Launched yesterday, online retailer 20ltd sells no more than 20 items at a time, each of which are highly exclusive and only available in small numbers. Goods currently on offer range from GBP 2,900 white buffalo horn sunglasses (edition of 10), to a GBP 9,000 hammock covered in cashmere and black fox fur (thankfully for black foxes, only 5 of those were made). All items are exclusive to 20ltd, and not sold anywhere else. As soon as a product is sold out, it's replaced by a new object of desire.
The British retailer is backed by private investment, and will operate solely online. Calling itself an "etailer of authentic, ingenious, beautiful and unexpected things," 20ltd hopes to reach a global audience, including rapidly growing luxury markets like Russia, China and the Middle East. The website is currently available in English, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Japanese.
The underlying trend and opportunities for other entrepreneurs? As regular luxury goods become available to ever more consumers across the world, luxury manufacturers and retailers are turning to 'planned scarcity' to attract status-hungry buyers who desperately crave the exclusivity that money used to be able to buy. 20ltd combines planned scarcity with niche curation: the polar opposite of Amazon.com, which offers everything for everybody, 20ltd narrows it down to a limited selection of limited edition goods for a limited group of very affluent consumers.
Website: www.20ltd.com
Contact: enquiries@20ltd.com
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Fabio: yes! It's the counter trend for abundance, for choice: an ever smaller selection of 'the best of the best' for every category. What's new is that the selection is going to be made by experts, by 'Master Consumers', not by corporations or advertisers. If there's ever been a market opportunity for minipreneurs, it's the niche that the 20ltds of this world are going after.
Not entirely sure it's quite like Woot but we have had had many approaches from people looking for us to e-tail high-end experiences.
Interestingly 20ltd doesn't contrive scarcity; the number of editions of the products available are set by the partners who are invited by 20ltd.com to make the products of their choice.
Similarly they set the price for sale, we don't attempt to profit from scarcity - prices are comparable to similar 'unlimited' editions.
We do however hope to leverage the fact that these products cannot be purchased anywhere else in the world and will never exist beyond the number of editions specified in each case.
Interested to get any other feedback from subscribers.
e-mail: richard@20ltd.com
T: 0207 3950965
It makes a change from the mass production of businesses like H&M - although I love buying stuff there, it always makes me feel a bit strange to go to Paris or Milan and see someone else wearing the same clothes I bought in Amsterdam!
I'm not crazy about the idea of wearing things made of white buffalo horn or fox fur, but could definitely go for a limited edition cashmere t-shirt!
BTW Richard. I see nothing wrong with 'profiting from scarcity', or indeed contriving it - it's not like you're selling staple goods :-) Mass production means that the cost of making a single unit becomes much lower, and companies like H&M are able to pass this on to the consumer, so it stands to reason that making only twenty of something will mean that it's much more expensive. It's worth paying for, especially if it means that I'm much less likely to pass someone in the street who's wearing the same clothes!
I see nothing wrong with it either,it's just that it's not really that applicable to our business. Desire and demand might increase but price (from us to you) doesn't have to, regardless of who makes it.
20ltd has set out to return to slightly more oldfashioned values where you should get what you pay for - whatever the price. If a product is original, well made, of quality materials and comes from someone who is genuinely the best at what they do, regardless of their fame or stature it warrants a premium in my opinion.
If it's rare or limited there is the potential upside that in time that piece (probably dependent on what kind of product it is) could genuinely appreciate in value. What's now happening in collectible product design is a very good example.
Whatever way our customers view a purchase - because it gives them a unique piece, because they just love it or because they see it as an investment - we're just glad they've come for a look, enjoyed it, bought something, and hope they might come again.
I quite like the Madonna ad, probably more scenes of mothers, daughters, small babys stampeding through the doors in running spikes to follow in the papers. Contrived but justified ?
Market in Beijing, capital of China
Dear Sirs,
I want to setting up representative office for your company in Beijing, capital of China promoting your business. You know China is a quite biggest country. There are 96billion square kilometers and over 800 cities. Any city is as big as a small country. Occupy Chinese market is equal occupy Asia market, that is meaning you make big effort get profit from more small country that is same as working on Chinese market profit. If you cannot decide yet, would you like transferring my opinion, email address and phone number to your headquarter?
According to American 《fortune》magazine report in May16, 2005: American corporations have got profit USD1.9billion since 1999 from Chinese market, till 2003 it has increased to USD4.4billion. And this figure will be kept increasing.
As report, Chinese luxurious market is made of Chinese population from 10million to 13million. Main part is from entrepreneurs and other part is young who work for multinational from east big cities of China. Their purchase habit is as same as Japanese.
I am not advice but only suggestion because of Chinese purchase volume is big. Let me give you the example. You know the Luxurious limousine "Mulliner728", it is cost USD1,500,000 in China. Only tax in China can purchase other Benz S350. "Mulliner" come to China since 2002. Estimating sale 10 sets, till Sept. Till last year, "Mulliner" have set up 4 monopolistic stores and sold 85 sets Mulliner Luxurious limousine in China. And last week watches exhibition in Beijing sale more Luxurious watches, each watches price are over USD1,000,000. As report I have got recently, there are over 1.6billion Chinese people purchase Luxurious products. Beijing One store has sold out 800kg gold products within one day before Christmas. Chinese purchase power is unprecedented.
Chinese are researching keep value products. According over 10-year work in this market and knowing public, I do believe it is the time enters this market for your product. According to Judean businessman rule 80/20. It is 80% poor and 20% richer. China has enough 20% richer can support luxurious market now. So I said it is time for your enter this market.
What is my meaning that China has biggest market potential, and foreign market is opening. It is quite necessary setting up representative in Beijing, capital of China Now. the more earlier you coming, the more advantage you occupy in this market. Description of Chinese plutocrat(the richest persons),
About Chinese plutocrats, there are more description in China, it is unable to decide which is right. Recently, I red American magazine from 《times》, it seems correctly. Detail as followed:
Male plutocrat,
Dress: Made in China or Italy famous brand Western-style clothes (leave brand label on wristband) and mobile leather cover, leather vanity etc Luxury fittings.
Relax method: Play golf and skiing in USD10thousands/year tax club. And they luxury gambled in Las Vegas and other places.
Diet: Each meal price is above USD600. dish menu is including shark fins and abalones etc. luxury seafood.
Cocktail time: Drinking Scotland royal whiskey etc.
reading book: Jack Welch 《Straight from the Gut》and William (Bill) H. Gates autobiography.
Female plutocrat:
Dress: LV and Chanel fashionable dress, Fendi handbag, golden necklace, bright red nail paints and newest style Nokia mobile.
Relax method: Shopping, hot spring to recuperate, take a holiday in Thailand and Australia.
Diet: algae and sea-fog products that benefit for skin beauty.
Cocktail time: Cappuccino drink mixture by Green tea and coffee; and cucumber juice.
reading book: John Gray《Men are from Mars》,《Women are from Venus》; indoor decorate design, law book concerning divorce and solatium.
《times》said: Chinese plutocrat like driving Benz with lucky license plate and black color ROLLS-ROYCE. Smoking with Dunhill brand and Cuba cigar; Night life is staying KTV room; prefer long hair pets, pug, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern stone-dog and Beijing dog; They are used to go abroad shopping as mad as a hatter and look in their study abroad children.
You know what I am saying, China is quite good market right now that deserve work on, is it?
Ok, just write here, hoping hear from you soon.
Cheers,
Nancy
Tel: 8610-63964311
zhuyannancy@126.com
Very similar to woot.com, right? I could see someone doing this for travel, for example.
Fábio F. | April 3, 2007 3:37 PM