The Web
Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 2/1/2001
Retailer Resources
Overcoffee Productions developed Gift Library, a data exchange service for manufacturers and retailers in the gifts and collectibles industry. Manufacturers provide digital photography and product information at http://library.overcoffee.com. From there it can be downloaded for use on retailers' own Web sites. Product information includes suggested retail prices, SKU numbers, dimensions, specific product line names, and production run details. The Gift Library has a password-protected database area for each manufacturer, so only their approved retailers, distributors, rep groups, and media contacts can access it. These contacts will be notified when information is updated. Visit www.overcoffee.com.
NewCrossings.com is an e-hub for the home goods and apparel industries. The site offers free Web pages for retailers whose customers are interested in home goods related to adventure, travel, culture, and art, or who have a commitment to accurate research and a scientific approach to establishing the historical and cultural contest of art pieces, textiles, and manufacturing processes. Retailers supply their logos, a brief history of their stores, and selected items they want to display, up to five apparel and ten home goods. If the store does not have a URL, NewCrossings will assist the retailer in getting one, and will direct it to the store's home page in the site's Collections section. The NewCrossings fulfillment center ships the retailers' product together with consumer literature and information about the store. If you already have a site but not e-commerce, NewCrossings will link from your site to your NewCrossings.com home page. The site also offers partnering options for wholesalers, non-profits, publications, and affiliates. For more information, visit www.easternarcade.com.
ValueandSaveDirect.com is a localized e-commerce marketing and technology company. Rather than trying for a national market share that a small store probably can't sustain, local merchants sign up for the Quick Click Online Value Guide, which is mailed ten times per year to online consumers within ten miles of their businesses. The guide includes URLs of local merchants with discount coupons to be redeemed online or off. The company also offers Web site development and hosting, credit card processing, and localized banner ads. It will launch services in more than 15 metropolitan cities during the next 15 months, including Los Angeles, Miami, and Dallas.
Eversave.com Inc., an e-marketing company that connects shoppers with merchants in their own neighborhoods, allied itself with the local information site, Boston.com, a resource for finding information about Boston-area restaurants, stores, and services. The partnership is a co-branding arrangement, meaning that visitors will be able to use Eversave.com's coupons while remaining on the Boston.com site. Eversave.com also has a similar agreement with Pdxguide.com, an entertainment Web site based in Portland, OR, that gives users information on restaurants, movies, concerts, clubs, sports, and shopping, as well as maps and directions for Portland and the surrounding area. Eversave launched in January 2000, and is based in Woburn, MA. For more, see "The Web Gets Back To Basics," page 141 in the December 2000 issue of Gifts & Dec.
Are you a high-end retailer? Do you want an online store as exquisite and exclusive as your clientele? If so, consider having your site designed by Boutique Y3K. Visit www.boutiquey3k.com for a sample of the company's aesthetic and to find out more about its services. Boutique Y3K has created one-of-a-kind Web shopping experiences for companies ranging from Versace to Nerve.com.
The National Trade Association offers Internet Magic, which uses a point-and-click control panel and Web page "wizard" to make page creation simple and speedy. The association also hosts Virtual Trade Show Booths in 59 different industries. There is a guaranteed 45,000 impressions per year, at a cost of $995 annually. For more information, call (847) 588-1818.
CIT Commercial Services, a unit of the CIT Group Inc., formed a strategic alliance with Cyber Merchants Exchange, doing business as C-ME.com, a business-to-business marketplace. CIT will establish pre-approved credit liners for buyers so they can easily and efficiently purchase product on the C-Me.com site. CIT also reached agreement with RetailExchange.com, a business-to-business excess consumer products marketplace. On RetailExchange.com, CIT will offer sellers the option of credit protection agreements. Buyers will also be eligible to establish a credit line with CIT free of charge.
Want to build consumer confidence that what they see is really what they get? Do you sell fashion or home accessories that consumers need to coordinate with clothing or home decor? If so, consider signing up for True Internet Color, a platform-independent, server-based solution to consistent online color. According to E-Color's research, visitors to e-color-corrected Web sites are three times more likely to purchase than visitors to non color-corrected sites, and were also three times more likely to buy again. For more information, visit www.ecolor.com.
Teens and tweens use the Internet in record numbers, but almost none of them can buy online, because they don't have credit cards. To reach this market, to reduce fraud, and to answer customer concerns about online credit card security, consider accepting eCash. ECash merchant software integrates with common back-office solutions as well as allowing you to accept all types of payments, even gift certificates and loyalty programs. Visit www.ecash.net for details.
Business-to-Business
Hautedecor.com offers high-design textiles, wall coverings, furniture, art, accessories, and gifts. The site serves design professionals, enthusiasts, students, and schools, as well as product manufacturers and showrooms. Members of the trade receive net pricing. The site partners with famous designers to create virtual rooms.
RetailExchange.com, a b-to-b exchange for excess consumer products, formed a strategic alliance with Freightquote.com to integrate Freightquote's logistics tools and shipping services into RetailExchange's marketplace. Buyers can view multiple carrier options and transportation modes, pick based on price, transit time, carrier, and availablity, and instantly schedule shipments.
Suppliers on the Web
TeddyBearWonderland.com offers collectible limited-edition mohair bears by the Marechal Company at wholesale prices to clients with a resale number.
Starlite Originals, manufacturer of Legends, Genesis, and Kitty's Critters sculptures, has partnered with its retailers to allow collectors to buy online. Visit www.legends4you.com to find out how to become a dealer or Web affiliate.
Papel Giftware, Monroe Township, NJ, launched its redesigned Web site, www.papelgiftware.com. The new site contains Annette Funicello and her collectible teddy bears, everyday and seasonal collections, the Windsor Bears of Cranbury Commons, "News from the Homefront," and a special feature entitled "Spotlight Collection of the Month." The site will be updated every month with new collections, news releases, and announcements of upcoming events.
Racing Champions Ertl, manufacturer of collectible die-cast vehicles, launched www.rcertl.com. The site features history, product information on all of the company's lines, and a classified ad section geared to the secondary market.
Artist Donald Zolan launched a new site featuring his artwork and the array of licensed products on which it appears. The site will conduct licensing business as well as sell licensed products. Visit www.zolan.com.
The Nu-Era Inc., a retail fixture and supply provider, launched a co-branded Web site with London-based DZD Blyco Display. The site, uknu-era.co.uk, is the first of three foreign sites to join Nu-Era's Web Group. Partnered sites in China and Taiwan are expected to go live soon.
