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THE EARLY-BIRD DEAL
Oprah Magazine, April Issue by Jasmine Chang
Enjoy the cheap chic of a sample sale without the sharp-elbowed frenzy. Ideeli.com sells incredible accessories, available for a limited time, at sample sale prices-like this $2,390 Oscar de la Renta python-y-suede satchel (below) that can be yours for $795 in mid-March. Alerts are sent to your cell phone so you know when to log on; to get tipped off to sales an hour earlier than those with the no-cost basic membership, you can purchase a $7.99 First Row upgrade, which also allows you to compete in weekly giveaways. Although the site is invitation-only, O readers can join by just entering the code "Oprah" on the home page.
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LUXURY FOR LESS
February 11, 2008 by Nydia Han
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/special_reports&id=5950063
In these tough economic times, families are tightening their budgets but shoppers still covet designer labels. We've found a way you can get designer items at a fraction of the price without having to fight off other shoppers, at least not in person.
Mary Cannon's closet in New Hope, Bucks County looks like a designer showroom.
"This is Chaiken." Mary said. "The designer is Erin Snow, Alessandro Del 'Acqua."
But Mary does not pay designer prices and neither should you. Action News has learned how you can get a $625 Vivienne Tam dress for $198, $295 Gucci sunglasses for $99 and a $1300 Prada handbag for free!
"They have everything shoes, bags, dresses, casuals, sweaters, literally they have had everything," Mary said.
"We work directly with the brands and we choose items that we know our members will really love."
Members of ideeli.com also love the selection.
"There's nowhere else you can go where you can get these kinds of discounts on these kinds of items," said Danielle Fitch of Glassboro, New Jersey.
"People can expect to get 40 to 75-percent or more off the original price," said Paul Hurley, ideeli's CEO.
Like gilt, ideeli offers free memberships to shop on its website but ideeli also offers a paid membership, called a first floor membership for $7.99/month.
"As a first floor member you get notifications before anybody else."
Ideeli keeps the start times of sales a secret unless you're a first floor member, then you'll be alerted to start times via a text message on your cell phone. And only first floor members are eligible for giveaways, like a free Jimmy Choo bag, free Burberry hat and free Oscar de la Renta clutch.
And both ideeli and gilt deal directly with the brands which means they guarantee authenticity and the merchandise is current.
Unlike at traditional sample sales you can get merchandise on gilt and ideeli that are in season and all the merchandise is new, free from defects and irregularities.
But both sites do have a couple of catches.
"You have to get there right at the start of the sale, items move very, very quickly."
And both are exclusive clubs, memberships to gilt and ideeli are by invitation only! In order to shop you have to be invited by someone who's already a member.
SPECIAL INVITATIONS
Action News has negotiated with gilt and ideeli to offer special memberships exclusively to our viewers for the next week, through February 17th.
Here's what you do:
For ideeli:
Click HERE and put in the promotion code WPVI.
Again, this is a special deal exclusive only to our viewers and its only good through February 17th.
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IDEELI.COM: SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR LUXE SET
December 21, 2007 by Sharon Edelson
http://www.wwd.com/issue/article/121089
NEW YORK — Social networking Web sites popular among the young and affluent have made some luxury brands feel out of step. Ideeli.com, a cross between YouTube or Facebook and Net-a-porter.com, was developed for those labels.
The Web site, which is promoted as "a members-only shopping community for trendsetting women," offers in-season and past-season luxury products at discounts of 50 to 90 percent, as well as weekly giveaways.
The idea is about subliminal marketing and captive audiences. Here's how it works: Ideeli.com members get a text message or e-mail that a sale or contest is about to begin. That's the bait. Before they can win or buy anything, however, they must read some carefully crafted copy about the brand. Oscar de la Renta, Jimmy Choo, Burberry and Prada — they're the hook — are among the labels that pay a fee and have used or are now using Ideeli.com to reach customers.
Consumers who participate are prompted to spread the word, sharing information much as they do on YouTube or Facebook.
"We found that there is a real need for [luxury brands] to respond to the rise of social media and manage how they're perceived online," said Ideeli.com founder and chief executive officer Paul Hurley. "The core customer for all the top luxury brands is spending more time online than less-affluent customers. They're using their peers' opinions to help form opinions about what they like and don't like. [Brands] need to engage this audience. Technology has made this more powerful."
While "everybody knows the top brands," Hurley said, recognizing a luxury name and knowing a brand intimately are two different things, and when it comes to high-end products, subtle design nuances and details can inspire loyalty. "How do you get an affluent customer who is time-starved to understand the key details of a new collection and how they're different from competition," Hurley said. The site is also being used by brands to drive traffic to stores.
