wearesponsibly's posterous

NAU.com Changing Room:Try Before You Buy

Nau.com the eco-friendly activewear and outdoor clothing company has just launched a new way to shop for clothing, called the Changing Room.

Media_httpgallerymailchimpcomc9ae70a672ec09667f6c48f29imagesbannernau6jpg_dndqhapvjwpofhc

The concept works like this: Visit their website and select clothing that has been flagged with the Changing Room icon or browse all clothing in the Changing Room category. Once you select the clothing your interested in, you pay half now, to try out and test the clothes for 30 days. If after 30 days from date of purchase you don't return the clothing, Nau.com will charge the other half to your credit card. If you don't like something, return it within the 30 days and they'll give you your money back, no questions asked. 

All Changing Room orders come with free UPS Ground Shipping and include a pre-paid return shipping label with your order. Pretty sweet deal and low risk way to buy clothing if you ask me.

Visit Nau.com for details.

Private-Sale Luxury-Goods Sites Grow

Marisa Taylor a writer for the Wall Street Journal wrote an interesting piece on the growing number of private-sale luxury sites growing in this cash strapped economy.

The article talks about member only sites like Gilt, wich allow shoppers to buy heavily discounted luxury brand merchandise anywhere from 50 percent to 70 percent off original price, without the guilt or stigma of paying full price for luxury goods.

Sites like Gilt are on the rise especially in this down economy, where consumers are looking to get the most value for their hard earned dollars. With the luxury-goods market not expected to recover until 2011 or 2012 this will become the norm for how people buy and shop for luxury items in my opinion.

And even Saks Inc, is testing its own version of "private event" shopping online to compete with sites like Gilt.com, RueLaLa and HauteLook, etc.

While buying discounted designer fashions at outlet stores is old news, this approach takes it to a whole new level. It shouldn't be long until you see Neiman Marcus take a stab at cashing in on the private web sale.

What do you think? Have you bought from sites like Gilt.com, RueLaLa and HauteLook? Share your experience and thoughts in our comments section.

Sorel.com Launches Online Shopping with New, Stylish Footwear for Urban and Winter Adventures

Media_httpdemandwareedgesuitenetaacwprdondemandwarestaticsitessorelussitesitessoreluslibrarydefaultv1256835263626homeoctober09bootsmensonjpg_dbvfovcxhsaiajc

Sorel, a premium cold-weather boot manufacturer and wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear Company, today announced the debut of its new e-commerce website – www.sorel.com – featuring some of the season’s hottest footwear for fall and winter.

This season, Sorel.com introduces fresh, new and even unexpected styles from Sorel – for everyone from winter enthusiasts and urban commuters to fashionistas and families on the go.

Using beautiful product photography and a clean, sophisticated design, the Sorel.com e-commerce website enables U.S. consumers to buy the broadest selection of winter-performance and all-season Sorel products available directly from the brand for the first time.

Sorel.com also offers an easy, interactive way to experience the brand, learn about product features and benefits, and find nearby premium specialty retailers and department stores, online retailers or Columbia-branded stores, where Sorel products are also sold. 

“The launch of Sorel.com is a great way to showcase the Sorel brand while communicating directly with consumers and creating excitement around our new, must-have fall and winter footwear collections,” said Katherine Lane, marketing manager for Sorel. “Sorel.com was designed to be a powerful tool for building and driving consumer demand across all of the brand’s sales channels, and we’re excited to now be able to introduce consumers to all of Sorel’s styles online.”

New features on the Sorel.com website include:

  • The ability to filter products by type, size, color, price or temperature
  • Giving consumers the option at checkout to ship their order in a reused box
  • Significantly larger, enhanced product imagery with zoom-enabled 360-degree product views
  • A flat shipping rate, eliminating surprise fees at checkout
  • Referrals to independent retailers, including premium department stores, that are closest to consumers wherever they may be, at home, on business or on vacation
  • Community features, such as discussions, product ratings and reviews
  • Community-building via social media tools, such as the Sorel blog, Twitter feed andFacebook page
Visit Sorel.com to experience the new site!

Harvard Medical School Launches Swine Flu Tracker iPhone App

President Obama recently announced a National Emergency regarding the H1N1(Swine Flu) and availability of vaccine. How does one get up to the date information, that is relevant, along with health tips, symptom checker, videos, and H1N1 "Health Map" listing spread of Swine Flu in your area? 

If you have an iPhone there's an app for that and its from Harvard Medical School, called the Swine Flu App for $1.99

Watch the video to checkout the features of this cool iPhone app. It looks like its worth the price and it's a lot cheaper than going to the doctor.

For more info visit http://www.hmsmobile.com/ 


Deal Alert: Instant Rebates on Canon Lenses

Looking to buy some new glass for your camera? You're in luck because Canon USA has an instant rebate program running from October 22, 2009 - January 16, 2010 and save anywhere from $20 - $500 on select Canon Lenses and accessories.

http://www.usa.canon.com/app/pdf/Promotions/rebate_eosselect_102209.pdf

Atari Pac Man Wallet

Are you an old skool gamer who loved playing Pac Man on their Atari 2600?

The fine folks at NilesZ.com have a slew of retro Atari game cartridges that have been turned into wallets. Get your game on..I mean wear it in your back pocket. With Atari Classic titles available like Dig Dug, Bowling, Othello, Centipede and more from $35-$55. 

I'm not sure how practical these would be to use as a wallet, but they are kind of cool in a geeky way.