The Most ADORERable Outfits for Children

For mother and entrepreneur Geetika Sharma, her brand Adorer Kids became one way of expressing love to her daughters. The children’s clothing brand based in Oakville, ON, had to change its business model when COVID-19 hit and their customers dried up. But it didn’t stop Geetika from taking on the challenge of e-commerce when the ShopHERE Powered by Google Program came to the rescue. Now every parent has the ability to shop online!  

Geetika started her brand to pay tribute to her mother, a talented seamstress and an inspiration behind Adorer Kids. She passed away on the day Geetika found out about her pregnancy, and this trauma changed the way Geetika viewed life and her contribution to her surroundings: 

“I slowly started evaluating the impact of my lifestyle on me, my family and the environment. I started buying local, sustainable and ethical products. I also decided to use the skills I acquired from my mother to contribute first-hand by creating my own sustainable brand for kids as we should feel responsible for raising responsible human beings.”

Furthermore, the clothes were designed to meet the needs of Geetika’s daughters wanting to wear unique and fun, yet comfortable clothing:

“No matter how good the clothes looked on the hanger once my kids wore them, they immediately wanted to take it off. Sometimes the reason was an itchy tag, the seam or the fabric itself. It was getting difficult to find clothes that allowed my daughters to play, run around and do their activities without compromising on being distinctive.”

With her clothing line, Geetika solved this problem for her girls and other parents who want their children’s outfits to reflect their unique personality while going through their day in style. That uniqueness is expressed through detailed hand-embroidered, made in Canada, locally sourced and high-quality natural fabrics. Geetika explains: “In French, Adorer is an expression of fondness and love towards that special little one who holds the maximum space in your heart. Each piece is designed keeping this very important idea in mind.”

When the pandemic made Adorer’s business model unsustainable, Geetika realized her brand needed to embrace the new reality and transition online. The entrepreneur comments: “It has been an exhilarating and anxious experience running a business during this time of uncertainty. Instead of getting attached to our past, we decided to create a sustainable future through the digital channel.” The ShopHERE Program helped set up the right framework for the website with customer-friendly design flow, eCommerce capabilities and direct integration to different marketing channels for Google, Facebook and Instagram. 

Building the online store involved a lot of patience, time and commitment but having an eCommerce Coordinator made the process a lot smoother. “There are many different things to be taken care of and you have to take it by the day. Having an eCommerce Coordinator was of tremendous value as I could bounce off my ideas, discuss challenges and create a path towards resolution.” 

Although the online store is live, Geetika knows it’s just the beginning for her digital future; a lot is yet to be done to establish a presence, attract the right audience and create a brand that buyers want to associate with. She comments: 

“Digital marketing is the biggest challenge. Establishing a presence as a young brand online is tough given the competitive landscape and the high cost of search-based marketing. It is no longer about creating a superior product and targeting your local market. There is no true captive audience and building awareness and engagement takes a lot of effort and resources.” 

But no matter the challenges, Geetika knows that eCommerce is the right path for her business and recommends other entrepreneurs apply for ShopHERE to launch their stores: “Setting up a meaningful online presence is a concerted effort and you definitely need support. Having a flexible approach that allows you to scale up as your business grows is critical for success.”

Are you interested in becoming a ShopHERE participant and launching your online store? Learn more about the program here. To view and shop beautiful outfits for the little stars, browse Adorer’s store here.