And Now, An Exclusive Shopping Network
After invitation only social networks, its the turn of invitation-only shopping communities, where an invite from a current member is needed to get access. As GigaOm notes, the team at Ideeli have already raised $3.8 million in funding.
Maintaining exclusivity in membership would attract designer labels which would not like to be seen in just any place over the web, but would still want the ecommerce potential of the internet.
The website offers luxury goods such as clutches and bags from high end designers at discounts of between 50-to-90 percent. Ideeli sends out the members an email every week letting them know what products are going to go on sale in the coming week.
Then, every day a single such product (or brand) goes on sale, and the date and time of the sale is kept a secret. The members of Ideeli are sent an SMS alert or an email when the products go on sale, making this a mix of Web, mobile community and commerce.
Paid members get a one hour head start over the free members.
As the Internet develops, surprisingly, or perhaps not, pockets of exclusivity seem to be gaining emphasis.
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- Showcase Your Creativity, Get Voted And Earn Money
- Amazon Launches Text-Message Shopping
- For Shopping, Asia Pacific Goes Online
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Filed under: Digital culture, Ideas & Innovations, Website Alert
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