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WE buy
music over the ether, try on clothes from across the
globe and pick pizza with our PDAs. According to a
Nielsen survey, more than 875 million people worldwide
have shopped online—a 40-percent increase in just two
years. In the US, online retail is even defying the
gloomy economic forecast, with cyber sales expected to
rise 17 percent this year to $204 billion—and apparel
leading all categories at $26.6 billion, according to
Forrester Research.
With the
information superhighway on its way to becoming as
crowded as a freeway at drive time, even the savviest
shopper needs to know how to compete. So to help you
beat the masses to the merchandise, we’ve gathered a few
tips about when to wake up, how misspellings can help
and why not to pay for expedited shipping. Below are
some pointers from online apparel e-tailers we
frequently visit.
Brooks
Brothers: brooksbrothers.com
BROOKS
is one of many retailers that uses the Web as a testing
ground, so sharp shoppers will find new prints, fits and
even new pieces (that’s how the brand’s slim-fit boxer
made it to store shelves).
Men’s
and women’s clothing and accessories go on sale in June
and December and are marked down further in July and
January. But everything remains in the site’s clearance
section (even the stuff from stores) through the entire
next season.
Bluefly:
bluefly.com
SET your
alarm clock and brew some coffee, because hard-core fans
of this site, which serves up discounted designer goods
from the likes of Tory Burch, Vivienne Tam and Michael
Kors, know that 250 new items are posted at precisely
3:31 am PDT every morning. And limber up that clicking
finger, because really hot items can sell out in just a
few hours.
It might
also help to mark your calendar; the entire web site
gets updated once a week, typically Wednesday mornings.
That means all seasonal launches will happen on
Wednesdays, too (and usually in the first week of the
month). For exact dates and other updates, including
what designers are coming, sign up for e-mail blasts.
eBay:
www.ebay.com
ONCE
you’ve found your prey, the best way to improve your
odds at this online auction site is to look for listings
that expire at odd hours (think rush hour, dinner time
or the wee small hours of the night), when your
competitors are likely to be off their game. Also, shop
on Sundays. They tend to be lightly shopped, and
auctions that end on Sunday mornings and afternoons
often wrap up at a lower value than at other times.
And
don’t be afraid to search the site for “Tom Frod”
sunglasses or a vintage “Marymekko” dress. Failure to
spell-check could mean failure to find for most
prospective buyers—and that could mean a bargain find
for the sleuth.
Gap:
www.gap.com,
www.bananarepublic.com, www.oldnavy.com,
www.piperlime.com
GAP
Inc.’s sites are among the busiest on the Web, so
signing up for e-mail alerts is crucial for staying
ahead when it comes to new collections, sales and
special events (you can do this from the home page of
each site). The company sites are also a good way to get
a gander at new a product that hasn’t hit stores yet
(new merchandise generally hits the Web a few days
before it appears on shelves—head for the “New Arrivals”
section).
The Web
also levels the playing field for customers who want
limited-edition pieces that will physically roll out
only to select doors (like the Gap Design Editions
collection of white shirts, which recently hit only 50
Gap stores, and Banana’s upscale Monogram collection,
which will be in only a dozen brick-and-mortar stores).
Gilt
Groupe: www.gilt.com
THE best
way to score those deeply discounted Dolce & Gabbana
pumps or that John Varvatos jacket when you’re battling
it out at this 36-hour, members-only online sample sale,
with goods up to 75-percent off, is to hop on board
early.
If
you’re not quick on the draw and the item you want has
already sold out or is languishing in another’s shopping
cart, you can click the “waitlist” button. If another
shopper gets cold feet—or if Gilt obtains more inventory
after the sale has ended—you will be alerted by e-mail.
Haute
Look: hautelook.com
THIS
LA-based site runs 12- to 48-hour private sales when
designer goods go for as much as 50-percent off retail
(recent brands include LaROK, Ya-Ya Designs and
Revolver), so you’ll need to sign up before you can
start shopping—which happens promptly at 8 am PDT the
day of the sale (usually ending at 11 pm the same day).
Signing up for the e-mail blast means you’ll get a
five-minute warning shot before the start. To plan the
next week of e-tailing, scroll through the site to see
what brands are on tap.
And keep
an eye on the clock: Once you’ve added an item to your
shopping cart, the purchase must be completed within 15
minutes or it will be released into the wild.
Intuition
Subscribe to the “Intuition Insider” e-mail blast and
the online outpost of this Los Angeles boutique will
give you real-time info on which starlet’s wearing what,
what the trends are—and how much it will cost you. “We
do those in the middle of the night if we have to be the
first to get the word out about black latex leggings
being the must-have,” says Intuition owner Jaye Hersh.
“We try to be the first to talk about a trend.”
Although
the site updates new merchandise 24/7, Tuesday is the
best day to revisit the site. “Monday night we clean up
the inventory from the weekend, and Tuesday morning the
bulk of the new stuff has gone up.”
J. Crew:
www.jcrew.com
ONE
shopper’s return can be another’s reward—every day of
the week. The J. Crew site is updated each morning with
merchandise that has been returned. So if that T-shirt
you want happens to be MIA on the first pass, there’s
always a chance one will be repatriated overnight.
Failing that, you can use the “We’ll Find It for You”
service to help track it down at the brick-and-mortar
stores.
The Crew
crew uses the unlimited real estate of cyberspace to
serve up additional shoe sizes (as small as a
five-and-a-half and as large as a 12), clothing at both
ends of the size ranges and a choice of exclusive
products across the board from women’s tops to men’s
jackets and even an online-only bridal collection.
Net-a-Porter: www.net-a-porter.com
This
UK-based site, which boasts designers such as Stella
McCartney, Christian Lacroix and Roberto Cavalli,
uploads about 200 new products first thing Wednesday
mornings,
London
time. Spring merchandise starts hitting the site in
December, and fall starts showing up as early as June.
Shopbop:
www.shopbop.com
THIS
popular site for contemporary women’s clothing (think
Juicy Couture and Diane von Furstenberg) updates its
inventory every morning at 6 am EDT, with e-mail blasts
going out to subscribers the night before. n |
