weighing in on The Fancy debate: how to convince consumers to shop there

I've been meaning to write about The Fancy for a while now, and this article has given me the nudge in the bum to do that.

So apparently, 'sources' are saying that Apple has shown an interest in acquiring the Fancy to put a foot in the door of the e-Commerce market. There has also been a lot of hype surrounding the increasing use of The Fancy by luxury brands. The exclusive pre-order of a rather mediocre sequin tshirt by Oscar de la Renta straight off the runway generated $10,000 in sales and a lot of buzz, especially on Business of Fashion, but not really on The Fancy, where it only collected an unimpressive 1258 'Fancy'd's (similar to 'likes' on Facebook).

I'm no business insider, but I am a consumer who loves online shopping and fashion, though more often than not I lack the resources to indulge in my sartorial fancies. So with a plethora of online and physical luxury fashion retailers to choose from, why would a consumer like myself choose to shop on The Fancy?

Let's take these gorgeous Christian Louboutins listed on The Fancy as an example.

I see, I like, I Fancy'd.

Let's say that I want them. What do I do next?

Well, as a savvy online shopper, I google 'Christian Louboutin Lady Daf Suede Platform Pumps' and I choose to buy the shoes online from either Net-a-Porter and Saks Fifth Avenue. Given the choice, I will always choose to buy from the latter two stores, knowing that products are authentic, payment is secure and delivery and returns policies are in place.

But okay, for analysis's sake, say I'm an impulse shopper, and the second I lay eyes on these beauties, I go straight to buying them on The Fancy.

This is where the problems start.

First, they don't actually have the electric blue shoes on sale, but only in burgundy.

Second, the shots of the shoes look suspiciously like those on Saks Fifth Avenue. The angles and close ups are the same. WTF?

Which begs the third question - who is the seller? Is it EmilyEileen who posted the picture? Or some random retailer?

So I go to the cart and see if there are any more details on who is selling me these shoes.

Ahhhh, so apparently FancyMerchant is selling me the shoes. So who are they? Where are they based? What is their delivery rate? Is it special tracked delivery? Do they even ship to my country? Can I return my item if they don't fit? How do I return them? How do I know if they are genuine Louboutin shoes? Who do I contact if I have any questions?

I go no further than this page because there are no answers to any of my questions above, and if you think I'm going to shell out $1150.25 when there are so many question marks then you're crazy.

I have serious questions about how viable The Fancy will be as a full fledged market place, especially for the luxury fashion industry, despite PPR's $10 million investment.

Most significant of all, the competition is stiff from established online shops. There is nothing to stop consumers from seeing something they Fancy'd, then going to Net-a-Porter to shop for it. Exclusive products may be more of an incentive, but how willing are designers to sell a product only on The Fancy, when there are hundres of other online stores with way bigger consumer followings and more extensive global reach? PPR may seem to have a lot of faith in The Fancy, but what of others?

Moreover, The Fancy has a long, long, long way to go if they want to become a credible online shop. My little experiment shows its many shortcomings, and if you expect consumers to shell out big bucks for luxury fashion products, a lot of work has to be done to refine the shopping experience.

Obviously, The Fancy is not stupid. Their strategy right now seems to be aimed at filling the gaps of the online market rather than competing with the big retailers. They are targeting bloggers and encouraging them to share items for sale in exchange for a monetary reward. How profitable is this strategy? Can they really avoid competition with big retailers this way? I don't know, but my gut instinct is 'I don't think so'. And I don't intend to take part in this new form of 'social shopping'.

I do love The Fancy, but more of an online scrapbook and a way of discovering new and beautiful things. It's a shame it's trying to be so much more, but then it is a business, so what can you do?