EBay Adds "Flash" Fashion
EBay Inc. (EBAY) will launch “flash sales” of high-end fashion brands Monday in its latest bid to revive its giant online marketplace.
On a portion of its Web site dubbed Fashion Vault, the company will offer discounts starting at 50 percent off retail for a limited time, beginning with offerings from French Connection Group PLC.
The business model, which follows a trial in the fall featuring Hugo Boss, DKNY and Max Mara, takes a page from such Web sites as Gilt Groupe Inc. and GSI Commerce Inc.’s Rue La La. Those sites have carved out a fast-growing niche in e-commerce by offering the online equivalent of one-off sample sales.
The move is a departure for eBay, which has generally billed itself as a neutral third-party marketplace that anyone can join.
