Effective packaging promotes impulse buying, defined as the instant purchase of goods that were not originally planned for.
Little wonder, Chukwulozie Chidera, a 19-year-old 300-level student of Economics at Babcock University is making waves with his fashion business on campus with his unique packaging.
His packaging niche stands him out of his colleagues in the same line of business on campus.
Nigeria’s fashion industry is projected to grow by 10.03 percent between 2023 and 2027 resulting in a market volume of $1.92 billion in 2027, according to Satista Market Forecast.
Chukwulozie who serves as personal assistant to Onwunalaugha Emmanuel, the CEO of Damain Collections, is the owner of Clockerholic Watch. He says his business is poised to take advantage of the trending world of fashion in the country, especially among youth on campus.
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The young entrepreneur started his entrepreneurial journey in senior secondary school when he was trading on beads before upgrading his entrepreneurship drive to sell wristwatches and clothes.
“I started in my SS3. I was processing and selling beads before I graduated from high school. When I got admission into the university, I met a friend who made me his personal assistant, and later he began to supply clothes to me, and I will sell, and return his capital to him.
“It was easy for me to start a business on campus because I already have ideas on how commercial enterprise is run,” he said.
He said yearly he usually would develop new packaging concepts to meet his clients’ needs and make them happy.
“This year, I introduced a special nylon packaging for my clients. For every product bought at Damain Collections, there is a branded pack to go with it.
Besides, I use online platforms to reach my clients, while I have paid dispatch riders for delivery,” he noted.
Chukwulozie said he is growing his fashion and wrist-watch businesses through online contacts and referrals, and according to the young economist, he hopes to be among the best in the world after graduating from the university.
“I plan to continue with a venture into fashion and wrist-watch businesses after school through the online supply chain,” he said.
As a studentpreneur, Chukwulozie said he makes N15,000 to N20,000 profit in a week selling clothes and watches to his friends on campus. He would have been making more profit if the university had allowed him and his colleague to openly transact business on campus.
The main challenges faced by the young entrepreneur on campus are the delivery of goods, especially to clients outside the university community, and the ability to marry his studies with his business.
“I have been having challenges with delivery, sometimes the dispatch riders would not be able to deliver on time, and robs my integrity, because my clients will start calling, and sometimes angry with me.
Besides, sometimes doing business on campus clashes with my lectures, however, I have a way of navigating through this,” he said.
Apart from getting products from markets through his family members who are assisting him to keep the business running, the Anambra state-born entrepreneur said his main source of goods is through the wholesale- supply- chain.
