of Asian fashion labels stocked by YesStyle.
Having boots-on-the-ground relationships in Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, Shanghai, and across Asia enables YesStyle buyers to negotiate favorable contracts. As they continue placing large orders, suppliers are willing to provide greater volume discounts.
These direct partnerships give YesStyle control over inventory volumes and new product launches as well.
Many competitors are limited to buying wholesale inventory from domestic distributors that have already marked up the pricing. YesStyle’s direct Asian supply chain provides major cost savings that can be extended to customers.
Targeted Digital Marketing
In the early 2010s, YesStyle’s management team made the forward-thinking decision to invest heavily in digital marketing. Rather than rely on traditional print and television advertising, YesStyle focused on data-driven targeting and optimization.
They recognized early that catching the attention of Asian beauty and fashion enthusiasts on social media would provide higher conversion rates and better ROI than broad-reach ads. YesStyle partnered with influencers and bloggers to promote new product launches and special offers.
On platforms like Instagram and YouTube, YesStyle could reach potential customers already interested in Korean skincare or Japanese streetwear brands. The hyper-targeted nature of these digital marketing efforts minimized wasted ad spend.
YesStyle also optimized campaigns to maximize lifetime customer value instead of individual transactions. Retargeting recent purchasers with personalized promotions keeps engagement and order frequency high.
Their CRM approach to digital marketing significantly reduces customer acquisition costs over the long-term.
The metrics-focused strategy also provides YesStyle management full transparency into ROI. Marketing spend can be tweaked constantly to optimize towards actual sales and profitability. Avoiding expensive magazine spreads or TV commercials gives YesStyle greater marketing agility.
Generous Coupons and Discounts
Browse YesStyle’s website or app on any given day and you’ll invariably find coupon codes, % off deals, and other promotions to lower your order value. These frequent discounts help encourage purchases and basket size.
For clever shoppers, combining multiple coupon codes along with site-wide sales can result in dramatic savings. YesStyle also offers free shipping worldwide with no order minimums. So even at discounted prices, customers don’t need to worry about hidden shipping fees at checkout.
Occasional seasonal sales around Christmas, Lunar New Year, and YesStyle’s anniversary can see select items discounted up to 80% off or more. For savvy shoppers paying attention to promotion calendars, the deals are incredible.
These discounts work because YesStyle secures such favorable wholesale rates from suppliers. Even after applying coupons and markdowns, YesStyle earns strong margins on private label and exclusive products in particular. Generating huge order volumes also justifies periodic discounting to clear slow-moving inventory.
Strategic promotions like gift-with-purchase freebies encourage multi-item basket building as well. Even for deeply-discounted products, YesStyle ultimately still ends up better off from the larger customer lifetime value.
Cheaper Pricing for Asia-Only Brands
One appeal of YesStyle is their curation of Asia-exclusive brands not available elsewhere. These niche Japanese streetwear labels or emerging Korean cosmetics brands are manufactured in Asia. So YesStyle can import the products at very low cost before marking them up for the global market.
While the retail pricing seems cheap for US or EU shoppers, YesStyle actually generates higher margins on Asia-only brands versus Western ones. The novelty and exclusivity effect allows them to attract customers with competitive pricing, while maximizing profit margins.
Newly launched or up-and-coming Asian brands also often allow YesStyle preferential wholesale rates in exchange for broader distribution. YesStyle provides a launchpad for growing niche Asian brands to reach international audiences.
In return, these brands offer YesStyle wholesale costs low enough to make the pricing highly attractive.
Also Read: Reasons For Rue La La Being So Cheap.
Higher Margins on Private Label Merchandise
To supplement branded inventory sourcing, YesStyle has invested heavily into developing its own private label apparel and accessories lines. These in-house designed products cut out the brand name markup, allowing YesStyle to achieve better profit margins.
Private label merchandise already saves costs by avoiding licensing fees. But YesStyle can also negotiate the best possible rates by leveraging order volumes across their entire private brand portfolio.
Owning the product design also means YesStyle has full flexibility on product pricing strategies. While branded suppliers may impose MAP policies, YesStyle can promote and discount private labels freely. This allows private collection items to be marketed attractively to customers seeking the lowest prices.
As YesStyle expands its portfolio of proprietary fashion and beauty product lines, expect even more competitive pricing as they scale up these higher-margin private label sources.
Optimized Global Fulfillment
To retain leadership in worldwide e-commerce, YesStyle continues investing strategically in fulfillment and logistics. Their warehouses across Asia, Europe, and North America allow orders to be fulfilled closest to the end customer.
This prevents wasteful cross-border shipping that would otherwise eat into margins. A UK customer buying Japanese skincare receives their order quickly from the UK warehouse at minimal transport cost.
localization also allows faster delivery times to build loyalty. And should any warehouses experience delays or inventory shortfalls, other locations can pick up the slack based on proximity.
By tailoring fulfillment dynamically to order demand instead of centralizing, YesStyle keeps international shipping costs scalable. As more global customers discover YesStyle’s prices, the fulfillment infrastructure is ready to support expansion.
