Launched: 2007
Membership: 5 million
Brand partners: 6,000+
CEO: Kevin P. Ryan
How do you partner with brands?
“In the beginning, we spent six months begging brands to sell on Gilt, and now it’s very different. Brands will come to us and pitch to us. We have some brands who give us inventory for free. A lot of the stuff we sell is at the end of the season, so you’ll see a lot of things in December that brands aren’t able to sell in stores.”
What are your tips to consumers on nabbing their preferred choices, given the fact that things sometimes sell out quickly during flash sales?
“All you can do there is move very quickly. You have to be there exactly at noon. Our experienced shoppers will spend time just looking at merchandise beforehand so they can go in and know exactly what they’re looking for. There are also many elements of our site that don’t require you to be there at noon. For women’s clothing, that’s when you get the most frenetic buying. The men’s site is not quite as frenetic [at noon] and the home site is not frenetic at all. There’s a couple things that sell out, but there’s a lot of supply.”
What are the best selling items for women and men?
“All forms of accessories still sell better because there’s no size-related aspect. Shoes sell unbelievably, especially for men. It tends to be a lot of basics [shirts, sweaters] too. The sweet spot is $75-$200. That’s where the big chunk of volume occurs.”
How many items of each brand to you carry?
“One thousand to 2,000 items per brand. That’s an average, though it’s really all over the place.”