Patrick Robin, another French seriel web-entrepreneur,  launched 24h00.fr, with the goal of riding the coat-tails of the private sales wave that struck France starting in 2004. While the concept itself was good, the market was already pretty saturated with such sites.

Private sales became popular largely because they were such an elite sort of event.  Sites like Vente-Privée.com (translated to mean "Private Sales") made the model popular when they unveiled the hybrid shopping experience that is a cross between trunk sales, event sales, and word-of-mouth advertising.

Designers would - and still do - use the site - to sell large numbers (think tens of thousands here) of fashion items that they have on hand, during a 24-hour to 36-hour timeframe. The private sale shopping sites buy the stock at steep discount and sell it to their loyal followers for a low price. A lot of fashion brands have endorsed the concept as have a lot of shoppers; who doesn't love high-end fashion at a bargain-basement price?

Initially, Mr. Robin's goal with 24h00.fr was to become the number 2 site, right behind Vente-Privée.com; during the process, he managed to build a huge database of 1.4 million members.  Of those 1.4 million, a staggering 80% are women aged 25-45; that's the best demographics any shopping website could hope for. 

Being the web-entrepreneur and savvy guy he is, Robin realized that the novelty sales industry was starting to lose its steam and he began using his audience to create a fashion portal with his site.  He has not gotten rid of the private sales site, but rather, by adding content and traditional commerce to the equation, he has added value to his existing site and managed to capture his large database without having to start all over from scratch.  It's really quite astounding what he's done with the 24h00.fr to keep the excitement going.

For example, the site has a shop dedicated to handbags which is fantastic as the market itself is sorely underserved in France, as well as a store specialized in vintage luxury fashion.  Along with these additional shops, the site also offers tips and fashion news.  A big leap from private sales, yes; but I absolutely think it is well worth his time. 

I really, really, like it - with one exception.  To me, there seems to be a glaring, neon sign flashing in the far corner, one that is meant to catch the eye, and the purse strings, of the existing audience.  This corner, called "Privilèges," is where 24h00.fr promotes discounts on products and services of other e-commerce sites.

I understand that this makes sense from a financial point of view, but, speaking from a "fashion-focus" point of view, I don't see that it fits.  As a consumer, I'm on the site to immerse myself in fashion, not to look at ads.  Personally, I'm not comfortable with something so blatantly commercial. 

A recent study done by the Benchmark Group shows that a large number of French consumers shopping for luxury goods turn to the Internet for information, long before they make their purchase.  In fact, 55% of women, and 47% of men say they "often" or "always" go online to gather information first.

So, what are they looking for?  Well, of the women, 70% are looking for product details and 68% seek pricing information.  The other half of the women are looking for sales point addresses and memeber spaces. 

This is interesting to me because many times, designers put a lot of emphasis on creating their space on the Internet, but fall short on product information and pricing when it comes to their online presence.  They aim to sell the product on its look and feel alone, and seem to assume that if the buyer is seeking it out, they are likely to purchase, regardless of the price. 

However, based on this study, luxury brands should re-think this strategy; in many countries, the economy is not as strong as it once was and you are not as likely to score that "impulse purchaser" that you may have lured to the store just a few years ago.

Shoppers are savvy and rational now; they like to browse the 'net and dream big, but they also want hard product facts because they are realistic about what they can and cannot afford to purchase.

The study by Benchmark Group also took a look at the newsletters that luxury brands put out to their shoppers. 86% of the recipients indicated that they were more interested in receiving promotional discounts through their newsletters and 58% want information about new products.  However, only 34% were interested in hearing about the brand itself.

For the most part, French women are purchasing luxury items such as clothing, shoes, and cosmetics online.  This is something that luxury retailers need to be very aware of.  Your website needs to be informative so your consumer is able to get the information they are seeking. 

If you don't provide what they are looking for, they may become frustrated and go elsewhere.  Marketshare is not as abundant as it once was and many luxury retailers are fighting for the same customer base; give you clients what they want, the first time they look.

Michel de Guilhermier has done a lot of things when it comes to the web. A recent article by LeJournal du Net discussed his latest venture, Inspirational Stores.