YesStyle is also piloting automation technologies like drones and robot pickers to enhance warehouse efficiency. Increased capabilities to handle surges in order volumes while keeping headcount stable also bodes well for maintaining competitive pricing.
The fulfillment strategy provides major advantages over rivals serving single regions.
Also Read: Is YesStyle Better Than Olive Young Fashion Retailer?
Customer Service and User Experience Need
While YesStyle has structured its operations, supply chain, and fulfillment network to enable ultra-low pricing, there are still areas for improvement when it comes to customer experience.
YesStyle’s focus has clearly been maximizing cost efficiencies and minimizing expenses to allow competitive pricing. But the tradeoff has been inferior customer service and user experience compared to pricier competitors.
Here are some of the common complaints around YesStyle’s customer experience:
- Slow shipping times – While YesStyle offers free worldwide shipping, delivery can often take 2-3 weeks which frustrates customers used to Amazon Prime speeds.
- Long processing times – Orders can sometimes take several days to process before shipping due to occasional inventory inaccuracies or supplier issues.
- Poor return process – YesStyle offers free returns within 100 days, but the refund process is slow and customer service response lacking.
- Inferior mobile app – The YesStyle app lacks key features and is rated poorly versus apps from more expensive brands.
- Lack of loyalty program – Unlike Sephora’s Beauty Insider program, YesStyle does not offer a loyalty or rewards initiative to thank returning customers.
- Low stock issues – Popular items often go out of stock due to high demand and lacking inventory replenishment systems.
- Minimal branded content – Competitors like ASOS publish daily blog posts and original video content to engage customers, which YesStyle has not prioritized.
While these operational areas may not affect YesStyle’s ultra-low pricing strategy directly, improving the customer experience could help sales velocity, average order values, and repeat purchase rates.
Evolving from a purely cost-focused e-commerce retailer to a customer-centric brand focused on service quality in addition to value pricing may be necessary as competition intensifies. Satisfied customers are more likely to promote YesStyle organically.
Some potential initiatives YesStyle could undertake include:
- Opening communication channels with top customers to incorporate user feedback
- Testing faster shipping options at checkout for an add-on fee
- Automating more customer service contacts to improve response times
- Gamifying the mobile app and website with interactive features
- Creating exclusive members-only sales and perks for big spenders
- Segmenting marketing content by interest like K-Beauty tips or style editorials
Boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty alongside competitive pricing could help YesStyle maintain its growth trajectory and defend market share. While price remains paramount, improving weak points in the user journey could complete YesStyle’s formula for sustainable e-commerce success.
Also Read: Is YesStyle Better Than Shein As Asian Fashion Retailer?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, YesStyle sells 100% authentic and genuine products. As an authorized retailer, they have direct partnerships with brands to source real merchandise. Their reputation for authenticity is excellent. Customer reviews comparing YesStyle items to those purchased in Asia confirm their legitimacy. They also have a warranty program that covers you if any product is found to be inauthentic. When sourcing directly from factories and brands, counterfeits are not an issue.
YesStyle offers Korean skincare lines for cheap because they eliminate middlemen markups buying wholesale directly from manufacturers in Seoul. Domestic Korean prices are already competitive, so importing directly to their Hong Kong warehouse at low cost lets YesStyle pass huge savings to the customer. With free worldwide shipping, the final price is incredibly affordable. Also, many Korean brands are still up-and-coming so prices are low. As K-Beauty gets trendier, YesStyle maintains strong supplier relationships to keep offering the latest products cheap.
For Asian beauty and fashion, there’s no better alternative than YesStyle when it comes to price, selection, and shipping costs. Domestic Asia retailers can sometimes undercut YesStyle’s prices but the savings are usually erased by expensive international shipping fees. For US and global shoppers, YesStyle’s delivered pricing can’t be beat thanks to their optimized global supply chain. Some customers have complained about slow shipping and customer service difficulties, so there is room for improvement in operations. But for overall value, no retailer surpasses YesStyle.
YesStyle is based in Hong Kong but caters to international fans of Korean and Japanese fashion and skincare. While they have expanded to carry Chinese, Taiwanese and other Asian brands, YesStyle first gained popularity for making Korean cosmetics accessible overseas. About half their inventory focuses on Korean skincare and make-up. They also stock clothing from trendy Korean brands. So while not a Korean company, they could be considered the largest online Korean skincare and fashion store thanks to their massive K-Beauty inventory and popularity among international fans of Korean products.
Wrapping Up
YesStyle has mastered the art of ultra-low pricing thanks to an optimized online business model, direct supplier relationships, targeted marketing, frequent discounts, focus on Asia-exclusive brands, higher private label margins, and efficient global fulfillment.
By eliminating overhead and middlemen markups, YesStyle provides customers incredible value.
However, enhancing customer satisfaction through improved shipping speeds, mobile features, and branded content engagement could make the YesStyle shopping experience as appealing as the bargain pricing.
