From offline to digital: With the help of ITC, a Kyrgyz ready-to-wear factory expands its online presence
Along with 200 enterprises from Central Asia, Baziko Style learned new tools and reached new digital platforms, helping increase their revenue and their business development
Baziko Style, a Bishkek-based sewing company, has worked in markets of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) for more than 22 years. They produce women’s clothing, with a turnover of more than 70,000 units per month. They already had five-step quality control, a certificate of conformity and all necessary documentation, and compliance with international standards to sell internationally.
Since joining the International Trade Centre’s e-commerce enterprise training under the EU-funded Ready4Trade project in 2021, Baziko Style has significantly enhanced their digital presence and has widened their focus from local to international markets.
Before joining the project, the company thought only about wholesale offline sales. They worked mainly by word of mouth and through Dordoi market in Bishek, the largest bazaar in Central Asia. Most of the clients came from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
Following the ITC training and coaching, Baziko Style decided to target additional countries online. During the project, the company saw opportunities to target other markets through online sales channels. They created a company website, with content in English directed at international customers.
“We did a great job with the Baziko Style website -- found an attractive template, bought domains baziko.kg and bazikostyle.com, and developed new content and created the English version. It took half a year to develop the website and now it is finally launched,” says Nurjigit Eraliev, Baziko Style’s coach.
Under the EU-funded Ready4Trade project, the company digitized products and created quality online content. They improved their social selling skills and increased audience engagement through their Facebook and Instagram accounts. They also joined regional online B2B platforms, and started to test Wildberries marketplace, the largest Russian-language online retail platform.
“When joining the ITC e-commerce programme, we had a clear business goal -- to find 10 big wholesale clients through e-commerce. Our ITC coach Nurjigit Eraliev supported us in the creation of a new and modern website bazikostyle.com. Thanks to this digital transformation of our business, we received five big international orders, and this is only the beginning,” said Bazargul Samieva, the owner of Baziko Style.
About the project
The Ready4Trade Central Asia project is a joint initiative of the European Union and the International Trade Centre. It aims to contribute to the overall sustainable and inclusive economic development of Central Asia by boosting intra-regional and international trade in the region. Beneficiaries of the Ready4Trade Central Asia project include governments, small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular women-led enterprises, and business support organizations.