ANALYSIS: iSPY ... www.island-trading.com

A brilliant shopping site for girlies, cosmetic junkies and drag

queens, at island-trading.com you toss your bargains into your virtual

basket as you browse through offers from companies ranging from

Christian Dior to Clarins.

The site provides perfumes and cosmetics at huge discounts while also

boasting that ’all stock is guaranteed and 100 per cent genuine ’.

Delivery to the US and UK is free.

Visually, the site is not very enticing - the pics look like they are

straight from a mail-order catalogue. Unusually, an icon gives you a

glimpse of the UK-based staff, although this could be a US-style

marketing ploy.

However, to further convince you of the site’s British credentials, the

news page displays links to reviews of the site from Guardian Unlimited

and Woman’s Own.

There’s something for the boys too, with a range of up to 20 designer

fragrances and accessories to choose from. If your chosen item is not in

stock, you can e-mail the site’s customer services department with your

request.

The site is very shopper-friendly. A clear guide to buying online is

given on the info page, which walks net-shopping virgins through placing

orders, payment methods, returns and deliveries.

Current bargain-buys include coloured contact lenses, Austrian crystal

hair accessories and designer sunglasses. If you happen to be passing

through Brighton this summer, you’re invited to visit the Island Trading

shop, whose Aquamarine decor looks like a spin-off from rivals Body Shop

and Lush.

Future developments include Island Trading becoming the official

e-tailer for Iman European E-Cosmetics. Otherwise, there are no ads on

the site, although it did win ShopsOnTheNet’s E-tailer of the Year award

for 1999.

Items are meant to be received within five days of ordering, although

they can take up to two weeks. So, if you want duty-free prices and

exercise-free spending, or simply want to get your Christmas prezzies

early, then Island Trading is worth a browse.

This article was first published on Campaign