Too posh to shop: most exclusive online sales

Anxiously waiting to find out if I've been granted membership of the tantalisingly exclusive fashion website Gilt is not dissimilar to the gut-churning anticipation of fear mixed with excitement that used to accompany midnight forays to the hallowed sanctum of Studio 54 back in the early Eighties. I keep checking my inbox to see if my status has been updated from membership pending to membership accepted. I want to be accepted. I need to be accepted. I must be accepted. My cyber screen-cred will obviously be non-existent if I am blackballed.

Being sartorially savvy in a recession involves being online at the right time. Gilt is a cutting-edge, cash-and-carry website for fashionistas, and along with Vente Privée, Outnet (the discounted offspring of Net-a-porter) and the newly launched Cocosa, bagging a bargain has never been easier.

It seems it's no longer considered chic to be caught schlepping along the high street. Not only is it time-consuming and distracting; working women (the crowned mistresses of multi-tasking) have cottoned onto the notion that a little productive retail diversion at lunchtime is now possible to achieve without the hassle of actually leaving the office. Hitting the sales now consists of simply hitting your keyboard.
My personal conversion began over lunch with a girlfriend in New York two months ago. I'd just ordered a coffee when her BlackBerry alarm went off.

"Can't stay," she exclaimed. "Cancel the coffee — I've got to be back home in 20 minutes. It's Gilt time."

"What are you guilty about?" I asked.

"Shopping," she replied shiftily. "And it's not "g-u-i-l-t". It's Gilt. I can't believe you don't know about it. Everyone is obsessed over here."

Gilt — like the British Cocosa — works through powers of persuasion and the promise of exclusivity. Once you have signed up you are gently nudged — via email and texts — with news of upcoming sales of discounted designer clothes and accessories. You have joined a club. You are an insider.

"It's like going to the first day of the Harrods sale but without the indignity of having to elbow other customers aside to get to the Marc Jacobs dress that has had its price slashed by 70 per cent," explains author and journalist Emma Gilbey. "It is a very clever concept. By alerting you to forthcoming events and sales, it creates a sort of cyber-hysteria of desire."

This is possibly because supply is always less than demand on these sites, with Gilt sales lasting just 36 hours. Buy now or risk eternal disappointment.

"It's a unique new way to shop," explains Kelly Kowal, marketing director of Cocosa. "Perfectly suited for the time-poor, cash-rich customer. We only sell trusted, high-profile brands. These are clothes they would probably treat themselves to anyway; we're just offering them a window of opportunity to get them for much, much less. For example, if you're a fan of Velvet T-shirts or always buy a couple of Milly shifts to wear on the beach, it's easy to log on and snag some serious bargains. You know how they look; you already know how they fit. And, most importantly, you're pretty certain you'll love wearing them."

The only downside to this growing trend of "timed" sales is the fact that it undoubtedly brings out consumer competitiveness. It's an edited and upmarket form of eBay bidding. Having received notification of forthcoming sales you need to have your finger not only on the pulse but also on your keyboard to reap the real benefits. The early buyer gets the goods.