AMAZON.COM LAUNCHES ACCESSORY AND SHOE SITE

I suppose it was only a matter of time before online retailers realized that women were drawn to “cool accessories” like a moth to light. They also know that the mark-ups are very enticing. I always knew that $500 high heels and $2000 handbags left a bit of leeway for large profit margins.

The new online store, called Endless.com, comes at a time of explosive growth in Web shopping. Online spending this holiday rose 26 percent over last year, to $23.1 billion, according to comScore.

This is the first time Amazon has developed and opened an online store with a separate URL and brand name since it was launched in 1995. Industry experts expect the new online store to add incremental value to the company's $8.4 billion business.

Customers will get free overnight delivery and free return shipping indefinitely, 24-hour-a-day telephone customer service, and they can return any item up to one year - as long as the item is unworn. For the woman who has everything (or can’t make up her mind) there are 250 brands and 15,000 styles and colors on Endless.com.

Customers can search by price, style, brand, size and color, at the same time or separately. The site will have customer product reviews and will add fit guidelines for individual manufacturers. The shoes will be photographed from seven angles, they can be viewed with a magnifying glass and see detailed product reviews.

"What we've been seeing - and what these companies are finding – is that there's still growth potential in online sales," said Patti Freeman Evans, a retail analyst for JupiterResearch. "Apparel and accessories will be the largest online category, overtaking computers in a couple of years."

Jupiter is projecting total online sales, excluding travel, to reach $100 billion in 2006. Of that, apparel and accessories are projected to be $2.25 billion and footwear, $2.30 billion.

You know what that means? It’s time to create expensive, celebrity-driven headwear to go with those “must-have” $1000 handbags and $800 high heels. Remember beauty and value are in the eye of the beholder. We saw the $6.5 million diamond studded bra this year (courtesy of Victoria Secret), why not make a gliltzy hat for an outragious sum of money? Stranger things have happened.

Donald J Pliner Nikki Handbag: The cost: $500