Mr. de Guilhermier has taken all of his experience in entrepreneurship, e-commerce, innovation, consumer goods, and customer relationships and turned it into a new venture called "Inspirational Stores."  Created in 2007, this French  company has specialized in building a line of high-end, online boutiques that are established in a rather "franchise-esque" manner.

Michel has established relationships with several different high-end brands to create a company that is a cross between an online agency and a franchise; he's now selling everything from caviar to clothing. 

Brands such as Antik Batik and Daniel Crémieux have let Michele build their websites and sell their products.  However, Inspirational Stores doesn't get paid on their sales of the products, they actually purchase the products directly from the designer and then sell them at a profit to consumers.

While the initial launch was for 5 stores, 2008 promises to be a busy one and in 2009, Inspirational Stores will target the UK and Germany.  Each of the five sites, although designed by the same company, look different from one another. 

There is nothing spectacular about any of them, but I suppose they serve the purpose  - which is all Michel is really shooting for.  He's not looking to reinvent the wheel, he is just looking to take what's existing and amp up the service.

One example of this is the "White Gloves Express Delivery."  This involves a gentleman in a suit, and white gloves, delivering your products to their destination.  To some of our American readers, this may seem a little much, but for those of us in France, this is perfectly acceptable behavior.

Inspirational Express coordinates the web design, back office accounting, and delivery arrangements; the designer gets their name out at virtually no cost to them.  Frankly, it's a no-brainer for anyone looking to get a little more notoriety. Want to see them in action?  Check out Daniel Crémieux's boutique, Antik Batik's boutique, or Kaspia's boutique.
 

It seems that women due truly rule the world, or at least the Web 2.0 world.

A host of new surveys out from Hitwise, eMarketer, and Nielsen Online show that, more and more, women are more active on the 'net than their male counterparts. 

In it's 2007 survey, eMarketer predicted that there would be 97.2 million U.S. female Internet users aged 3 and older, or 51.7 percent of the total online population.

In addition, research commissioned by insurance group AXA found that 34% of new and expectant women were planning "to set up their own business from home……to use the web and email to carry on offering professional skills like accountancy on a consultancy basis."

There are a number of women entrepreneur's who have already hit it big online.  Take Net-a-Porter's founder Natalie Massenet, or Julia Reynolds, the women responsible for transforming Tesco's clothing operation.  But just ask any of them, and they'll tell you it wasn't easy.

Why? Because there is still a stigma that comes with being a female business owner.  As such, funding and investors are often difficult to find.  But that needs to change.

With statistics showing that the female population is all over the Internet, the next two decades will undoubtedly be filled with many success stories of online business; and those successes will be female driven.

In my opinion, investors and banks need to get behind the female business owners.  There is strength in numbers, and many successful online operations could force a major swing in the economy, both domestically and internationally.

It's no longer "the old boys club." These are the days of the "dotcom divas."

According to the January 2008 QSearch click paid report, ComScore reported flat annual growth in paid clicks for Google in 2007 and an 8 percent decrease from December to January.  One could argue that Google might be experiencing the same recession that the rest of the American economy seems to be in.  

At first blush, it seems that the ComScore report suggests that consumers are not clicking on Google paid ads, but the CEO, Magid Abraham, says that the numbers may not reflect a wider trend.“While we do not claim that these con cerns are unwarranted, we believe a care ful analysis of our search data does not lend them direct support,” Abraham says. “More specifically, the evidence suggests that the softness in Google's paid click metrics is primarily a result of Google's own quality initiatives that result in a reduction in the number of paid listings and, therefore, the opportunity for paid clicks to occur. In addition, the reduction in the incidence of paid listings existed progressively throughout 2007 and was successfully offset by improved revenue per click.” 

By contrast, SearchIgnite, a search technology unit of digital agency Innovation Interactive, surveyed its own 500-marketer client list and came up with much different numbers.  Its clients saw an increase of 45.7% on year-over-year paid clicks as well as an increase in ad spending on Google of 40.1% year-over year.

So, as a retailer, whose numbers do you believe?  For now, it's hard to say.  Why? Because what consumers are actually searching for is a much better indicator than any statistical number.  If luxury keywords are being searched for on a regular basis, chances are, those consumers aren't feeling the pinch. 