Ideeli.com, which had a soft launch in May, in December received $3.8 million in funding from Kodiak Ventures and angel investors. The site has more than 10,000 members, which Hurley said will rise dramatically in the first quarter.
Premium subscriptions entitle a member to shop sale items for one hour before all other members, and be notified of a sale or giveaway via text message. The cost is $7.99 per month. Standard memberships are free, but consumers quickly learn that if they want to get in on a sale or win a freebie, they'll need that premium upgrade. "We use the metaphor of a private sale to capture attention," Hurley said. "Members can go to the Coming Soon section to see a list of sales, but don't know when they will start."
"We want to maintain the image of scarcity," Hurley said. "Things sell out very rapidly and we make sure we generate more demand than we actually have."
Baccarat has participated in three giveaways on Ideeli.com. "We wanted to introduce our jewelry in a new media setting,'' said Jaime Jimenez, director of public relations at Baccarat North America. "Social Web sites reach luxury buyers and they get engaged in the broader picture of the brand. We have a link on Ideeli.com to our new ad campaign [photographed] by Ellen von Unwerth. A lot of consumers check out the jewelry we're giving away and then check out the campaign and get more involved with the brand. We're reaching a younger customer who may not be saying, 'I've got to walk into Baccarat and buy 12 [crystal] stems.'"
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IDEELI BAGS $3.8M
December 18 2007 by April Kilcrease
http://www.redherring.com/Home/23336
Online shopping site ideeli aims to attract luxury brands by only letting a select group of women through its virtual red rope.
"We want to make sure that our core audience appeals to our brands and advertisers," said CEO Paul Hurley.
This means women who are willing to drop $995 on an Oscar de la Renta purse but who are probably even more excited to score that clutch for $259 during one of the site's sales.
The invitation-only web site isn't turning away investors, though. The startup on Monday said it grabbed $3.8 million in its first round of funding from Kodiak Ventures and angel investors.
Given the success of French members-only e-commerce site Vente Privée and invite-only Gilt Groupe's recent funding announcement, a snobbish trend seems to be emerging.
"I think that it [invite-only membership] can work both ways. It can create an environment that appears exclusive and appeals to a certain group of customers," said Patti Freeman Evans, a senior analyst at JupiterResearch. However, restricting membership can stunt a site's growth and keep it from reaching critical mass.
"It's sort of like having a restaurant without a name on the door," said Ms. Evans, who has yet to receive an ideeli invitation. "If you become hot, it's okay. If not, it's not so good."
If you're deemed worthy of a membership, the New York City-based startup offers women's luxury accessories at 50 to 90 percent discounts, plus weekly giveaways. Similar to competitor Gilt Groupe, items are available for only a limited amount of time. Unlike Gilt Groupe, sales center on a specific item, like a Jimmy Choo bag or Burberry bracelets, rather than a sampling of items from a specific designer.
The limited sale times help the site maintain the sense of scarcity that is important to luxury brands' cache, said Mr. Hurley.
Members can drool over the upcoming sale items in the preview section, but in an effort to further amp up excitement, the site keeps sale start times secret. Those who sign up for the free membership receive email notifications when sales begin. For $7.99 per month, premium members receive sale notifications via cell phone text messages and are granted access to sales an hour early.
"We're changing office behavior," an ideeli representative said. "People are bringing their cell phones into meetings because they don't want to miss the text message."
Ideeli's blended business model of social shopping, premium subscription, e-commerce, and advertising made it an attractive investment, said Chip Meakem, general partner at Kodiak Ventures.
"There's a certain gaming quality to it," Mr. Meakem said. "Users love it."
The site has attracted more than 10,000 members since its test launch in May. And although the company claims rapid viral growth over the last several weeks, it does plan to temper growth based on the number of products available. Besides, it wouldn't want to ruin things by letting just anyone in.
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CNN AMERICAN MORNING
December 17, 2007 by Veronica de la Cruz
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2007/12/17/de.la.cruz.luxury.holiday.shopping.cnn
MARCIANO: Welcome back. Only eight more shopping days until Christmas and if you have a few luxury items left on your list, well, our Veronica de la Cruz has some interesting web sites to help us get the goods and get them out on time.
DE LA CRUZ: Good morning to you. Do you know woot.com?
MARCIANO: Woot?
