Love your baby with Hibobi

Have you ever felt like there are so many options for clothing but nothing really stands out in style for your young ones. This high quality fashion brand comes in a pocket friendly range for all budgets. Visit the one-stop maternal and child shopping experience from Hibobi, a trusted brand for mothers. Let us discuss with Jing Leng, General Manager of HIBOBI Group how this fast growing brand is gaining its trust of mothers from all around the world with their unmatched designs and range.

1. How did you enter the franchise business?

I came to Dubai in 2009 and have been working closely with various local retailers ever since thanks to my experience in mall management and payment companies. When I met Jerry Huang, the founder of hibobi at the end of 2021, he told me about his ambitious expansion plan in the region, I feel very excited about it and finally joined the team in March 2022.

2. Where and how did the idea of your concept come from?

Hibobi is a leading mother and baby e-commerce brand with a presence in 30 countries. We focus on continuous innovation and are committed to delivering market-leading quality at affordable prices that will always exceed the expectations of our customers.
The idea is to build a one-stop shop that meets all of the needs of the children and the expecting moms. We thrive to deliver delicate parental love to the kids through a comforting tactile touch and transmit a sense of security and trust to the customers.

3. What inspired the brand name?

Our founder, Jerry Huang came to Dubai in 2019 and lived here for a while, he really enjoyed and appreciated the local culture and hospitality. When decided to first launch the brand in the Middle East, the Arabic word “Habibi” ,which is a popular way of greeting a friend, flashed into his mind, Hibobi was born as a combination of “Hi, baby” and “Habibi”, it represents the warm welcoming to the precious little ones and families.

4. What is the story behind the brand’s logo?

We are currently working on revamping the brand logo that can better explain and convey the product &brand core which is “Natural”. For our upcoming brick-and-mortar shops in KSA and UAE, we will launch a large number of products that encourage a natural and comfortable lifestyle and cater to many unattended needs of expectant moms.

5. What makes your brand different from your competitors?

Hibobi is a well-established e-commerce brand with 5 million registered users and now starting its offline adventures with strong local partners. Hibobi’s corporate DNA is data and technology, and we are able to respond to the needs of customers and changes in markets much faster. Our online success and the experienced retail team also allow us to build a thriving omnichannel ecosystem.

6. What are the essential qualities that you look for in a franchisee?

1. Believing in the brand concept and being confident about the brand’s future. Hibobi is creating a new format of maternal and infant retail which covers product upgrading, maternal & infant services, and education &training.

2. Being open to new retail and embracing the internet and digital technology. Omnichannel is the future of the new generation of brands since customers are everywhere now.

3. Good retail resources and capabilities to scale up in the local market.

7. How long does it take, on average, for your franchisee to realize their investment?

It may vary from location to location and is up to different shop formats. We support ‘potential’ franchisees in their research and calculation to make sure they have a get good understanding and confidence in the brand. The goal is the have ROI the earliest.

8. What was the major challenge you faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

There’s too much to learn and catch up on at the beginning of my job. Luckily I could learn from the best and our very experienced team has offered great support!

8.1 What is your best achievement?

We’re looking at opening first hibobi shop in GCC by end of this year and many more in the near further in the ME region and beyond, the best is yet to come.

9. How does your business day start?

It usually starts with a cup of Matcha Latte and going through all the unread emails and messages on Teams since my colleagues and clients are in different time zones.

10. What was your best moment throughout your franchise career?

I’d say when I closed the first franchise deal for the company

11. Where do you see your brand in the next 5 years?

We hope to become the first choice of parents when it comes to maternal and parental needs.

12. Any tips you want to impart to our readers who want to be in the franchise industry?

Franchising gives you independence with guidance along with many other benefits, but do study the field and assess your strength before making a decision.

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