Buying the most expensive handbag or the most expensive TV set used to be a reason to be proud of oneself, but the market (or life) has changed, and shopping buffs are no longer keen to find the most expensive product, but a product whose price has been cut drastically – a luxury item at a discount. ”Welcome to the club! Ooh la la!” is the greeting that members of the RueLaLa club get when they are finally accepted into the online world of discounted luxury brands. RueLaLa is one of the online clubs where members have access to designer products at a discount.
A customer used to exclusive products finds it hard to let go of such habits, but if their shopping budgets have somewhat diminished, and if peer pressure also comes into play for some people, who are too embarrassed to be seen leaving a store laden with carrier bags, the luxury show moves onto the Internet. Net-a-porter.com, a website which sells luxury products, is launching TheOutnet. com in April, the discounted product option. Standing by her principle, that ”quality fashion is never outdated”, the owner of Net-a-Porter, Natalie Massenet, a former fashion journalist, has thought up a virtual outlet, which features products from older collections of luxury brands.
Massenet says the brand selection will be made according to the same criteria as in the case of the website, with Diane von Furstenberg dresses, Chloé jeans and Louboutin shoes to be available at a percentage of their original price. After nine years in business, Net-a- Porter has become one of the websites that have changed the way in which luxury fashion is sold, bringing catwalk collections directly into its virtual shop window, so that potential buyers will no longer have to wait six months before the products hit the stores. With two million users per month and an over 200-strong brand portfolio, Net-aporter. com ended 2008 with a 55.2 millionpound (almost 70 million-euro) turnover, 67% more than in 2007. TheOutnet.com will be one of the few luxury online stores with discounted products where access is free; up until now, such websites provided access only based on invitations.