In my opinion, the jury is still out on both of these reports.  I'll be curious to see what 1st quarter reports say about searches, keywords, and paid clicks. Stay tuned, for better or worse, the next 12 to 18 months promise to be nothing short of interesting 

While the vast majority of consumers seem enthusiastic to shop online for merchandise - including fashion - Canadians still aren't doing it.In terms of online prowess, the Canadians certainly have it.  They use the Internet to do everything from paying bills to booking trips to Brazil.

 Yet Canadians stop short when it comes to online shopping.

The question is why.  Peter Woolford, vice president of policy development and research at the Retail Council of Canada seems to think it's simply a cultural difference.  He references the age of catalogue shopping and says that, even then, "Americans were far more active in 'distance shopping.'"  According to Woolford, "They just like shopping in person apparently." 

The other possibility, which I think is far more likely, is that for clothing retailers that are not able to establish Canadian headquarters, consumers have to pay hefty import taxes or duties to get their new duds to their doorstep.  So consumers either end up paying a premium for the clothing they want, or retailers don't even bother offering the option of international shipping. 

Henna Singh, who runs the very popular blog "Canadian Beauty," sees this as an issue.  "I don't understand why [American retailers] wouldn't want that extra business…..there are lots of consumers in Canada, but if companies won't ship here, that's a problem."

So, what does the future hold for Canadian's and online fashion purchases?  Really, only time will tell.  But my opinion is that the future looks pretty bright and filled with possibilities.

Already, major retailers like GAP, Inc., who operates GAP, Banana Republic, and Old Navy, are looking in to ways to capture this segment of the marketplace and investigating changes in their system that will allow it to accept international orders.  Tara Wickwire, a company spokesperson, says, "we agree that brining our online stores to everyone in the world is a critically important strategic objective for us." 

If the GAP manages to make this happen, other retailers are sure to soon follow.   But where does this leave the Canadians who "apparently like to shop in person?" Considering how frequently they use the Internet for everything else, I don't think it's a huge stretch to imagine them purchasing merchandise online, just like the rest of us.  

After all, "if you build it, they will come."

According to a recent study done by Kiplinger Business Resource Center, eTailers stand to see a 16% increase in online sales - to nearly $200 billion this year; according to their projections, sales won't level off until somerwhere around 2012 - and that's at a steady 10% growth each year.

Not too shabby; especially if you're already set up as an eTailer.

So what categories are going to be the big money makers?  Luxury goods and fashion.

As retailers, and eTailers, begin to utilize new technology such as 3D imaging that will allow customers to virtually "try on" clothing before buying it and other multimedia page designs that incorporate video to better showcase product, you can expect sales numbers to soar.

Let's face it, we're living in a Web 2.0 world now - shouldn't our fashion be 2.0 as well?  I certainly think so.  To me, the sheer simplicity of sitting down at my desk, drinking a cup of coffee, and clicking through a virtual showroom of fashion is simply fabulous.  See something I like, point, click, and check out.  It's at my doorstep within a few days.  No waiting in line at a checkout, and no dealing with the unsupervised, noisy teenagers running around the mall. 

"What if I need to talk to a sales person?"

It's a legitimate question.  But I'll bet you've noticed more and more of your favorite stores offering the option of "live chat."  Having used the "live chat" option on a number of occasions, I can say that I prefer that over picking up the phone - whether I'm purchasing clothing or paying my utility bill.

So, it begs the question, with all the new software available, how do we, as eTailers, stay competitve?  How do we close the sale instead of our competition?

It's simpler than it seems.  Keep it simple. Don't over complicate things.  Make your product offerings to the point and display them well.  Make your website appealing with clean lines and limited flash. Above all, invest in some sort of monitoring software; nothing over invasive, but a software that will prompt your customer after they've been idle for 3 minutes or more.  Monitoring software can give a consumer that might be talking themselves out of completing the sale, the perfect nudge to help them complete it.

