Day designer fashion typical

Fashion - turn to the Web. Liz Claiborne uses a virtual showroom to get closer to its customers - the clothes designer's Internet site

Liz Claiborne INC. (www.lizclaiborne. com) isn't a direct marketer, of course, but the company is doing something so interesting on the Web that we wanted to mention it. The strategy could easily be applied to either business- or consumer-focused DMers. It's a fine example of a marketer getting closer to its customers - in this case, retail stores.

The clothes designer is using a Hewlett-Packard technology called OpenPix Internet to show its garment lines to stores, and to offer them the ability to order online. The imaging software gives Liz Claiborne a virtual showroom at its password-protected extranet for retailers, which it calls "@Market."

Buyers who go there can zoom in on the high-resolution photos of details like fabric texture, stitching, collars, buttons or cuffs. They can also use a drag-and-drop feature to mix and match the clothes right on the screen.

The first line using the system is LizGolf sportswear, which means buyers are golf retail stores, pro shops and country clubs. The company debuted the system, with pictures of about 200 items, last month at the 1999 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL. Some 200 to 250 specialty retailers looked at it, and 50 signed up, according to Kevin Keenan, vice president of customer service, allocation and e-commerce.

Liz Claiborne plans to expand the system to other lines, possibly by the fourth quarter, eventually using it to supplement the fashion buying extravaganza in New York called Fashion Week. This would allow buyers to preview the lines before the hectic week, or buy them online after it.

The idea was an outgrowth of a larger program to transform the company's approach, Keenan says. "We tried to find more efficient ways of doing business. We plan and work with customers to place purchase orders during market week. We felt if we could push information to customers prior to the week, than the market experience could be enhanced."

The company says that with the system local buyers can purchase directly instead of having to rely on regional buyers. It's sure to bring the company closer to retailers.

"The way we view it is to enhance the overall selling process," Keenan says. "We have a sales force on the road that interacts with golf shop accounts."

And does Liz Claiborne have any intention to sell directly to consumers on the Web? Says Keenan, "Right now we don't have any plans in place or in the pipeline."

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DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?

They do at New Watch (www.newwatch.com). The site sells a whopping 5,000 watch models (the typical jewelry store has 500) from 50 makers.

You can search the site, which has been up close to a year, by manufacturer, style or feature. There are photos of the watches, which range in price from $50 to $200,000. Gift wrap is free, as is UPS ground delivery.

The average purchase from New Watch is higher than that made at most e-commerce sites: $500. Those skittish about entering their credit card information online can send it by fox or mail, or call it in on a toll-free number.

The site includes two especially nice features: an electronic "wish list," allowing shoppers to send an e-mail with desired timepieces to friends and family, and a "showcase" feature, where you set aside photos of watches to compare.

New Watch has a 30-day "no questions asked" return policy, practically encouraging people to try out a watch and return it if they don't like it. - TW