DE LA CRUZ: Woot.com. Do you know woot? It's something entirely different. Woot.com is a web site that puts one item on sale cheaply for 24 hours. That's it, you got 24 hours. You want to think woot.com before these big ticket designer items. This site is called deeli.com and it launched today. It described itself as a red rope online shopping community. It offers members a chance to buy heavily discounted luxury items. You want to think Prada. Christian Dior, Jimmy Choo, and you have to think of it as shopping as a sport. Because, you've got to be really quick. These deals are apparently so good, they can sell out in a matter of hours and you can have the sale alert sent to your cell phone. Membership is free but if you are willing to cough up this 7.99 a month for this so called first row membership, you can get those alert an hour before anyone else does.
There are also certain first row member only deals, Now, if you're not interested in these luxury goods. Then here's another web site. It might help you save. You want to check out priceprotectr.com. The theory behind this side, lots of stores offer price protection policies. If the price drops, then they'll refund the difference. You just have to watch the prices. Price protectr does that for you. The site lets you enter your past purchases and the store that you bought them from. If the price drops within the protection period which is usually about 30 days and then you'll receive an e-mail The site monitors 72 stores including amazon, the Apple Store, Best buy and Sears.
And once again, those web sites are deeli.com, that's spelled I- d-e-e-l-I, that's the one for luxury goods. Priceprotectr.com, you want to drop the e before the last r. So some good web tips there.
CHETRY: Cool, I just looked up woot because you just mentioned it. There is one item and they only do one item.
DE LA CRUZ: Which one was it?
CHETRY: It's a Kodak digital camera and printer for $150. And it's the only item on this website.
DE LA CRUZ: I was thinking of buying. $150.
CHETRY: The only item on this web site.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. One for 24 hours, that's it. That's all you got.
MARCIANO: And the stuff is real. I assume, I mean, if you're buying Prada, you spend...
DE LA CRUZ: What kind of question is that?
MARCIANO: All right. Thanks, Veronica. I just wanted to make sure that's why I ask those questions.
CHETRY: We're going to take a quick break. We're going to get a final check of our quick vote. We were asking people about whether or not they're mailing holiday card this year. We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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A QUICKER RESORT THIS YEAR TO DEEP DISCOUNTING
December 17, 2007 by Bob Tedeschi
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/technology/17ecom.html?ref=business
KMART made a generation of bargain hunters react like starving dogs to a ringing bell. Now Internet companies want to bring the blue-light special to the cellphone — only this time, the bells are text messages telling shoppers that Valentino clutches, Christian Dior sunglasses and other luxury items are selling at more than 50 percent off.
That is the concept behind Ideeli, a Web site that will officially be introduced Monday, offering members a chance to buy heavily discounted luxury items — as long as they are quick enough. Some items sell out within hours.
Ideeli is partly shopping as sport, but it also speaks to the nervousness of retailers this holiday season. Because of economic fears linked especially to the subprime mortgage trouble, retailers and brand producers scaled back their inventories with early holiday promotions last month amid concern that consumers planned to spend less.
That has proved to be a boon to sites like the online liquidator Overstock.com, Bluefly and others that sell highly discounted products — what is known in retailing as "distressed inventory."
For online shoppers, this has meant deals on items that are rarely discounted until after Christmas, if at all, and deeper discounts on other goods that would have sold out at higher prices in previous years. And although the prices on some items may still be beyond the ability of straitened shoppers, they could make other gift givers look like heroes.
Bluefly.com, which also sells discounted apparel and accessories from upscale brands, has had an easier time finding inventory this year than in the past, said Melissa Payner, its chief executive.
Although she declined to name specific brands for fear of offending the luxury manufacturers she counts on as suppliers, Ms. Payner said that the flow of designer handbags has been so strong that the site has been sending e-mail messages to its customers twice a week to promote new bags. In years past, Bluefly has not had enough stock in this category to justify a single e-mail promotion, she said. A quick check of the site on Sunday showed that brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Furla, Goldenbleu and Linea Pelle were being featured.
"We couldn't necessarily have gotten the selection in our designer handbag and accessory areas," Ms. Payner said. "You may have seen the same names there, but not the breadth or depth of assortment."
Patrick Byrne, chief executive of Overstock.com, said the supply of distressed goods "isn't just limited to apparel." Electronic goods and jewelry are also plentiful, with diamond necklaces flourishing on the site.
"Retailers in general had a terrible Columbus Day so they didn't reorder like they usually do," Mr. Byrne said. As a result, he said, manufacturers began offering him items in November, well before other years. That has put Overstock in the unusual position of carrying discounted products that were still available at full price at Macy's and Nordstrom.
Like Overstock and Bluefly, Ideeli works as a clearinghouse of sorts for goods that did not sell elsewhere at full price. And, like Bluefly, Ideeli limits itself to high-fashion goods. Unlike these other companies, though, Ideeli is focused squarely on women, and it does not operate like a typical retailer.
