Travelshopa, the curated guide to the best local shopping around the world, has now launched in Australia to help consumers discover unique, local shopping experiences.
Founded in Singapore by Australian Renée Lodens in 2013, Travelshopa covers 18 destinations (and growing), making it a global network of style conscious shoppers, emerging designers and independent retailers as well as industry professionals across Asia, the Americas and Australia.
Tell us about Travelshopa.
Travelshopa was born from my love of travel and shopping. I wanted to create a business that would help shoppers have better shopping experiences.
I identified a gap in the market for a go-to guide for local shopping around the world. For me there was a clear opportunity to help shoppers find out where to shop and to help local designers and retailers to promote their business.
Four years in and Travelshopa is a curated guide for local shopping around the world. I love bringing together style conscious shoppers, emerging designers and independent retailers as well as industry professionals across Asia, the Americas and Australia.
What inspired you to start Travelshopa?
I was living in Singapore and travelling a lot for business and pleasure. I used to spend hours, sometimes days, researching destinations either before I went or while I was there. I thought there had to be a better way to discover the local shopping scene.
I started out by visiting shops and shopping events to talk to business owners about how they promote themselves. From there I started blogging in 2013. I created shopping guides to each city and profiled lesser known brands. This content was unique and so shoppers and brands liked it. Things grew from there. And now we have guides, brand profiles and more to 18 destinations in Asia, the Americas and Australia.
Tell us about your career and background.
I was born and raised in Sydney. After school, I attended attended the University of New South Wales and majored in Sociology and Modern Greek. After graduating from college, I moved to Athens, Greece where I worked in an English school. After 4 years, I returned to Sydney and moved into business development for an ethnic pay TV broadcaster. This is where I got my first taste of entrepreneurship. From there I worked in the manufacturing industry for a while before embarking on an MBA at the University of Technology Sydney, majoring in Strategy and Marketing. I then spent a number of years in market intelligence consulting in the ICT industry, which I continued for the first 18 months I was in Singapore.
How did you turn your love of travel and shopping into a successful global business?
Travelshopa was born from my love of travel and shopping. I wanted to create a business that would help shoppers have better shopping experiences.
I identified a gap in the market for a go-to guide for local shopping around the world. For me there was a clear opportunity to help shoppers find out where to shop and to help local designers and retailers to promote their business.
How would you describe Travelshopa?
Travelshopa is a curated guide for local shopping around the world. We bring together style conscious shoppers, emerging designers and independent retailers as well as industry professionals across Asia, the Americas and Australia.
What inspired the creation of Travelshopa?
I was living in Singapore and travelling a lot for business and pleasure. I used to spend hours, sometimes days, researching destinations either before I went or while I was there. I thought there had to be a better way to discover the local shopping scene.
I started out by visiting shops and shopping events to talk to business owners about how they promote themselves. From there I started blogging in 2013. I created shopping guides to each city and profiled lesser known brands. This content was unique and so shoppers and brands liked it. Things grew from there. And now we have guides, brand profiles and more to 18 destinations in Asia, the Americas and Australia.
How can we use Travelshopa?
Travelshopa is a curated guide to the best local shopping around the world. I personally handpick each brand that is featured. It’s a unique platform that brings shoppers and local brands together. We are looking for local designers and independent retailers across fashion, furniture and homewares.
Shoppers can discover and get to know these brands through brand profiles, guides, experiences, and a unique online shop.
We have 450+ listed brands growing daily, in Asia, the Americas and Australia.
What’s really unique about Travelshopa is that we have hundreds of shopping itineraries for all 18 destinations to help shoppers navigate and get local.
What’s a typical day like, for you?
I try to start my day at 6am with Ashtanga yoga – I aim for 3 sessions a week. This gets me focused for the morning rush with my two young children. After school drop off I get to the office and prepare my daily to do list, and respond to any urgent emails. I like to check website stats on a regular basis, review any social media posts, and monitor our weekly editorial schedule. From there the day usually unfolds with calls to my team in Asia, liaising with brands in any of our 18 markets, market research and check in’s with my development team who are behind the scenes working to constantly improve our site for our users.
Now that I am back in Australia I am also out scouring the streets, meeting amazing designers and independent retailers, and building our local content. I am really passionate about supporting local and this is why Travelshopa is so unique. Every destination on the site has been personally curated by me so the experiences are real and authentic.
My evenings are usually filled with homework, cooking and time with the family. I fall into bed around 10pm and scroll through Instagram or Pinterest for about 3 minutes or read half a page of a book before falling asleep.
It’s crazy, it’s fast, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What advice do you have for women who want to start their own businesses?
If you want it, start it. Give it a go. Ultimately if you immerse yourself in something, find your passion and purpose and accept that you are going to need to work really hard, you will achieve great things.
What’s next for Travelshopa?
We have just launched Travelshopa Melbourne and Sydney, so growing our content for both markets is the focus. We have 18 destinations on the site and the goal is always to continue growing this number so that we can help travellers all over the world enjoy better shopping experiences.
What are you currently working on?
We have recently officially launched Travelshopa in Australia. The initial focus is on Melbourne and Sydney, before continuing to expand into other capital cities and regional destinations around Australia. There has never been a better time to help global and local shoppers discover Australian fashion designers and retailers. Their work is innovative, creative and world class. I am thrilled to be back home to introduce my global network to an amazing array of Australian brands and shoppers worldwide. I am also working on some very exciting partnerships, which will enable us to inform more shoppers about where to shop local in our various destinations.
What is your business motto?
Never ever give up.
