InCase the maker of protective phone and laptop cases is moving into making bookbags. They are using skater maverick Paul Rodriguez as an endorser to help them make the transition from handheld to carry-on casing. This makes complete sense to me.
“Bookbags” are not so much about books anymore. The form we retreive information in is progressively digitalized. Laptop’s, mp3 players, GPS units and Kindles, while all practical devices on their own, aren’t convenient to carry together for a long haul. Essentially bags have become mini-tech storage outlets that need more protection.
What’s interesting is that InCase has leveraged its brand to take advantage of its distribution model. The brand is primarily sold through high-end electronic outlets like the Apple Store and Design Within Reach.
This is a great brand extension because InCase has essential created a new distirbution channel to buy well designed functional bags in electronic stores, while extending its brand’s footprint across the store. Smart. Real smart.
As an avid shopper - both online and in real life (yes, I’ll admit it - it’s not as if it was a secret), I’ve quickly gotten on the whole online sample sale bandwagon.
gilt.com hautelook.com ruelala.com ideeli.com salemail.com thetopbutton.com onekingslane.com the list goes on…
Online discount “invitation only” retailing has taken off with a bang (and a chunk of my monthly paycheck!)
So recently when one of the original sites - Gilt Groupe - launched a new sister site, Gilt Fuse, I obviously took notice.
The two sites are quite similar - same business model, relatively similar merchandise selection (ha, obviously I would know this). The difference is that Gilt Fuse is geared towards a younger, slightly more fashion-forward, exclusively female audience, whereas Gilt Groupe is slightly more mature, more expensive, male and female friendly.
While the success of the Gilt model is undeniable (“the company has quintupled its membership in the past year, with 1.3 million registered members in the US and more than 200,000 on its five-month-old Japanese site. Company revenue for calendar year 2009 is expected to be in excess of $150 million.” - MSN Money), I wonder about the strategy behind this recent brand extension.
In the early stages of building a brand, I’m not convinced it’s a smart move to immediately take that equity and split it in two. Objectively speaking, it takes double the resources to build double the brands. Subjectively speaking, as a loyal Gilt Groupe member, I think it was a strategic misstep - asking customers to go to two different sites to accomplish the same task is confusing and defeats the whole purpose of an online sample sale - efficiency, ease, speed.
Well, I’m curious to see how it all pans out… and no, it hasn’t stopped me from signing in every day at noon (and spending way too much on clothes I don’t need), but that’s an entirely different issue!
