Still, Narasin says he'll have no problem finding an adequate number of sites hungry for the exposure that fit Boo's elite lifestyle profile. The Italian Trade Commission has already given him a database of 400 Italian fashion designers' Web sites, although he has yet to find out how many of them sell products. Plus, he has a slew of ideas for taking advantage of the editorial opportunities that come with a niche portal, such as identifying leisure and lifestyle trends in various cities and recommending style advice. Plus, as part of the deal he's getting access to Boo's database of 350,000 to 400,000 names and e-mail addresses. In any case, it's far from proven that online shopping malls will work.
Online shoppers tend to go directly to retailers' sites.
Fashionmall also has yet to turn the corner financially. It derives its revenues from advertising sales, sponsorships, placement fees, and by generating leads for member stores. Market followers such as Tom Julian, a trend analyst for marketing firm Fallon, have their doubts about Narasin's chances of success. People just think of it as a very expensive mistake to learn from. Ben Narasin realizes that.