Users gain access to Ideeli through an invitation from the company or from existing members. (The company said it would open memberships until midnight Tuesday). The site sells just three or four products over the course of a week, which members can preview. They then stand by for e-mail or text messages saying when a specific product has gone on sale.
Then comes the rush. Over the roughly six months of testing the site, Ideeli's chief executive, Paul Hurley, said, items sell out within two hours, and sometimes within 10 minutes. "We're careful to maintain a sense of scarcity," Mr. Hurley said. "And women love this. There's a whole sort of game aspect to it."
Shoppers who want to increase their odds of scoring a bargain can pay $8 monthly to shop an hour earlier than general members. About 10 percent of the site's 10,000 current members do so.
There is, of course, a downside to scarcity. Because the site carries enough of a given item to satisfy only about 5 percent of the customer base, many customers will go away disappointed. But Sucharita Mulpuru, a retail analyst with Forrester Research, said the strategy is important for selling prominent luxury items. "This is a good way to drive a sense of urgency without diluting the marquee nature of the item," she said. "They're not just dumping everything on a site."
Ideeli just received $3.8 million in venture-capital financing from, among others, Kodiak Ventures, which also backed ChannelAdvisor and Groove Media. Those backers will not get rich selling four items a week in limited quantities. Next year, Ideeli plans to more aggressively sell advertising to brands that want to reach its fashion-conscious audience. Premium memberships can also be expected to increase revenue.
In introducing a site that helps apparel and accessory makers find a market for slower-selling items, Mr. Hurley's timing is good. He said he has seen many manufacturers "having a tougher time this year, so there's more product available."
Big offline liquidators, like Genco of Pittsburgh, said they too had seen subtle changes in the market. Robert Auray, president of Genco Marketplace, the company's liquidation division, said that while most categories had shown little change, retailers and manufacturers of apparel and consumer electronics were liquidating more goods than in years past. "Super-high-end brands are doing fine," he said, "but mass-affluent brands are having a tougher time, so more product is available than there was."
Mr. Auray, whose company sells more than $1 billion worth of distressed goods annually, said: "Retailers are getting more and more careful with buying, so they may be canceling orders. Everyone's a little nervous about the health of the consumer right now."
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IDEELI: IT'S WOOT.COM MEETS 'THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA'
December 16, 2007 by Caroline McCarthy
http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9834604-36.html
If you read that chick-lit classic Bergdorf Blondes (I'm proud to admit that I did), you'll probably recall the scene in which the shopaholic female protagonists hold a military-style planning session in advance of the legendary Chanel sample sale--a chance for them to snag the high-end designer goods at staggering discounts, the only caveat being that hundreds of other viciously competitive Manhattan women were also hoping to get their hands on the same stuff.
It was only a matter of time before that sort of upper-crust cutthroat shopping hit the Web.
Enter Ideeli (pronounced "ideally"), which debuted Monday after several months of soft-launch. Described as a "red-rope online shopping community," Ideeli is an invite-only site that hosts high-speed sales of luxury goods (so far, just accessories) at 50 to 90 percent discounts and keeps its members in the loop through e-mail and mobile alerts to let them know when a sale has started.
Quantities are limited and can sell out within minutes--if this sounds familiar, it's because it's a model pioneered by rapid-fire sale sites like Woot.com, which has built up an enviable cult following, and the girlier Delight.com.
But as the luxury market warms up to the Web, the Woot model is being applied to sites that are more Sex and the City than Star Trek. Following in the vein of "velvet rope" social networks like ASmallWorld (for the jet set) and Metrofunk (for the club set), Ideeli and similar sites like Gilt Groupe (which hosts high-end online sample sales), are invite-only.
Ideeli has some twists thrown in the mix, too. The site offers a paid "first row" membership ($7.99 per month) that enables mobile alerts and also allows for an hour of early access to sales.
It's obviously not for everyone. Even considering the discounted prices, these are still luxury goods, and hence typically cost a few hundred dollars at the minimum. Some pragmatic shopaholics aren't willing to plunk down that kind of cash without seeing the item in person, or with that kind of impulse-buying required. But some money types are banking on success: Ideeli announced Monday that it has secured $3.8 million in capital from Kodiak Ventures and a handful of angel investors.
Snobbish? Totally. But so are Apple fanboys, for the record. We also happen to have Ideeli invites available for readers: go to ideeli.com and use "cnet" as your invitation code.
