STORES Magazine - March 2009 - (Page 24)

EXECUTIVE SUITE / COVER STORY Gilt.com has increased sales and membership every month since its launch in November 2007 At ideeli, for a fee, members gain access to private sales and earlier start times for everything else La La already has a membership in the hundreds of thousands accessing its daily sales. “One of things I have marveled at is how quickly our members have become addicted to the Rue La La experience,” CEO Ben Fischman says. “They come religiously to the site every day, whether they’re shopping or just browsing. Nothing has made us happier than how actively engaged our member base has become. We are pleased that in a recession we can still make the brands they love so accessible.” Amanda Graber, manager of marketing and communications for Gilt Groupe, says Gilt.com has increased sales and membership every month since its launch in November 2007. The multi-category destination works directly with designers and brands, giving them a discrete outlet for their merchandise. “We are marketing their names in ways and in regions that they wouldn’t necessarily be promoted otherwise,” Graber says. In addition to tried-and-true names, the site “does its part” for the industry by sponsoring up-and-coming fashion designers such as Costello Tagliapietra and Richard Chai. Gilt offers 20 to 25 sales each week, and Graber credits the site’s success with the proven experience, reputation and industry relationships of its founders and launch team. “The key was making people trust what they were doing,” she says. “The majority knew of Gilt and were immediately interested in possibly doing business with us and now, we even have designers knocking on our doors, wanting to be a part of it.” Take a peek inside Rue La La, Gilt Groupe or ideeli and you’ll find some similarities — but also some distinct differences. At ideeli, a recent opening page featured sales by Cynthia Rowley, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Magaschoni and Treesje, as well as a “clothes off our back” secret start-time giveaway. The colors are bright, clean and playful, and remaining hours and minutes for each event are shown in large red text. There’s also a special “1st row” upgrade option; for a fee, members gain access to private sales and earlier start times for everything else. “We have seen sites in Europe with a similar model be very successful,” says Paul Hurley, founder and CEO of twoyear-old ideeli. “But we also tried to go beyond event-based shopping to offer a fun, engaging experience for our members. The luxury consumer, as with all consumers, is trying to find a great value. ideeli provides incredible value, but there’s more. Every day you’re going to get news about some great event in your e-mail, something that goes beyond just a sale. And the independent editorial gives you links to learn more about each brand. WWW.STORES.ORG 24 STORES / MARCH 2009 http://www.Gilt.com http://www.Gilt.com http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - March 2009

STORES Magazine - March 2009 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Movers and Spenders What Shoppers Think Take Your Laundry Online 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Luxury for Less Q & A CONCEPT2WATCH Checkout Management Online Entrepreneurs Sustainability POS Online Strategy Online Scheduling SaaS Online Marketing Merchandise Security PCI Compliance LPinformation Supplier Directory Exception Reporting Industry Perspective Theft Research LOEB Retail Letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar End Cap

STORES Magazine - March 2009

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