Today Wayfair is launching a flash sales site, Daily Fair, to sit within its main website.
FORBES: Flash Sales Work: Wayfair, The $600 Million Ecommerce Behemoth, Launches Daily Fair
Gilt Groupe competition in the space of flash sales has grown rapidly in the past few years.
FORBES: Gilt Groupe Launches Editorial Site For Men, Competes With Amazon
It has much more in common with flash sales sites like Fab than e-commerce mainstays like Amazon.
Flash sales pioneer Gilt Groupe is expanding into traditional retail: Its new men's line includes only full-price items.
Following the well-trodden flash sales model, 72-hour sales debut each day at noon with an email to members.
FORBES: Flash Sales Work: Wayfair, The $600 Million Ecommerce Behemoth, Launches Daily Fair
Flash sales are apparently the next big thing for car company marketing gimmicks.
Not to be outdone, brick-and-mortar retailers are hosting flash sales of their own.
FORBES: Holiday Shopping Trends: Making A List And Checking In Twice
While Groupon and LivingSocial have gotten much attention for their local deals services, flash sales have also been growing fast.
FORBES: Gilt Groupe Raises $138 Million Led By Japan's Softbank
The flash sales site for home goods offers up to 70% off retail on home decor, furnishings, accessories and gifts.
FORBES: Marissa's Babies: Yahoo's Chief Is Backing A Slew Of Startups
But Sneakpeeq is not for unloading excess inventory at a big discount, in the way that some flash sales sites operate.
Redfin chief executive Glenn Kelman says his agents are reporting flash sales, month-to-month price markups, and instant home flips in recent months.
FORBES: Homes Sales Begin To Slip As Buyer Demand Outpaces Supply
With the uncertain economy still weighing heavily on the minds of shoppers, time-based flash sales offer steep discounts for both online and offline shoppers.
FORBES: Holiday Shopping Trends: Making A List And Checking In Twice
On Tuesday, Saks will put its finger directly on the pulse of one of the most thrilling e-commerce experiences since the online auction: flash sales.
FORBES: Saks Slides Into Competitive Position With Its New Dedicated Flash Sale Site
Hotels that are racing to fill up their remaining rooms will often woo travellers with mobile-only flash sales, typically discounting rates 10% to 40% from other online sites.
For merchants, the prospect of selling on Wantful is much better than selling on, say, a flash sales site, which typically sells at a heavy discount.
FORBES: This Black Friday, Wantful Says Forget The Mall And Forget Gift Cards
Unlike in offline retail, promotional activity online has been more aggressive this year than in years past, with broader free shipping and flash sales offerings, among others.
FORBES: Spike in Online Commerce Points to Good 2011 for AMZN, GOOG, EBAY
In any case, unlike the private sale travel sites which are by invitation only, you can simply sign up now to receive the info on flash sales.
In 2010, when online e-tailer Shangpin switched from being just a me-too discounter of end of season fashions to limited time, flash sales, revenue grew 20 times year-over-year.
FORBES: Apparently, China's Online Fashionistas Actually Like To Pay Full Retail Price
The section offers Groupon-esque flash sales for vacation home rentals.
Then, with the advent of the newest trends in e-commerce such as flash sales websites, personal subscriptions, and collaborative consumption, virtual shopping became just as overwhelming and complicated as real life shopping.
FORBES: Gentology: The Celebrity Curated E-Commerce Just For Guys
While need-based consumers head to Amazon, Google or Wayfair in search of a particular item, impulse buyers browse the daily offerings of flash sales sites as much for entertainment as need.
FORBES: Flash Sales Work: Wayfair, The $600 Million Ecommerce Behemoth, Launches Daily Fair
International fashion retailers are rushing to set up virtual shops in China, providing competition to domestic players like tiny Shangpin and larger, Nasdaq NYSE-listed VIPshop, which uses flash sales to move midpriced apparel.
FORBES: Suited-Up Online: Why China's Fashionista Websites Aim High (And Low)
Flash sales have been especially popular on Facebook.
FORBES: What Is Facebook's Future As An E-commerce Platform?
Today Gilt Taste went live with their wine sale page, which features a combination of expert reviews, the sales of carefully selected wines they think are special, and flash sales similar to those on their travel site.
For companies and brands looking to attract a large number of new customers, Groupon and similar flash sales may seem like a tremendous value, but how a company converts those deal-seeking customers into brand loyal customers is critical.
FORBES: 7 Tips for Building Brand Loyalty in a Discount Obsessed Market
FORBES: Holiday Shopping Trends: Making A List And Checking In Twice
In fact, design flash sales site Fab.com found that more than 50% of its sales from Black Friday through Cyber Monday came from people who joined via social sources, with half of that coming from people who joined the site through Facebook.
FORBES: Flash Sales Work: Wayfair, The $600 Million Ecommerce Behemoth, Launches Daily Fair
Large corporate entities like AOL, Cox, eBay, Gannett are offering their own daily deals to their existing users, as are smaller companies that have a base in an industry like Zagat, OpenTable, Yelp, TravelZoo, and even Gilt Groupe. (Flash sales are actually different than daily deals, so they have Gilt City).
Steam's heavily discounted fall sale is entering its last day and will be updating with surprise "flash" sales throughout the day.
应用推荐