Private Sales Site 24h00.fr Becomes Fashion Portal

Patrick Robin, another French seriel web-entrepreneur,  launched 24h00.fr, with the goal of riding the coat-tails of the private sales wave that struck France starting in 2004. While the concept itself was good, the market was already pretty saturated with such sites.

Private sales became popular largely because they were such an elite sort of event.  Sites like Vente-Privée.com (translated to mean "Private Sales") made the model popular when they unveiled the hybrid shopping experience that is a cross between trunk sales, event sales, and word-of-mouth advertising.

Designers would - and still do - use the site - to sell large numbers (think tens of thousands here) of fashion items that they have on hand, during a 24-hour to 36-hour timeframe. The private sale shopping sites buy the stock at steep discount and sell it to their loyal followers for a low price. A lot of fashion brands have endorsed the concept as have a lot of shoppers; who doesn’t love high-end fashion at a bargain-basement price?

Initially, Mr. Robin’s goal with 24h00.fr

was to become the number 2 site, right behind Vente-Privée.com; during the process, he managed to build a huge database of 1.4 million members.  Of those 1.4 million, a staggering 80% are women aged 25-45; that’s the best demographics any shopping website could hope for. 

 

Being the web-entrepreneur and savvy guy he is, Robin realized that the novelty sales industry was starting to lose its steam and he began using his audience to create a fashion portal with his site.  He has not gotten rid of the private sales site, but rather, by adding content and traditional commerce to the equation, he has added value to his existing site and managed to capture his large database without having to start all over from scratch.  It’s really quite astounding what he’s done with the 24h00.fr to keep the excitement going.

For example, the site has a shop dedicated to handbags which is fantastic as the market itself is sorely underserved in France, as well as a store specialized in vintage luxury fashion

.  Along with these additional shops, the site also offers tips and fashion news.  A big leap from private sales, yes; but I absolutely think it is well worth his time. 

I really, really, like it - with one exception.  To me, there seems to be a glaring, neon sign flashing in the far corner, one that is meant to catch the eye, and the purse strings, of the existing audience.  This corner, called "Privilèges,"

is where 24h00.fr promotes discounts on products and services of other e-commerce sites.

 

I understand that this makes sense from a financial point of view, but, speaking from a "fashion-focus" point of view, I don’t see that it fits.  As a consumer, I’m on the site to immerse myself in fashion, not to look at ads.  Personally, I’m not comfortable with something so blatantly commercial.