Google Gets Into The Fashion Game With Boutiques.com
By Tracey Lomrantz,Glamour magazine
The word Google has become as synonymous with search as Kleenex has with tissues, but they're hoping you'll soon consider them the masters of a whole 'nother arena: Fashion! The online giant is about to launch a new website and dot com designer boutiques on Wednesday, and the tech-savvy style hounds are already getting excited.
According to today's WWD, "The new site, dubbed - for now - Boutiques.com, is part of a bigger trend toward new retail formats that the Internet and social media have made possible." Users will be allowed to plug in their style preferences (brands, items, and looks) and create a personalized shop that shows them stuff they'll love. They've already got some serious star wattage behind them in the form of Sarah Jessica Parker, who's been tapped to create a boutique of her own, and sources say Katie Holmes will soon follow.
The WWD article goes on to say, "Oscar de la Renta, Tory Burch, Cynthia Rowley, Marchesa, Isaac Mizrahi, Tracy Reese and Erin Fetherston are some of the big names Google has invited to set up their own virtual stores on the site, although shoppers will most likely also be able to draw on a huge variety of fashion brands for sale online to stock their virtual shops. Visitors will not actually complete a purchase on Google, but will click through to a brand's online store or a retailer who carries the item, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Net-a-porter or Yoox." There will also be aspects of "entertainment, gaming, and social networking."
As anyone who's ever logged onto YouTube or Gmail can attest to, Google is pretty darn good at the whole user experience thing, so we're guessing their fashion venture will change the game of online shopping in a big way. We'll be at the big launch party on Wednesday night, so look out for tweets from us and more breaking news on this big venture. Tell us, dolls...do you shop online much? Do you think Google may change the way you do it? Are you as addicted to Google as we are? Discuss!
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Photo Credit: Condé Nast Digital Studio
