Instagram Business of the Month: Accessorize by Mo

Moritan Sodipo seems a bit bemused by her business’s beginnings. She remembers being miffed about the quality of rings she was getting from jewellery shops; they seemed to wear out too quickly. While she now jokingly blames her former ill luck with rings on her being miserly, she has her dissatisfaction to thank for the business it caused her to set up. That business, Accessorize by Mo, has become more than just a jewellery shop.

Accessorize by Mo is an online store for ladies fashion accessories. Besides the rings and necklaces she started with, Moritan’s enterprise now offers items ranging from handbags and backpacks to scarves and hair bands. But she’s not letting go of her focus on durability. She says she’s determined to make it a part of her brand’s identity, just as she builds its reputation for fair pricing.

“If you are in the market for pieces that will speak class, and still not break budget, we’ve got you,” she asserts confidently. “Just go on- pick a handbag, big scarf, neck piece and earrings to go, and accessorize yourself for that date.”

Moritan describes herself as “an introvert” and “shy to a fault”; but she does come across as articulate, perhaps even a little tough. It’ll take these characteristics to hold down a 9-5 job at a bank (which she currently does) and build an online shop from scratch. When she’s handling her venture, she’s as plain and unabashed as you’d expect of your regular businessperson.

Accessorize by Mo operates two social media storefronts, on Facebook and Instagram. The Instagram page showcases the range of items in stock at the time in which these items are on display. These products would include a variety of bags- handbags, bucket bags, plaid bags -as well as steel accessories, neckpieces, earrings, and bangles.

Orders are taken on the business’s social media channels, as well as via Whatsapp, phone calls, and referrals. Products are dispatched to customers across the country and beyond, as they request. Deliveries can be made on the same day if the customer’s location is close enough to allow for this. There are also two pickup points in Lagos (on the mainland and the island), for buyers who prefer this.

Moritan says her experience with doing business on Instagram has been “grinding and rewarding”. She points to the effort that’s required to make it work and notes that it’s hard to choose the right marketing advice from the myriad suggestions available.

“You have to learn daily,” she explains. “It’s not easy to tell the truth from the myths (of marketing on Instagram).” It’s been a learning curve. But Moritan does know what it takes to start an online store and keep it running. She’s been at it long enough to help with some tips of her own.

“It requires physical, mental, spiritual and financial input, just as any other business, maybe even more than you’ll need for a physical store,” she opines. “I stick to focusing on my focus.”

Here’s a link to the Accessorize by Mo page on Instagram.

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ikenna-nwachukwu

Ikenna Nwachukwu holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He loves to look at the world through multiple lenses- economic, political, religious and philosophical- and to write about what he observes in a witty, yet reflective style.

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