Seasonal Online Retail Traffic Turns Sales
As reported last month, a spike in traffic to e-commerce sites was noted during the late spring/early summer period. Whether traffic would translate into sales was the unanswered question. Hard figures now confirm that the additional “eyeballs” did indeed turn into increased dollars.
U.S. e-commerce sales topped $10.2 billion in the second quarter of this year, a 24 percent increase over last year’s levels, according to data just in from the Department of Commerce. This also puts e-commerce over the magical 1 percent mark of all U.S. commerce for the first time. The quarter was the second-best recorded since the Census Bureau began releasing estimates of online sales in the fourth quarter of 1999. Only the fourth quarter of 2001, with $11.5 billion for the holiday season, saw more. Among the apparel winners were Nordstrom, Macy’s, International Male, delia*s, alloy.com and bluefly.com.
Supporting the Arts
New York-based iPLUGiN.com has produced a noteworthy Web site where viewers get to support artists they like. Artists (including fashion designers as well as musicians, filmmakers and fine artists) are given Fan Ratings based on support via comments, votes and page views.
At the end of each month, those with the most fan support win a top-billed feature article on the site and an e-store to sell their artistic creations. They can also gain access to major industry insiders and be featured at events.
The Web site is currently showing some pretty exciting new work. Melissa Kolbusz is among 14 fashion designers featured on the site so far—and one of only four who has taken advantage of the online shopping feature that permits sales of a collection direct to consumers.
“Reconciling her goal to create affordable fashion out of recyclable materials with her Industrial Design training will keep Kolbusz tinkering into the night. In the meantime, she flourishes by appealing to buyers who like an extra twist to their jewelry and a new way of viewing recycled materials,” says the author of the feature article posted on the site.
Kenmore Watson, iPLUGiN’s chief executive officer, thinks that several of the artists in the network will achieve popularity. “Everybody starts as raw talent. Our goal is to help the best artists rise to the top, while encouraging consumers to check out new artists’ products,” he says.
Site Review
When two Web-savvy, self-described “girls-in-the-know” found themselves unemployed as a result of the dot-com collapse, they didn’t sit idle for long. They pooled their resources to create one of the cooler, edgier online apparel stores we’ve seen, at www.badkittyclothes.com.
Based in Los Angeles, the site is well-designed, witty and fun to navigate. It’s categorized into “five lines of comfortable, flattering T-shirts and tank tops for the girl who does everything,” in the words of the home page, which further notes, “We believe in, and promote, Girl Power and invite you to flex your individuality.”
Smartly introduced, each of the moderately priced groupings is presented as though the creators were chatting directly to their audience: “Bad Kitty wear: Be a good girl, but a Bad Kitty with our line of eye-catching and figure flattering T-shirts and tanks. Slightly irreverent and eminently intriguing, Bad Kitty wear puts you where you want to be.”
“Hip Chick wear: Hip Chicks are girls who wear their clothes with attitude. They stand out, they shine. These shirts look great with jeans, shorts or skirts and stilettos. That’s what’s great about being a Hip Chick—they’re your rules.”
“Shining Symbols wear: Our shining symbol shirts have a star quality all their own. These eye-catching designs really work the room.”
“We know that women of all ages want to look sexy and have fun,” says Tina Ivanov, Bad Kitty co-founder. “Our aim is to allow women to express themselves, without feeling exposed.”
The site employs an appropriate amount of simple animations to enliven the viewer’s experience and uses the PayPal online payment system for quick, simplified consumerdirect shopping purchases. It also invites resellers to apply to carry their lines.
