this morning, i got an invitation to MyHabit.com, which is basically Amazon’s version of flash sales (e.g. Gilt.com and Ruelala.com). i poked around a little bit, and it looks…well,  just like Ruelala and Gilt. they all basically rotate the same collection of brands (Vera Wang, Badgley Mischka, other random but expensive designers) at similar prices. so… how do these sites differentiate themselves?

what i do find interesting is that they all seem to have different start times. Gilt.com goes on sale exactly at noon, Ruelala at 11 a.m. and MyHabit at 9 a.m.. does that give MyHabit an edge over these other brands? i’m not sure — because Gilt is targeting the lunch hour crowd, and 9 a.m. is too early to be thinking about shopping, even by my standards. and with these flash sales, you really have to be among the first to log on at launch time because good things get sold out within seconds!

for working gals, 9 a.m. is when you’re checking email, voicemail, barely getting started in the day, not jonesing for a new designer bag. ALSO, personally, shopping is often a way i *reward* myself after working hard, and i would feel too guilty about indulging at 9 a.m. in the morning.

anyway, here they are, the three flash sale sites:

exhibit 1: MyHabit.com

exhibit 2: Gilt

exhibit 3: Ruelala