Gilt by Appointment Shoppers Are Dropping Serious Cash in the NYC Showroom

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It's been less than a month since the Gilt Groupe opened a shoppable, by-appointment showroom within its Park Avenue South headquarters, and it's already paying off. "In an hour, some clients spend what they would in a year," chief marketing office Clay Cowen tells WWD, adding that showroom order values are typically more than twice as high as those placed online.

But that's only if those customers are able to get in the door in the first place. Appointments for the first week of shopping were completely booked within an hour of the site releasing spots, according to Cowan, so that they could come in to buy things like Jimmy Choo heels, vintage Balenciaga bags, and Prada apparel in droves. As of press time, it looks a bit easier to book both private and shared appointments, but after-work spots still have wait lists.

"There has always been urgency to our business," Cowan continued, referring to the flash sale model. ""Gilt has always been appointment shopping ... we took the same idea and cascaded it to a physical showroom." And successfully so.