Just as the holiday shopping season heats up, catalogers Lillian Vernon and Delia's launched new Web sites this week that will expand their e-commerce capabilities.
Lillian Vernon, Rye, NY, made significant upgrades to its site, www.lillianvernon.com (AOL keyword Lillian Vernon). It now features more than 400 of the cataloger's most popular items and allows users to order online all 6,000-plus items from Lillian Vernon's nine print catalogs. The original site — launched in 1995 — could only handle orders on featured products.
Features of the site include a gift registry wish list, e-mail gift reminders and a gift search wizard that offers suggestions based on age, gender and price range. Online shoppers also can take advantage of special sales. The site includes a store directory and other company information. Shoppers can register to receive a quarterly e-mail newsletter that discusses founder Lillian Vernon's shopping, entertaining and decorating tips.
The site is being promoted in gift packages and with banner ads on Yahoo, and related women's sites and links are planned with related sites. An in-catalog promotion will kick off in January.
Generation-Y cataloger Delia's, New York, has added online versions to its Contents (contentsonline.com)and Droog (droog.com) catalogs that target home furnishings and teen-age boys apparel, respectively.
Delia's also has created the gURLNet Network (gurlnet.com), which will act as a portal to teen-oriented sites. The network is being developed in alliance with online advertiser chickclick.com and will include a music news area supported by SonicNet, an online subsidiary of Telecommunications, Inc.
Delia's also maintains online versions of its eponymous catalog and its TSI soccer catalog.
