Looking for that It-Bag? Try Sears.com!

Celine Luggage Tote on Sears Marketplace

I recently googled the Celine Luggage Tote, last year's It-Bag that hasn't dropped in popularity at all.  I've been eyeing it forever but just couldn't bring myself to splurge on one.  I googled it just to see where it was still available for purchase while I debated with myself more.  I expected my search to take me to retail websites like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Net-a-porter, etc. but to my surprise my search returned multiple links to Sears!! - the department store known for appliances and cheesy Kardashian clothes.  I was so confused but clicked on the link anyways which displayed prices lower than the MSRP and were also sponsored listings from Google.  I was intrigued.  Is Sears trying to be like eBay and Amazon? Did Sears secretly get a luxury makeover? or both?


According to the WSJ, it's a little bit of both. Sears added a "Marketplace" section to their website featuring upscale items from third party sellers.

In one of the more counterintuitive strategies in retailing today, Chairman and Chief Executive Edward Lampert has been pushing his beleaguered company to secure upscale offerings for the Marketplace section of its website, which features goods sold by third-party vendors.

So now in addition to the Chanel bag and Rolex watch, Marketplace browsers can find $445 Balenciaga sunglasses, $600 Pour La Victoire boots and a $500 Zac Posen dress, according to a recent scan of the website.

In addition, Mr. Lampert has made a priority of e-commerce, hoping to position the company to better compete with larger online marketplaces run by Amazon.com Inc. and eBay Inc.

The article notes that many shopper end up at Sears through an internet search and not by going there directly.  This is exactly what happened to me.  It seems like no one expected Sears to offer the high-end items they were searching for and thus, people are skeptical what Sears is doing selling luxury items.  It may take some getting used to.

The breadth of items, particularly at the high end, has some shoppers confused, especially since they usually land there through general Internet searches, rather than by going to Sears.com.

On an online forum for handbag aficionados, a string of members were questioning whether a Gucci purse listed on Sears' website was fake, merely because of its association with the department store.

"Sears would be the last place most would think to purchase high-end bags from," a member quipped. Another wrote, "Gucci @ Sears? hmmmmm don't think so!"

A Sears spokesman said every seller goes through a registration and approval process to ensure the validity of their items.

Offering luxury goods seems like such a strange divergence from its usual lines of business and targeting a completely new consumer base but it's possibly a good diversification plan. We'll see how it plays out.  It's also smart of Sears to pay Google to have their listing sponsored as well because it definitely caught my attention and I would never have gone there otherwise. Maybe next time, I will.  

This is a screenshot of the sponsored links to Sears that appear when one searches for "celine luggage tote"

What do you guys think, is this a smart move? Would you buy a luxury item from Sears.com?

Read more:
WSJ: Christian Louboutin shoes and Chanel bags on Sears's website? Yes, but they aren't sold by Sears