Name of your website?Tristine Lingerie
Your name?
Christine Hartley
Your Location (city, etc)
New York
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Tristine Lingerie is an online boutique specializing in quality lingerie, stilettos, and sleepwear at discount prices. Unlike the big name lingerie stores, there are no excess marketing, packaging decorations, fancy boxes, etc. Our customers only pay for the product and shipping. Our inventory is of the same quality as the major franchises but at a fraction of the cost. Compare our prices to the big names. See for yourself.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
We were inspired by the high cost of lingerie, bras and panty's that are offerred by the two major franchises. These costs include advertising and marketing expenses that are passed on to the consumer. The buyer is charged a price that far exceeds the true value of the item. Why should a customer pay more?
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Trisitne Lingerie was our first website and was launched in October of 2007.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
The name is a combination of both partners names.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Trisitne Lingerie can be distinguished by our discounted prices adn comparable quality. We stand behind our commitment to customer service. Every order is reviewed and confirmed. If an item is out of stock the customer has the option to choose another item, get store credit, or a full refund.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Our long term goal is to establish Tristine Lingerie as a major name brand in the retai lingerie market with actual store locations throughout the United States.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
The birth of a new business is similar to the birth of a new born. It must be nourished and nurtured. Currently, any profit earned is invested back into our business. We track our exposure to the world wide web daily and the number of customer contacts continues to grow.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
We would open a small retail store in either a strip mall or similar market place, in addition to continued online advertising.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes. We are prepared to devote as much time as needed. We are in the process of expanding our partnership to include more highly motivated, marketing specialists and business professionals.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
We were challenged by the increased costs of developing a presence on the Web. As we continue to grow, we learn new methods, and new venues of expanding ur cusomer base. Through the use of various web marketing tools, direct advertising, and meetings with business owners we were able to meet those challenges.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Our biggest challenge has been developing a presence in the search engines that would render a favorable website ranking.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
We have had the most success with promoting through direct meetings with various business owners, promotional literature, and word of mouth.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
We have received great reviews regarding our web design and products. However, customers seem reluctant to make purchases.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
The site has been running for 1 month.
Do you have plans to open a retail store? If so, where?
Yes. We are currently in negotiations with a new partner who is placing a bid for either a kiosk, or store rental in a strip mall that is currently under construction in Virginia.
What is your website address?
Tristine Lingerie
