Gilt Gets A Makeover

Erick Schonfeld

Erick Schonfeld is a technology journalist and the executive producer of DEMO. He is also a partner at bMuse, a product incubator in New York City. Schonfeld is the former Editor in Chief of TechCrunch. At TechCrunch, he oversaw the editorial content of the site, helped to program the Disrupt conferences and CrunchUps, produced TCTV shows, and wrote daily... → Learn More

Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Gilt men

Flash-sale site Gilt is rolling out a slightly new look over the next few days.  It features bigger pictures, better navigation to sister sites such as Gilt City, Gilt Taste, and Jetsetter, and new semi-permanent “Shops” where high-end brands can park their sales for longer than the typical 36-hour window.

Most of the changes are subtle.  The most noticeable one is a navigation bar across the top which makes it easy to switch between sales for Women, Men, Baby & Kids, Home, Taste, City, Jettsetter, and Park & Bond.  In general, the number of clicks it takes to buy something is now less than it was before.  You can “favorite” a brand or label to get more offers from that brand.  And you can add upcoming sales to your calendar (so that you don’t forget to spend even more money at Gilt!).

The shops are also somewhat of a departure from Gilt’s tradition of offering one item for a limited time. Brands such as Levi’s and Thomas Pink are offering a few select items on an ongoing basis. The inventory in each shop can change and “sell out,” but there is always a rotating collection of clothes and other goods. As the number of regular Gilt shoppers increases, the shops provide brands with better access to them beyond sporadic sales.


Company: Gilt Groupe
Website: gilt.com
Launch Date: 2007
Funding: $236M

Headquartered in New York, Gilt Groupe is a privately held company dedicated to providing its members with access to coveted fashion and luxury lifestyle brands at sample sale prices. Gilt Groupe includes sales for men, women, and home as well as Gilt City (geo-specific), Gilt Taste (food), and Jetsetter (travel). Gilt Groupe hand selects both established and up and coming brands relevant to its membership base. Each Gilt Groupe Shopping Event is designer-specific and held over a one day...

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