Sites like the Gilt Groupe and Rue La La have made a splash by offering substantially discounted fashion to their members. Now a startup called Zulily wants to offer similar bargains to busy moms.
The deals won't start until early 2010, but the site is accepting registrations now, and the Seattle company is announcing a $4.6 million first round of funding from Maveron.
Co-founder and chief executive Darrell Cravens tells me the site will sell products for kids, babies, and mothers, including apparel, furniture, and toys. Registration is free, but having a degree of exclusivity is important, Cravens said. He added that this market is a good fit for the private-sale model because there are many boutique stores in the middle and high-end of pricing that want to connect with a broad audience of moms. Many of those moms, meanwhile, don't have a lot of time to search for the best deals. Members can also get deal alerts through email, Facebook, or Twitter.
Cravens spent eight years at online jewelry retailer Blue Nile, and co-founder/chairman Mark Vadon is Blue Nile's executive chairman.