Twin Cities biz whiz Stacey Finnegan sold il Vostro Boutique at 50th & France to focus on an innovative e-commerce site launching today: Zinqstyle.com. On the surface, it’s another online store, selling many of the contemporary brands Finnegan carried in her bricks and mortar store – Hale Bob, Petit Pois, Cirelo jewelry. But her intent is to create the next chapter in interactive online retailing. Zinq’s tagline: “Fashion + Technology + Entertainment. Be part of the story.”
Zinq is partnering with brands like Hale Bob to produce fashion shows featuring upcoming collection. Yes, you can already see fashion shows in real time elsewhere in cyberland. But Zinq will take orders on the spot. So consumers can not only preview next season’s trends, but reserve them before they hit stores. The customer gets to be first; the manufacturer finds out what will sell and can adjust production accordingly to cut back on overstock.
Finnegan believes this is the answer to the damaging cycle of discounting and sale buying fueled by overstock and designer discount websites. “We’re training people to wait until they get everything at a price that can’t sustain the designer anymore,” Finnegan says. “The more we play into these Gilt Groupe sites, the damage we’re doing to the whole fashion ecosystem is significant. I’m trying to build excitement at the front end.”
Stay tuned for details: Zinq plans to stage its first live fashion show in Minneapolis (to be broadcast online) in May. Meanwhile, enjoy an introductory offer of 20 percent off Hale Bob and a gift with purchase, April 9 to 17.
Tags: e commerce, online retail, Stacey Finnegan, Zinq style
© 2008 MSP Communications, Inc. All rights reserved