ASOS Marketplace Goes Global, Reports Top Seller Passing £50,000 in Sales

LONDON, July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

On the back of two Handbag.com awards for Best Vintage Site and Best New Fashion Site, ASOS Marketplace announces plans to grow their digital platform to include sellers from around the globe, extending from the current business model featuring UK based boutiques and individual sellers only.

Since opening its digital doors six months ago, the virtual marketplace continues to grow exponentially, maintaining a trajectory which has seen new sellers and consumers using and transacting on the site on a weekly basis; with the top-selling boutique having turned over £50,000 in sales and the top-selling individual seller having passed the £10,000 mark.

Such growth has been nurtured by ASOS E-commerce Director, James Hart, who says, "Our new Marketplace platform has so far exceeded all of our expectations. That fact the site is open to anyone and remains so fashion credible is a testament to our sellers' passion, product and photography skills, as well as the ASOS Marketplace team, who work closely with all sellers to build their stores. What I love is that there is substance behind the style too; many sellers are making thousands of pounds every month, even at this early stage.  With increased functionality and a global launch in a couple of months, I feel this is still just the beginning for Marketplace."

Showcasing over 150 boutiques and 12,000 live street-style listings, the highest performers are reaping the benefits of a vast global audience of over two million active users and in some cases are failing to meet consumer demand.

Having recently added dedicated space for Boutique blogs and a Twitter-style Fashion Feed for sellers to update their followers with new listings and blog posts, the site will launch on the localised websites in the United States, France and Germany this summer and open up the Marketplace to allow anyone from anywhere in the world to sell. Currently 50% of Marketplace traffic is from outside the UK, yet only those from the UK can sell. This launch will also bring a raft of new features, notably 'Make Me an Offer', a mechanism for buyers to bid for items.

EDITORS NOTES:

ASOS Marketplace

ASOS Marketplace is a digital platform where boutiques, vintage collectors, individuals and designers - established or undiscovered - can open virtual stores to sell fashion to the world. Built as a fashion democracy created and controlled by users, all sellers, regardless of their size, are encouraged to photograph their much-loved items - old and new - street-style, telling the stories behind them and passing them on for sale to other fashion enthusiasts.

Daily topical blogs and weekly trend reports from the Marketplace team reinforce the uniquely editorial feel to a user-generated, content-driven e-tail environment. Marketplace leverages the existing two million active customers who are already part of the ASOS network, opening up a global reach to sellers. Sellers are given advice from ASOS's expert team on how to display their items to maximise selling potential.

A 10% selling fee will apply to individuals for each item sold, with no listing fees or pricing menus. Boutique owners will pay £50 per month (which includes an Account Manager at ASOS, ability to customise their store front and premium listing on Marketplace) and a 15% fee on each sale.  

ASOS

Established in June 2000 and admitted to AIM in October 2001, ASOS.com is the UK's largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer, offering over 40,000 branded and own label product lines across womenswear - including dresses, shoes, lingerie and jeans- and menswear, including jeans, trainers, t-shirts, and suits. 1,500 - 2,000 new product lines are being introduced each week. Aimed primarily at fashion forward 16 - 34 year olds, ASOS.com attracts over 11 million unique visitors a month and as at 31^st December 2010 had 4.8 million registered users and 1.9 million active customers.

For additional information or images, please contact Justin Padgett: justinp@asos.com / +44(0)20-7391-0353