In just ten months Jeanne Klopper with husband Wiehan Klopper have turned a simple idea of an online shop into Zawali, a fully-fledged baby store supplying proudly South African products across the country. The Bloemfontein beauty is a mother to two toddlers who have inspired her to become the businesswoman she has always wanted to be.
Jeanne Klopper was born and raised in Bloemfontein before moving to George, Western Cape to complete her last years of high school. But her heart has always been in the Free State, so she returned to study BCom Marketing. It just so happened to be the perfect place to find love as well; she met Wiehan, to whom she has been married to for six years.
She became a training marketer at a local company before its Bloemfontein branch closed down in 2018. This led to retrenchments but for Jeanne it was an opportunity to step into her own path. “I’ve always wanted to do something entrepreneurial because I’m not really a strictly 9-to-5 kind of person. I found that it restricted my potential but getting retrenched sort of forced me to find something else,” says Jeanne.
“Our key to success has been great customer service. We’re very good with our replies and always do our best to get the right fit for our customers. It can be difficult when you’re not in a shop so when people buy online they want to have the peace of mind that they wil be helped.”
The couple realised that there is a gap in the online market for baby and toddler products, especially those that are sourced from different parts of the country. The store began with a few items in October 2019 to a wide range today, including leather baby shoes, baby clothing and accessories, soft toys, bags, blankets and homeware. “Our main priority is having locally produced and manufactured items so we don’t import anything. We want to give local businesses the opportunity to sell through us. We started in October last year but in the last ten months we’ve been so successful.”
Being a mom to three-year-old Emily and 21-month-old Lisa has given Jeanne an insight into what moms are looking for in both baby products and an online shopping experience. “Starting the shop made sense to me because I have already been in that market since having my two little ones. I naturally look at those things and know what works for me as a mom. Although I can’t just keep what I like, I think it helps a lot.”
“Our key to success has been great customer service. We’re very good with our replies and always do our best to get the right fit for our customers. It can be difficult when you’re not in a shop so when people buy online they want to have the peace of mind that they will be helped. We’ve had many return customers because of this,” Jeanne adds. For now, Jeanne spends her time juggling her flourishing business and quality time with her daughters and husband. But she still makes time for herself. “I don’t really get the time to read a book or anything at the moment but cooking at night and going for a jog really help me relax.”
Text: NOMAQHAWE MTEBELE Photo: PIERCE VAN HEERDEN