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YOU'RE INVITED: IDEELI
April 17, 2008 by Michele Obi
http://www.myfashionlife.com/archives/2008/04/17/youre-invited-ideeli/
Hurry! Ideeli - the fast growing, private luxury fashion shopping site, are offering My Fashion Life readers the chance to join and take advantage of their brilliant discounts. At the moment invitations are currently closed, so this is an exclusive opportunity (and one not to be missed). Click here to sign up. This offer lasts for just 72 hours!
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GRYSON, OSCAR AT BELOW WHOLESALE!
April 16, 2008 by Kelly
http://www.bagsnob.com/2008/04/gryson_at_below_wholesale_pric.html
Our friends at Ideeli are offering a special code to Bag Snob readers, so that you can get in on these Gryson bags at ridiculously low prices. The Skye woven in Natural is only $420, and the Jasper in Navy Nylon is a mere $298. We love the Skye, and the woven detail is fabulous. I am considering the nylon Jasper as a gym bag; it is quite big at 21"W X 9"H, and for $298, why not? Ideeli is a private, invitation-only shopping site that sells luxury brands at clearance prices. Consider yourselves invited by Bag Snob to take advantage of this sale. If you're interested, go to the ideeli site (you must enter through this link to get in) and enter your e-mail address. Once you are in, click "The Latest" to see the Gryson selection. Let us know how you like it, and if you do, we will alert you to other sales. Update from Tina: Hi all, thanks for being patient, please copy and paste the code above. I also found some great Oscar bags coming up for sale :)
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IDEELI LUVS A. FASHIONISTA
April 11, 2008 by Alexis Stack
http://diaryofalabellover.typepad.com/cheese_sandwich_diaries/2008/04/ideeli-luvs-a-f.html
Hey my fellow fashionistas! Use the "labellover" code to join ideeli.com and gain free membership into a world where online sample sales with designer discounts of up to 90% are happening a few days a week. Upgrade your membership to "first row" for a paltry $7.99/month and get text message giveaways for fabulous designer handbags and accessories plus VIP access to the sales - because everyone knows that with samples sales, quantities are limited.
Invites will go fast so and I wont all my favorite divas to get first picks. :-) Once you join you can invite friends and get a $25 credit towards your first purchase. That is one ideeli deal if you ask me!
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WE ARE LIVING IN AN IDEELI WORLD AND I AM AN IDEELI GIRL
April 8, 2008 by Alexis Stack
http://diaryofalabellover.typepad.com/cheese_sandwich_diaries/2008/04/we-are-living-i.html
In my continuing search for exclusive sites with great designer deals, I have discovered a secret world of fashionistas, in which you have to receive an invitation to join and membership is not guaranteed. This site offers authentic designer goods at a 50-90% discount, and by "designer" I mean the coveted must haves: Prada, Kooba, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, etc.. not, dare I say it, "mall" brands.
Ideeli has two rows of membership: a premium membership which they call "first row" and a "2nd row" membership which is free. For a meager $7.99/month which is less than the cost of a manicure (I know don't I sound like one of those UNICEF commercials?) lol , you will get mobile phone alerts about sales and "giveaways" plus have the privilege of shopping early when a sale is going on. For me, I would upgrade my current membership just for the "giveaways" - where they send you a text letting you know what item they are giving away-for FREE. Of course supplies are limited and these sales/giveaways are definitely not for the those with no fashion stamina. True fashionistas will claw their way to get their hands on authentic merchandise at 70-90% off. Hail to Chanel! As a first row member, Ideeli functions like a couture utopia where everyone gets a chance to win because they keep a running tally of the "giveaway" winners so you can't win twice.
With regular email alerts updating you on the hot sales and what merchandise will be "coming soon" you don't want to be the only fashionista NOT in the know. Although membership isn't also open, Ideeli luvs A.Fashionista and has given me my own special code: labellover so my readers can join. Once you get in, forward to your friends and get rewarded with a $25 credit. They are so friendly they even have a facebook application! What are you waiting for?
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EXCLUSIVE SHOPPORTUNITY FOR UPTOWN SCOOP SUBSCRIBERS!
March 18, 2008 by Alice Bumgarner
Dear Subscriber, thanks to your loyalty and support, we now have thousands of readers across the country. And when you have tons of subscribers, retailers suddenly start offering you exclusive promotions, giveaways and discounts - like this one from the ultra-hot new site Ideeli.com. How cool is that?! Remember, at Uptown Scoop, we work hard to find out what's hip, hot and new on the Net – so you don't have to. Happy shopping!
You're not one to see other powerful women as "the enemy." Far from it. In your view of the lipstick jungle, you're all fierce, beautiful cats from the same den.
Unless, of course, you're at a sample sale.
Suddenly you turn into a tiger - jockeying for position, careful not | | | |
