#SheRunsBusiness: EasyStore Empowers Retailers To Grow Beyond Walk-In Traffic

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2026 — What does it really take to build a retail brand that customers don't just buy from once, but keep coming back to? 

That was the question at the heart of SheRunsBusiness: What It Takes to Build a Retail Brand Customers Love, a half-day event hosted by EasyStore in collaboration with Fiuu and J&T Express, held at Co-labs Coworking, KL Sentral.

The room was filled with founders, brand owners, and retail professionals who came ready to learn. From brand identity to unified commerce to social media strategy; the day covered everything it takes to build a retail brand that grows intentionally and sustainably.

EasyStore extends its appreciation to our partners Fiuu, J&T Express, Qis.Studio, Gofluence, and NUMA whose contributions made this event both insightful and memorable.

Leveraging a Unified System That Frees You Up to Serve Your Customers

Kicking off the day, Nadia Amir, Community & Partnerships Manager at EasyStore, asked the room a question many business owners quietly wrestle with: "How much time are you spending on manual tasks that don't actually serve your business?"

For most... too much.

Nadia walked through how EasyStore's Unified Inventory gives businesses a single, centralised view of stock across all channels, eliminating overselling, human error, and the reputation damage that follows. But the bigger picture was about loyalty. 

"Most businesses wait for customers to come back on their own. The ones that grow consistently are the ones that engineer the reasons for customers to return." - Nadia Amir, Community & Partnerships Manager, EasyStore

Through EasyStore's CRM, Broadcast and Segmentation tools, businesses can design intentional engagement strategies that keep customers connected long after they've left the store. 

The takeaway: repeat sales don't happen by accident. They're built by design.

Build A Brand Customers Remember

Elissa Qistyna, Founder of Qis.Studio Branding Agency, tackled one of the most misunderstood parts of running a retail business. 

A lot of business owners think branding is about having a nice logo. It's not. Branding is what people feel about you when you're not in the room." - Elissa Qistyna, Founder, Qis.Studio

Qistyna drew a clear line between brand image; how the public perceives you and brand identity; what you intentionally design. Closing that gap, she explained, is what separates forgettable brands from the ones people recommend. 

Elissa's five-step framework gave the room a clear path forward: 

• Define: Clarify who you are, who you serve, and what you stand for before anything else
• Design: Translate your brand identity into visuals, language, and experience consistently
• Apply: Roll it out across every touchpoint, from your packaging to your social media to how your staff greet customers
• Protect: Guard your brand from inconsistency, dilution, and misuse — including trademark protection where relevant
• Evolve: Revisit your brand as your business grows, because a brand that was right for year one may not be right for year five

Strong branding isn't a luxury. It's the foundation that makes every other growth strategy work better.

Delivering Trust Across Malaysia

Azuan Azuddin, Senior Key Account Manager at J&T Express, reminded the room that the customer experience doesn't end at checkout. How an order gets delivered is as much a part of the brand as the product itself. 

J&T Express supports retail businesses with 24/7 customer support, 365-day service, pick-up services, a VIP platform for high-volume shippers, and real-time monitoring. For brands building loyalty, the last mile matters just as much as the first impression.

Register a J&T VIP Account today →

Turning Followers into Paying Customers

Liza Manaf, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Gofluence, addressed the question every brand owner with a social media account has asked: "Why isn't my content converting?" 

Her answer came down to three pillars — Visibility, Trust, and Conversion.  The biggest mistake most brands make: optimising for reach without building the trust that drives purchases. 

Liza's insight on micro-influencers resonated strongly. Partnering with smaller, niche creators whose audiences trust them deeply consistently outperforms chasing big-name collaborations. Social media isn't a broadcast channel. It's a relationship-building tool with a commercial purpose.

From One Marketplace to a Brand With Its Own Ecosystem

Co-Founder of NUMA, Malaysia's pioneer in modest activewear, Noor Shuhaifah closed the day with a story that brought every session together. NUMA started on a single marketplace and grew into a brand with their own online store, physical retail presence, and dedicated shopping app — all powered by EasyStore.

"We started where a lot of brands start- on a marketplace, dependent on someone else's platform. The shift happened when we decided we wanted to own our customer relationships and build our own ecosystem" - Noor Shuhaifah, co-founder of NUMA.

NUMA's journey is proof that sustainable growth is built on owned channels, loyal customers, and the right tools.

Beyond the main sessions, together with NUMA, EasyStore hosted Merchant Experience Booth where participants downloaded NUMA's Shopping App, signed up as a member, and redeemed two SNUGG scrunchies on the spot — all within minutes. 

It wasn't just a giveaway. It was a live demonstration of what unified commerce actually feels like: seamless for the customer, effortless for the merchant. Two sides of the same experience, shown in real time.