The prize was huge but so was the risk. In theory Boo was doing the right thing in some ways. It was building a brand and improving its dealings with customers. But Boo fell in love with the idea that you can burn cash and survive even if visiting your Web site is about as friendly as a home game at Galatasaray. The failure of Boo does not signal the failure of dot-coms per se but it shows that selling fashion online is a lot harder than selling books or CDs.
Fashion is a touchy-feely thing and it's also a pain to send goods back.
So Boo was taking on one of the most difficult online sectors and one that is well served by sophisticated mail order services that Web sites will not be able to compete well with overnight. The death of Boo is not a signal to laugh away every dot-com idea, but it provides a reality check for those wishing to spend other people's money on online ventures. It might also encourage sites to start small and grow organically rather than support the mad, mad world of crash and burn. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of ZDNetUK is prohibited.