Tracking software can help you monitor your customers clicks and tell you what is working and what isn't; mid-to large-size firms can turn to firms like Coremetrics, WebTrends, or Ion Interactive.  If you're a small business, you can get the help for free through Google Analytics.

Finally, if you keep both an online and brick-and-mortar presence, make the shopping experience seamless, regardless of where they make their purchase.  As Home Depot found out not so long ago, it makes no sense to offer items online that you don't offer offline; it only serves to confuse your customer and skew your brand identity.

We've all watched a music video and seen a clothing item or handbag that we really wanted; now GET Interactive makes it as easy to "get" as the push of a button or the click of a mouse.

Similar to Seenon.com, television's answer to their "gotta have it" viewers, GET Interactive has signed content deals with Universal Music Group and Sega of America, to sell the products that are gracing the bodies of music video stars.  With Ad-Venture technology, viewers watching a video on the Internet or their cell phone will have the option of opening a new window to peruse still images and shop for products tagged with a GET Shop Spot.

This is seriously one of the coolest advertising techniques I've seen in a long time.  Imagine watching a video on your office computer; you catch a glimpse of the earrings the singer is wearing.  Just gotta have 'em? Click the "Get Stuff Now" button and flip through images from the video.  Anything that is available for purchase is labeled with a little black and white swirl; move your mouse over the icon, and a small window with the retailer and product information will pop up.  It's so easy!!

CEO Rick Harrison sees the companies future as so bright that they'ry gonna have to wear shades - designer shades that is.  Why? Because they're not trying to "force" advertising in the consumer's face.  Instead, their advertising does the consumer a service by delivering content they want, and in turn, doing retailers a favor by delivering primed-and-ready shoppers, chomping at the bit to pull out their wallets.  In Harrison's eyes, it's a win-win-situation.

And he's right.  "Our opt-in platform really opens up the door for brands to deliver compelling brand interaction with a very targeted consumer."  As an apparel retailer, how much would you pay for advertising if you knew that the only people clicking through to your store were ready to buy your product?  Can you even put a price on that?  Likely not.

Harrison doesn't see a cap on what they can incorporate in to the flagging either.  Of course, apparel, accessories, and cosmetics are the obvious popular choices.  But in the future, larger scale luxury items could be tagged as well.  With a future goal of partnering with as many premium content owners and developers in as many different entertainment arenas as possible, you could very well be seeing GET Interactive's content in college sports programming, TV shows, and movies - and you know what kind of advertising those events bring in.  Harrison is currently working on customizing the program specifically for cable providers; consumers would have a set-top box that would allow them the chance to shop.

So for all of you retailers out there that are looking for a great new way to advertise, I'd suggest checking out GET Interactive.  According to their website they are able to:

• identify your product or brand in a video
• develop creative to promote that brand or product
• link creative to your preferred ecommerce platform or other destination
• give you detailed metrics for calculating ROI

So what are you waiting for?  Get on over to GET Interactive!

For those who are owners in the fashion industry, life just got a little sweeter.

Fashion Business Inc., also known as FBI, just launched a new, interactive blog last month with the idea that, no matter where you're located, if you're in the fashion business, you've got questions that need to be answered; some by experts, and others by your peers.  This is such a fantastic idea!  Create a pseud-social network, just for folks that are involved in the business end of the fashion industry.  No sure how to find good suppliers?  How about some ideas to get ready for a tradeshow?  Just ask, and it will be answered.

FBI Resource Centers along with their website and their business partners offer up professional development, mentoring, and business and management training to owners of apparel businesses.  Hosted by Randa Allen, the blog has a warm and witty personality to it.

FBI founder Frances Harder. "We want the blog to speak in a voice that is coming from someone who gets the up's and downs associated with this industry. "Since founding the FBI in 1999 it has become increasingly apparent that there is a real need for apparel business development. We receive an endless amount of emails from around the world, inquiring about where to go for help," says Harder. "The FBI has developed the right connections and consultants who are willing to give back and help answer these many inquiries. Many of our members have also walked the walk and can talk the talk to assist others," she explains.

If you're an owner in the apparel industry, it would behoove you to head over to the FBI blog and check it out.  Don't pass up the opportunity to get your hands on loads of free advice - and maybe even give some too!