Sophisticated

Cape Town, South Africa (PRWEB) June 20, 2012

Against the background of the growing international ecommerce market where, according to research firm Mintel, online fashion sales in 2010 were a booming R54-billion and Spains online fashion leader Privalia singularly booked R3.3-billion in 2011, SA fashion ecommerce is following suit. Recent MasterCard and World Wide Worx studies presented jointly, show SA turning to online buying with almost 90% of South Africas online shoppers being satisfied with their Internet shopping experience, and 73% likely to make a purchase in the next 6 months, increasing this segment of the market by 23% to R2.6-billion.

SAs online fashion retail pioneer, 36Boutiques, is one of those expected to lead the pack. By combining ecommerce expertise, online publishing strength and a community of progressive web-savvy fashion designers, 36Boutiques has created an innovative model for bringing the latest apparel to fashion-forward customers.

36Boutiques has built a model that solves the four biggest challenges in high-end fashion: carefully selected fashion items, great content, a premium shopping experience, and convenience – giving customers a compelling reason to shop online instead of opting to shop in a mall.

A massive challenge in online retail is creating a sense of luxury. It requires high quality photography and on-trend fashion selection to excite online shoppers. It requires those little touches that make the experience feel special. Quality content and premium service costs a lot, which can kill the price advantage of shopping online. At the same time, unless shoppers can find something new and unique that they can only get online, they will opt for the familiar comfort of their local shopping centre, says Gadija Gamieldien, CEO of 36Boutiques.

Originally a 36-hour Flash Sale site offering apparel from different designers every week, 36Boutiques underwent a metamorphosis. The site relooked its business model and based on feedback received from customers and the opportunities it identified in the online clothes shopping space in South Africa, a new version was launched. The new fashion destination resembles a combination of international shopping sites, Asos and Net-a-Porter.

Six months ago, we went from an innovation platform to test the market, technology and business model to a full-blown pure retail player for MIH South Africa. We have been refining our strategy but also building a powerful ecosystem of suppliers, partners and platforms, explains Gamieldien. We had to find ways to give our customers something special and unique online, offering better convenience when shopping for their fashion fix. Weve created a South African first a luxurious online shopping experience.

Its not just enough to have a beautiful website there also need to be captivating items that are not available anywhere else. This is why 36Boutiques established Exclusives select designers have ranges that can only be found on 36Boutiques.

We are working closely with our South African designers to help them adapt to the new world of online fashion shopping. Globally this sector is growing incredibly fast and accelerating it doubled globally over the past five years and will probably double again within another year or so. Designers must understand that this is where their future business will come from, says Gamieldien.

Innovation in this space is key, and 36Boutiques is investing heavily in new technologies and systems. It is innovating fast in areas such as payment systems and loyalty programmes currently online customers pay using their Credit Card, but EFT is currently in development.

We have a wealth of experience to call on, with two of South Africas top e-commerce sites in our stable Kalahari.com and PriceCheck.co.za. A significant factor in fashion shopping in SA is store cards that allow customers to buy on credit and pay later. Wed rather they find online shopping so affordable that they dont need to go into debt better for them, and better for our economy. We are working closely with our payment providers to introduce more payment options but also to reward customers for buying online, concludes Gamieldien.

Note to the editors:

About 36Boutiques

36Boutiques is South Africas premier online fashion destination. We believe in the power of fashion to identify, individualise and tell a story. We spend every day seeking out the finest brands, designers and products for our members. We believe in managing a fine balance between local and international brands, always aspiring to the highest standards of quality, fit and fashionability. We are part of MIH Internet Africa, a group made up of some of Africas leading e-commerce properties.

NYC, NY (PRWEB) June 08, 2012

B&H Photo Video will be one of the first retailers to stock the new Canon T4i DSLR camera, designed to meet the needs of photographers who demand performance and flexibility.

Built to make advanced photography simple and fun, the new Canon Rebel T4i delivers phenomenal image quality, high performance, and fast, intuitive operation.

The Canon T4i camera amps up the speed with the powerful DIGIC 5 Image Processor that helps make high-speed continuous shooting of up to 5.0 fps possiblegreat for capturing fast action. An 18.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor ensures that every image is shot in superb high resolution, and an extended ISO range of 10012800 gives photographers the opportunity to take the T4i into more shooting situations than ever before.

Read and learn more about the Canon T4i Camera at BH InDepth

A 9-point all cross-type AF system (including a high-precision dual cross f/2.8 center point) delivers improved autofocus performance, and a new Hybrid CMOS AF System increases autofocus speed when shooting photos and video in Live View. For users interested in creating impressive videos, the Rebel T4i is ready to help create the next masterpiece.

Movie Servo AF provides continuous focus of moving subjects, and never misses a moment. A built-in stereo microphone and manual audio-level adjustment help ensure that the audio will match the stunning quality of the video.

To enhance its already admirable high ISO shooting capabilities, the T4i features an intelligent Multi-Shot Noise Reduction tool that reduces noise even further than the cameras sensor.

Lens Aberration Correction

The Canon T4i features lens correction tools that compensate for lens characteristics that can affect overall image quality. The EOS Rebel T4is lens peripheral illumination correction feature corrects light falloff in the corner of the image, according to the characteristics of the lens being used. It even has correction data for a number of popular lenses stored in its memory. With the EOS Rebel T4is new chromatic aberration correction tool, distracting color fringing can be corrected at the time of shooting.

Image Rating

To help organize images recorded to the cameras storage, the EOS Rebel T4i makes it simple to rate individual images from one star to five. Image browsing, printing and slide shows can be based upon those ratings.

JPEG Resizing

To create images suitable for sharing by email or online, the EOS Rebel T4i canin cameraresize JPEG files of varying pixels (aspect ratio cannot be changed, only the image size can be decreased) while leaving the original image untouched.

Photobook Set-up

Photographers can share their images in book form with the EOS Rebel T4is convenient Photobook Set-up feature. Users can easily choose specific images, images in a folder, and even all images, then specify their sequence and layout. The results can be printed in book form, with ease.

At the same time, Canon also announced the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Pancake Lens

A unique and indispensable addition to Canons series of EF lenses, the new EF 40mm f/2.8 STM offers an ultra-slim and lightweight design. Incredibly compact in size, the 40mm f/2.8 lens delivers high image quality from the center to the periphery, thanks to its advanced lens configuration including an aspherical element, a bright 2.8 aperture, and optimized coatings that minimize ghosting and flare, while providing exceptional color balance.

The Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STMs unobtrusive design helps photographers to avoid overwhelming their subjects with a large lens, and to remain discreet in sensitive shooting situations, with no compromise in performance. Its diminutive design is complemented by features such as a newly-developed stepping motor for smooth and quiet continuous AF, while capturing video with the Canon EOS Rebel T4i DSLR, a circular aperture (7 blades) for beautiful soft-focus backgrounds, and a short minimum focusing distance of only 0.98 ft./0.30m. Lightweight and unobtrusive, the 4.6 oz lens is less than one inch long.

Mounted on a camera with an APS-C sensor, this lens offers a view similar to a 64mm lens in 35mm format.

Read and learn more about the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens at BH InDepth

About B&H Photo Video

As the world’s largest source of photography, video and audio equipment, B&H Photo-Video is known worldwide for their attentive, knowledgeable sales force, and excellent customer service, including fast, reliable shipping. Visitors to the website can access a variety of enlightening articles and educational videos. B&H has been satisfying customers worldwide for close to 40 years.