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Pros and Cons of High-End Shopping with Gilt Groupe

Updated on October 30, 2012

New high-end luxury shopping site offers bargains with an adrenaline rush

Online shopping is changing these days. It's no longer a situation of merely seeing e-commerce stores and auction sites where we can buy what we want to own and have it shipped to us. These days online shopping is much more interactive. It includes deal sharing, special deals for social networking fans and so much more. Gilt Groupe, a website that allows you to get great daily deals on high-end luxury items, is unique amongst some of the other new types of online shopping sites that are popping up. And they're great ... but they have their drawbacks as well.

Types of Shopping Deals Sites

Let's consider some of the different online shopping deals that are available for us today. The most common options for saving money when shopping online are to use the following types of websites:

  • Daily Deals Sites. These are sites where a deal is posted for a local business. If enough people select to buy the deal then the deal is considered "on" and you get your coupon. The coupon is an advance payment on the service. For example, you may pay $20 to get a coupon for a massage that normally costs $60. In the upcoming weeks, you can book your massage and use your coupon to pay for the whole thing. Sites like these include Groupon, Joffer, Fresh Guide, Bloomspot and TownHog. The deals vary but are mostly for spas, hotels and restaurants.
  • Online Discount Code Sites. These are sites that offer discount codes that you can use immediately online to purchase a wide range of different products from your different stores. The codes don't cost anything and basically just work like online coupons. These are more beneficial for people who shop at major name brand chain stores and people who are buying objects more than services (although it's possible to get discount codes for services as well).
  • Social Media Deals. Some companies are beginning to offer discounts and deals to the people who follow them on Facebook and Twitter. The deals are open to anyone but you're a lot more likely to know them if you're a fan.

How Gilt Groupe is Similar to and Different from These Other Deals Sites

Gilt Groupe is a fresh new option for getting deals when shopping online. It has similarities to some of these other popular sites but is doing things in a fresh new way. Some of the things that you should know about how Gilt Groupe works:

  • You sign up to be a member of the site (for free). This is similar to the online daily deals sites as well as the social media sites.
  • Specific sales are advertised on the site. These sales are only available for a short period of time which is similar to the deals on the daily deals sites. Gilt Groupe sales are generally available for 36 hours.
  • The deal may run out early. There are only a limited number of sale items available for each deal so the deal may run out before the 36 hours is up. In a way, this is similar to the daily deals sites because there is sometimes a cap on how many coupons are offered. The difference here is that there is no minimum number of people that must buy the item for the deal to be "on" and also that you get the actual item, not a coupon for the item.
  • Gilt Groupe specializes in offering deep discounts on high-end luxury items. This is the main thing that sets Gilt Groupe apart from the other methods of online shopping. They are specializing in providing you with very high-end, brand-name, luxury items at a discount of up to 70% off of the usual price. You get designer items at a low cost when shopping with this store. Although some daily deals and discount codes are for great items and stores, they aren't typically for the luxury shopping set.

Pros and Cons to Saving Money with Gilt Groupe

If you are someone who enjoys high-end luxury shopping and owning designer name brands then Gilt Groupe is a great website for you. Just be aware that there are pros and cons to shopping with this online store. Some things to consider:

  • Gilt Groupe offers high-end items. They are available at a much lower cost than normal which is terrific if you are someone who enjoys buying these items all of the time or even occasionally. However, this site is not good for people who aren't interested in high-end products.
  • Gilt Groupe is really fun for people who are into fashion. If you enjoy trunk shows and sneak peeks then you'll love the online equivalent available with Gilt Groupe. They do a lot of fun stuff like this on their site to enhance the online shopping experience.
  • This is a woman-owned business. It's always nice to know that you're supporting women in business when you're doing your shopping.
  • A range of items to buy. They offer deals for women, men and children as well as items for the home. They also have a special section called Jetsetter that offers deals on luxury travel. If you want a decent price on amazing travel to foreign resorts than this is for you. (If you want a discount to your local motel in the Midwest, it's probably not right for you.)
  • It's really easy to impulse buy. The one thing that you have to be concerned about is the urge to impulse buy. People who love high-end items may find that they are so lured into the great deals and the rush to buy because of that 36-hour sale limit that they end up spending more than they wanted to. The deals are great but this can mean that you aren't really saving money because you're doing more shopping on the site than you should.

In Summary

Gilt Groupe is definitely a website worth exploring to see if it's right as a money-saving option for you. If you enjoy getting deals on high-end items and like checking out new sales on a steady basis, then you'll love the site!

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