The Outnet, an online luxury fashion outlet, provides reduced prices on designer clothing, accessories, and footwear from earlier seasons and collections. If you’d like to start your own marketplace like The Outnet, you’re facing a buy vs build decision. So before you decide to build it in-house on top of Spree open-source, consider using Vendo, which is a marketplace SaaS. Go live, start selling, iterate.
Build vs Buy a marketplace?
Employing open-source has its benefits, such as full ownership and the freedom to adapt, but these come with their own costs. Developing a complete marketplace solution is an extensive and costly endeavor, often taking many months or years, as learned from multiple marketplace projects.
If you haven’t secured a significant amount of funding, it’s generally more sensible to adopt a pre-built, all-encompassing marketplace solution like Vendo, as recommended by an expert with years of experience in billing for marketplace development.
Back to The Outnet marketplace case study
The Outnet, a part of the YOOX Net-a-Porter Group, has established itself as a premier online destination for discounted luxury fashion. Since its inception in 2009, The Outnet has catered to style-conscious shoppers looking for high-end fashion at reduced prices.
It offers a wide array of products from over 350 designer labels, including renowned names like Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Chloé. This diverse selection encompasses everything from apparel and accessories to footwear and lifestyle products.
The platform’s success is rooted in its unique value proposition: offering designer brands at significantly discounted prices, sometimes up to 70% off. This approach has not only attracted bargain hunters but also luxury shoppers seeking value for their investment.
The Outnet’s user-friendly interface, efficient customer service, and seamless checkout process have contributed to a positive shopping experience, enhancing customer loyalty and satisfaction.
In terms of financial performance, The Outnet has consistently shown strong growth. While specific revenue figures for 2023 are not available, its parent company, YOOX Net-a-Porter Group, has reported robust sales in recent years.
The Outnet’s contribution to this success is significant, driven by its targeted marketing strategies, which include collaborations with high-profile influencers and celebrities, as well as digital marketing campaigns that effectively reach its global audience.
The Outnet’s ability to balance luxury with affordability, alongside its strategic marketing efforts, has positioned it as a key player in the online luxury discount market. Its commitment to providing a curated selection of high-end products at reduced prices continues to attract a wide range of customers, from fashion enthusiasts to savvy shoppers, making it a model example in the luxury e-commerce sector.
How to emulate The Outnet marketplace success?
To follow in the footsteps of The Outnet’s success, think about quickly launching your marketplace, opting for weeks over months. Make sure your product catalog aligns with your audience’s preferences and continually adjust your methods for attracting customers, drawing on actual outcomes.
Test the market before making a full commitment to build it.
Here’s what you’d be getting with a Vendo free trial:
- Book a marketplace demo call: We’ll set up your demo marketplace and populate it with products, so you could give it a try and start selling in 14 days
- Customize your Storefront: Use the drag & drop page builder or custom CSS
- Onboard Brands: Invite your brands or choose brands from our catalog
- Select Products: Curate products and collections manually or automate it
- Embed products: Make your content, newsletters, social media shoppable
- Get Paid: Get paid as soon as products are shipped by the brands
- End-to-end automation: brands sync, fulfillment, payouts, invoicing, taxes
When you’ve tried all that and it works, start thinking about building your own, custom-made marketplace project based on Spree Commerce. First, by decoupling the storefront and going headless with Vendo marketplace API, and later with your own backend, if you decide you really need it. Just lift and shift the storefront.
Nobody has to know what’s under the hood, right?
