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Mothers-to-be, especially those expecting for the first time, are destined to worry about the safety of their babies, whether they’re at home, in the car or outdoors.
For Prapatsorn Suebkid, the arrival of her first child changed her life in more ways than she could have ever imagined. Motherhood ultimately transformed her from a homemaker into a businesswoman at the helm of a multimillion baht enterprise.
The catalyst for it all was her frantic search for quality baby products during her pregnancy. But for her mother, many of the products, from brand name car seats to pushchairs, were far too extravagant for a traditional Thai upbringing.
Used car seats are on display at one of Mrs Prapatsorn’s stores, Baby Best Brand. Photos by Jiraporn Kuhakan
“My mother and I really had it out. She always believed a baby should be raised in the old style, including being held in the mother’s arms in a car instead of being safely strapped into a baby seat,” says Mrs Prapatsorn.
Back in early 1990s, Thais were not familiar with baby car seats or pushchairs. They were seen as expensive items found only in high-end department stores, says the 42-year-old.
“I was one of those people who did buy a car seat, for nearly 20,000 baht from a department store, and also a pushchair,” says Mrs Prapatsorn.
When her son Tungpanithan, now 10, grew up and had no use for the items, she thought of throwing them away or passing them on to her cousins.
That was when she discovered a baby care website for mothers to exchange their knowledge and experiences, as well as sell second-hand baby products.
“I posted some items on the website with prices that were around 50% lower than what I had paid myself,” she says.
“What surprised me the most was having three mothers fighting to buy the baby seat. One of the mothers who failed to get it asked me whether I had another one to sell.”
Business is good for Mrs Prapatsorn, thanks to middle-class women whose lifestyle has changed but find brand new quality baby items too expensive.
That was the moment when the seeds for her online business were sown.
“Firstly, I started looking for used baby seats and pushchairs from all over the country, buying them from families whose children had outgrown them. I cleaned them up and sold them at between 30-50% below the initial prices,” says Mrs Prapatsorn.
Her business was warmly received, with her products quickly selling out online.
“This showed me that demand for premium baby car seats and pushchairs was strong. The problem was that the mothers, most of whom are middle-income earners, couldn’t afford them. That opened up the opportunity for me to have my own business selling second-hand children’s products,” she says.
She uses a premium European-brand pushchair displayed in her shop to drive the point home.
“This would cost you around 50,000 baht if you were to buy it brand new, but if you come to my online shop you can get it for only 22,000 baht.”
After she started her business in 2004, she realised that hygiene was of the upmost importance, so she invested in sanitising the products before putting them in the online showroom. Another thought then crossed her mind — why not offer a cleaning service for baby car seats?
And thus she began her new side business, which has become another successful venture.
“The cleaning service made my products more credible, which inspired me to open a physical store, called Baby Best Brand, to display my products. This allows customers to browse and try out the car seats and pushchairs, which boosts their trust,” Mrs Prapatsorn says.
The second Baby Best Brand store soon followed on the same Pracha-Uthit road in south Bangkok.
Business was so good that Mrs Prapatsorn soon ran out of products to sell.
She had to look abroad for supply and Japan came to mind — a country which Mrs Prapatsorn feels has a very strong social and environmental sense.
She decided to fly there and scope out second-hand shops for new stock.
“They always clean everything, even unwanted items, including car seats before they sell them or donate them to second-hand shops, which I go to for my products,” she says.
Mrs Prapatsorn found her Japanese partners among the second-hand shops in major cities in Japan, which ship quality car seats to her.
“The product supply chain in Japan enables me to run my business smoothly and I see greater room for growth in line with the changing lifestyles of middle-class Thais.”
Technology has made her even more optimistic about her baby seat business.
“You will not see plain car seats or baby pushchairs anymore. The modern ones have better technology. For example, a smart pushchair can redirect the mechanical energy from the moving wheels to recharge your iPhone,” she says. “Just imagine the business potential in an unsaturated market.”
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.