online luxury designer resale boutique. Turn your items into cash or a charitable donation with our closets for causes program.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Friday, September 25, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Sunday, August 9, 2015
RESALE REALITY
What
would you say people’s perception of apparel consignment is? Do you
think that for the majority of people, consignment (that we like to call
resale) conjures up an image of years gone by when such a store
contained old, unwanted and used clothing that had a smell of grandma’s
attic? Or do you think life has moved on, and that people have now
caught onto the savvy way to buy designer and high quality brand items?
Here’s why we ask what you think:
We
recently participated in the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce's Sidewalk
Sale that supports the community in which consignista.com is based. As
an online consignment site we don't have a physical store anywhere, so
to say "hello" to our customers (new and old) we hold fun shopping
events in chosen venues and thought Sidewalk Sale would be fun. At this
event we schlepped a large selection of our inventory to showcase the
fabulous things we have to offer to the shoppers that come from far and
wide to snag a deal.
Our
inventory generally comes from those who are financially fortunate and
who in some instances, elect to donate their percentage of a sale to
their desired charity or cause. This means that they are “giving back”
while allowing the rest of us to buy something we may not otherwise be
able to afford. Or, in some cases, where the item is no longer available
elsewhere but we have located that very item in someone’s closet. The
quality of our consigned items have been referred to on many occasions
as “sample sale quality”. We are exceptionally lucky about
where we obtain our stream of consigned items, they are either new still
with the tags, or have been worn a couple of times, where there is no
evidence of wear whatsoever. Whichever way, we have OCD where quality of
merchandize is concerned; but let’s get back to the subject at hand,
why do we want to know what you think about people's views on resale?
From
our experience, people either love resale or don't. One such example
was a woman who was collating a pile of children’s Graphic Ts at
Sidewalk Sale all priced at $4.00 each. Some of these Ts had never been
worn, while the others had no signs of wear whatsoever. She seemed
content with her pending purchases, when someone she was with, strolled
up to her and said in a disapproving tone, “Did you know this is consignment?”. She instantly put the Ts back. Her friend then said “You would never know though would you?”. As ridiculous as the statements they made may sound, it is true.
On
the other hand, we had shoppers coming back three times in one day
because they couldn’t get over the quality and price of the merchandize
we had to offer at the Sidewalk Sale, they just couldn’t resist a
bargain. These shoppers had arms full of clothes to try on and were
thrilled to have items fit, look great and not break the bank when they
paid for them!
It
does take all sorts to make the world go round, we know, but we find
it’s such an interestingly stark difference in reaction – there doesn’t
seem to be much middle ground when it comes to resale.
But
here’s what we think is the reality; whatever you wear, no-one knows
where you bought it from. Who wants to be the one to pay over the odds
to the tune of $155 for Kate Spade Meada Bag
that retails at $295.00 when you can buy the same bag from us, brand
new for $140? We know what makes sense to us - do you? Now that sounds
like a challenge!
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Friday, July 3, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
'Til Death Do Us Part
OK
so maybe the title of this blog is a little dramatic but we want to
hear from you - do you think there is such a thing as online customer
loyalty?
We were asked recently "So, what's your attrition rate?"
and we sat back and thought about this and it posed the question, how
loyal are online customers? We are not talking about shopping at a
department store or your favorite kids boutique that is online, more the
anyoldname.com site that sells apparel. What makes someone come back to
a particular website time and time again?
Do
you think that the avid online shopper is just looking for a particular
item that if they find cheaper elsewhere they will make that purchase?
What would you do if skechers.com is selling those twinkle toes sneakers
for $42.99 when amazon.com is selling the exact same pair at a price of
$37.99? And what about free shipping? Does that influence someone's
decision to make a purchase? And how about customer reviews - do they
count? So many questions we know but definitely ones that give food for
thought.
The
online business is a highly competitive beast. Trust us, ecommerce is
not for the faint hearted. So while this blog is a short and sweet one,
and thankfully our attrition rate is not high, what's your view? Are you
a loyal online shopper? If so, why?
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
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