Erayo Offers Small Boutique Owners a Big Edge on the Competition
New Online Wholesale Marketplace Makes It Easy for Independent Retailers to Source Unique, High-Quality Merchandise from International Brands
NEW YORK and TEL AVIV /PRNewswire/ -- Erayo.com,
the world's first online marketplace and social network exclusively for
independent retailers, launches today. A business-to-business platform,
Erayo.com supports and encourages independent retailing by connecting
established and emerging international jewelry, accessories, kids and
home furnishings designers with independent boutique and specialty-shop
owners, to provide retailers with an entirely new channel to source
unique, trend-right merchandise so they can challenge their larger or
more established competitors.
"The spirit of independent retailing is vital for the social fabric
of a community and for the sake of business diversity, and ever
increasing retail consolidation is having a detrimental effect on
consumers, up-and-coming designers and small business owners," said
Raffi Topaz, co-founder and CEO of Erayo. "Erayo was conceived to help
eliminate this inequality by providing independent retailers with
access to the latest fashions and the most unique merchandise from the
hottest new designers around the world. Erayo levels the playing field
for smaller retailers so they can compete with big chain retailers
while maintaining a unique sense of independence and individuality."
Erayo's global team of buyers, merchants and talent scouts scour the
world in search of the best established and emerging design talent.
They attend the major buying shows and market fairs, like Bread and
Butter Barcelona, Maison & Objet, and Fierre Milan, providing
independent retailers international access to the latest trends and
merchandise. Erayo invites only those designers whose products exhibit
the right combination of quality, uniqueness and marketability to
participate on the Erayo.com online marketplace. Erayo then creates a
Web site on Erayo.com for each designer, which includes product images,
videos, personal descriptions and a press section.
Currently more than 110 designers from 14 countries are featured on
Erayo, including established designers such as Spain's Patricia
Nicolas, London's Martine Wester, France's PA Designs and Israel's
LUKA. The site also features emerging talent, like Iris Design, also
from Israel, whose romantic bangles are receiving wide press coverage
and are now carried by Lord & Taylor.
"I never wanted to be a business person; I just wanted to be an
artist and a designer and that is exactly what Erayo enables me to be,"
said Iris Braunstein Shemesh, the designer and visionary behind Iris
Designs. "Erayo has allowed me to take my business global, with almost
no effort, so I can really focus on my art. With Erayo, I am instantly
connected to buyers in the U.S., England, France and Russia, etc., but
Erayo handles all of the administration, including the computing
international taxes and duties and even bills the retailers for me."
For buyers, typically boutique and specialty store owners, Erayo
functions much like a virtual buying office because it allows buyers to
source merchandise directly from international designers without the
costs or hassles associated with hiring a buying consultant or
navigating the international trade show circuit. During Erayo's beta
test period, more than 3,500 buyers from 55 countries signed up,
including the United States, Canada, England, South Africa, New
Zealand, Spain, France and Russia.
"One of the biggest challenges we have is finding new and unusual
pieces that customers won't find in any big department store," said
Laura Macris, co- owner of the trendy Crush Boutique in Boston, MA. "My
business partner and I attend U.S. accessories trade shows a few times
a year, but until Erayo, we just didn't have the man power or resources
to source internationally. Erayo won't completely replace trade shows
for us, but now we are much less dependent on them. Not only can we
source incredibly unique international brands with Erayo, but we can
reduce our travel costs and spend more time at the store with our
customers."
In addition to providing access to unique merchandise, Erayo is also
an online retailing community-a place for independent retailers to
learn, network, communicate and inspire each other. Erayo provides
actionable business management and trend information as well as the
ability for retailers and designers to communicate directly with one
another to talk business. The "My Erayo" section of the site functions
as each member's business hub. This page concentrates all of the
important information an Erayo member needs to do business on the
platform-allowing members to place or receive orders, track deliveries
and payments, see sales statistics and message business partners.
"Erayo isn't just protecting independent retailing throughout the
world; it is actually helping to grow it by removing one the most
significant entry barriers for any person interested in becoming a
retailer," added Topaz. "Now that Erayo has solved the merchandise
sourcing issue, anyone can become an independent retailer and sell from
a storefront, their home or even their own Internet site."
About Erayo
Erayo is the world's first online marketplace and social network
exclusively for independent retailers. A business-to-business platform,
Erayo makes it easy for independent retailers to source unique
high-quality, trend- right merchandise from emerging and established
international designers. The company was founded in April 2007 by Raffi
Topaz and Yoni Zelinger, two seasoned and successful Israeli technology
entrepreneurs. The company was recently named one of Israel's most
promising Web 2.0 companies by the California Israel Chamber of
Commerce. The Erayo.com wholesale marketplace officially launched in
June 2008 with more than more than 110 designers from 14 countries and
more than 3,500 buyers from 55 countries. For more information, please
visit http://www.erayo.com/.
Media Contact:
Samantha Freeman
Kwittken & Company
646.747.7147
sfreeman@kwitco.com
Source: Erayo
CONTACT: Samantha Freeman of Kwittken & Company, +1-646-747-7147, or
sfreeman@kwitco.com, for Erayo
Web site:
http://www.erayo.com/