Staff Writer
Having encountered a number of major obstacles that created both psychological pressures and operational problems for her clothing-related business, Wilasinee Wataniyobol decided to reflect on her situation. She looked out for a business opportunity that was completely different to what she'd been doing previously, and so she came up with the idea of producing high-quality soaps under the brand name Ta Tha Ta*.
 Wilasinee had once exported clothes and bags to Greece, Italy, and Spain under the Nan brand name. While design was a strong point, this had a downside since her business was hit badly due to rivals counterfeiting her products.
“I was very stubborn in those days. When people suggested I stop introducing new products after they had been copied, I ignored them. But I found that the more products we launched, the more they'd be copied. Buyers complained that our products were becoming more expensive when compared with similar goods from China. By this point, it seemed as though I couldn't sell anything,” she said.
New beginnings
This rather painful experience taught Wilasinee that she needed to change her mindset when it came to doing business, she said.
“I reexamined myself and reassessed my situation and decided I wanted to do business in a way that could make me happy rather than bring me stress. Now, instead of rushing in search of success, I walk steadily and happily towards it,” she says.
After spending a year-and-a-half looking out for a product offering good potential, Wilasinee decided last year to launch a venture with some relatives by establishing a new company (Ta Tha Ta Cooperative), with the aim of producing premium soap products. Already, the company's products can be found on the shelves of at least 10 leading spas in Thailand.
Wilasinee says most visitors to spas are already quite well educated when it comes to health products, and, as a result, Ta Tha Ta's range of soaps focused on the elements (air, earth, fire, and water) has been particularly popular among consumers.
Wilasinee says she is certain that the company's products can't be easily copied since the production process and raw materials differ markedly from products manufactured by rival firms. She says that the products' outstanding quality distinguishes Ta Tha Ta soap products from rival brands and that this is what differentiates the company's products from competitors.
Moreover, Ta Tha Ta soap is not a 'fashion' product, according to Wilasinee, so there is no need to make rapid adjustments in line with various fads in the market.
Educating consumers
Wilasinee says that providing consumers with plenty of useful, accurate information about the product helps them to find the product most suitable for their individual needs. While advertisements were once very influential, more and more consumers were now making up their own minds when selecting a product since they have greater access to information, she says.
“It's not fair to only supply limited information. If we want something form our customers, first we must give something to them. Information requires very little investment yet can bring about great results,” Wilasinee says.
Ta Tha Ta organized booths at numerous leading trade fairs last year in
an effort to expand its customer base. Participation in these events
eventually led Tops Supermarket, one of Thailand's leading supermarket
chains, to stock the company's products. Just three months after first
appearing on the shelves of a spa, Ta Tha Ta's soaps had reached the
mass market.
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“Tops suggested we would need to provide more product information for
customers once our products were in the mass market. This would tell
buyers about the quality of the product and demonstrate why they might
need to pay more for our products. Once familiar with our products,
they would want to buy more Ta Tha Ta brand name products,” she said.
Wilasinee says the company aims to provide the very best quality
products to the local market, adding that Ta Tha Ta would attempt to
break into overseas markets next year.
Although the economy lack stability at the present time, Ta Tha Ta
believes that with every opportunity comes a certain amount of risk.
“We have to ensure that consumers believe in us and if we can do this
we won't encounter any problems,” she says. “We have to build a good
relationship with our customers so that we can reap the rewards in the
long-term.”
Thanks to her significant experience in the export business, Wilasinee
says that in many ways expanding overseas may be easier than trying to
secure its place in the domestic market.
Exporters just have to understand the requirements and behavior of
consumers in each target market, she says. According to Wilasinee, this
insight and understanding allows exporters to develop improved plans
and ensure they can penetrate a market “in the right place at the right
time”. - Translated into English and republished with the kind
permission of Manager Online.
* The name Ta Tha Ta (Pali: anata) is usually translated as
'suchness' or 'thusness'. The dictionary definition of suchness is “a
fundamental, intrinsic, or characteristic quality or condition”. It is
a central concept in Buddhism and within Hindu Upanishads. As a central
concept of Mahayana Buddhism, it expresses the appreciation of reality
within a unique moment. Since no moment is exactly the same as another,
each can be savored for what occurs at that precise time.
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Biz Spotlight 
Biz Spotlight
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