Vente-privée.com – Revolutionizing Overstock’s Sales…

Vente-privée.com is THE site for private, invitation-only luxury close out sales. The sites offers daily new sales of renowned brands, such as Toni & Guy, Chantelle, Mattel, Yves Saint Laurent and others, covering almost all kind of products, from baby shoes, over exclusive household appliances, up to seductive women lingerie or Champagne.

According to an article published on buisnessweek.com (http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jan2008/gb20080111_222659.htm), the site sold an average of 40.000 items a day in the beginning of 2008, attracting more and more brands who would like to sell their leftover stocks on the website.
The article further explains the first mover advantage of vente-privée.com, which opened its virtual doors in 2001. Moreover it describes the fact that the internet site above all manages to be ahead of its competitors, due to its large investment in marketing and site presentation. Indeed the company pays very much attention to the trailer clips, notifying its customers of upcoming sales, overall look and feel of the site, its entry page (with changing, animated backgrounds) and item presentation during the sales. Following the article on businessweek.com, the company even hires models, hairdressers, photographs and make-up artists to take professional, attractive photos of the items to sell, giving them a glamorous appearance instead of posting grainy pictures of unsold merchandise. The company as well invests in a team of journalist to publish its own fashion magazine “Rosebuzz” and records its own music, further increasing the great look and feel of the site.

Customers of vente-privée.com have the advantage of being able to purchase items on the site up to 75% less expensive than the regular store prices. Brands working together with vente-privée.com have the opportunity to sell their left-over stock, without risking harming their luxurious image thanks to vente-privée.com’s professional and luxury presentation, and vente-privee.com itself does not even take any financial risks since they are just working as a middleman in the transaction. They register the orders passed by the customers on the site and after the closing of the sale, which lasts up to 72 hours, pass them on the original seller, who will deliver the items some time later to the vente-privee.com platform, where the goods get dispatched and sent to the clients. Vente-privée.com retains a profit margin of 20 – 40% of each sold item, which generates their main revenue. At the same time their fashion magazine provides information on products, which eventually generates additional revenue.

In addition to their regular sales, vente-privee.com also provides its loyal customers (those who ordered at least once on the site) with access to VP Lounge, a web space dedicated to the most luxurious brands, opened on particular occasions for exclusive sales only.

To increase their revenue and further contribute to their customers’ vente-privée addiction, the site offers a special widget “VP bubbles” to loyal customers. The widget, made up of a small number of pink bubbles gives live information on the current sales on the site, the status of the customer’s “recruits” (and therefore earned reduction if they pass command on the site) as well as latest information published on the VP blog or fashion magazine. Of course to keep up with the latest evolutions, vente-privée.com also provides mobile applications and free goodies, such as wallpapers.

The site thought of everything to get their users addicted to their concept. The music they record for their website and the product trailers even became so famous that the site now is offering them for sale when passing an order.

The concept of vente-privée.com would be perfectly adapted for the travel sector. Due to the current economic crisis, most people try to make economies where they can, starting by cutting short on evenings in restaurants or going on trips. By giving extra discounts on ready to go travel packages, the customers could be seduced in giving in to their desire to travel and at the same time economizing money, compared to what they would normally have spend to organize the trip. At the same time it would give the possibility to hotels as well as airlines or train companies to make additional revenue on low dates and then sell additional extras, such as breakfast or supplements for room-upgrades. The site offering access to this discounted travel opportunities would get revenue in the same way that vente-privée.com does, by retaining a commission on the sold reservations.

www.voyage-prive.com is using this concept in the travel industry. Just like vente-privee.com does with its items, voyage-privé.com is offering its clients (subscription on invitation only) access to up to 70% discounted trips or hotel reservations. The client has the possibility to choose from several preselected dates and packages (for instance different room categories, with or without transport, breakfast included, etc) during the special sale, which last normally up to 72 hours.

The same concept also found its way to the beauty industry. The site www.beauteprivee.fr, part of the voyage-privee.com network, for instance offers cosmetic articles as well as spa packages or evening overnight stays in hotels including spa treatments.

I believe the “vente-privee concept” will come to existence in more and more industries, as more and more customers are looking and asking for exclusive products and packages for less money.