Award-winning online shopping destination Taigan.com partners with advertising technology innovator edō Interactive to provide its retailers with access to high-end shoppers.

New York – August 10, 2011 – Noted e-commerce website TAIGAN.com (Tahy’ gn) and advertising technology company EDO Interactive, Inc. today announced a new partnership.  The relationship will provide Taigan’s hand-selected shops, designers and purveyors with the opportunity to access high-end shoppers leveraging edo Interactive’s Prewards® platform.

Taigan provides a turnkey e-commerce and marketing solution for selected retailers and designers, complete with the web-based tools and technology to brand, open and operate their own e-commerce site within Taigan.com.  The site deftly leverages the collective power of its retailers, recently garnering significant media coverage and enjoying a rapidly growing global shopping audience.  Touted by Entrepreneur magazine as one of “100 Brilliant Companies”, EDO Interactive partners with banks and payment card issuers to deliver targeted incentives on behalf of retailers seeking to increase qualified traffic and sales.   The partnership between Taigan and EDO Interactive further enhances Taigan’s offering to its participating retailers and designers.

The new partnership will provide Taigan retailers with the ability to leverage EDO Interactive’s Prewards® platform to create specific offers and incentives, that will be presented to a highly targeted group of consumers, via EDO Interactive’s banking and payment card partners.

“We are excited to deliver another way by which our Taigan stores can expand their customer base and increase sales both in-store and on Taigan.com.  We believe that EDO and Taigan (and our related “communities”) will be beneficiaries of this alliance, and look forward to delivering this initiative to the marketplace,” stated Elizabeth Nichols, CEO of Taigan.com.

“We are very pleased to partner with Taigan,” said Ed Braswell, Founder and CEO of EDO Interactive. “EDO and Taigan share common goals of building a quality merchant network and delivering an unmatched consumer experience. Together, we will be in a stronger position to achieve our shared goals.”

ABOUT TAIGAN

Named for the prized breed of hunting dog from Kyrgyzstan that tirelessly hunts for the best game its master desires, Taigan.com is the online shopping destination for a highly curated collection of boutiques, designers and purveyors.  Launched in late 2009, the e-commerce website has been celebrated by fashion editors and high-end consumers, and has reported 350% year over year growth.  Taigan is touted as the only lifestyle e-commerce site featuring specialty retailers and designers in 11 categories, including of women and men’s fashion, home décor, art, antiques, jewelry, sporting life, gourmet food and wine, and fine gifts. For the shopper, the collector, the epicure, Taigan presents an extraordinary and ever-expanding collection of shops and purveyors.  .

ABOUT EDO INTERACTIVE

EDO Interactive is a leader in digital and mobile advertising solutions, leveraging everyday payment networks to connect brands with consumers.  EDO’s Prewards® marketing platform employs advanced analytics and loyalty solutions to create value for consumers, brand advertisers and financial institutions. For more information, please visit www.edointeractive.com.

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THE BEST OF BOUTIQUES

“We are defined by who we say no to,” says Elizabeth Nichols, CEO of Taigan, an ecommerce site that hosts some of the most amazing boutiques from around the country–boutiques that might not otherwise be accessible outside of the brick and mortar store. When Taigan, appropriately meaning a breed of Canine from Kyrgyzstan “known for its tenacity to find the best game for its master,” launched in 2009, Nichols estimates that there was a three percent acceptance rate from all of the retailers who reached out to them.

Since then, the offerings on the site have grown to more than 100 vendors in 11 categories–from fine jewelry to cigars. “The small stores needed a big voice,” says Nichols, who draws her experience from 20 years spent developing shopping centers. “If you put one store in the middle of the world wide web it won’t get any more traction than if you build a little store in the middle of a field.” Now with their re-launch–including a newly curated landing page–they also plan on introducing 8-12 stores each month. Though no store makes the page without a rigorous evaluation, from combing through the stock to seeing how they are packaged and shipped. Nichols even physically visits every store and is constantly seeking out new locations on her travels. As she puts it: “We are on a hunt.”

http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/editorsblog/2011/08/08/taigan-ecommerce.htm#ixzz1UTYZmHTp

City Chic New Orleans: The Best Spots for Your Weekend Getaway

Planning a trip this summer? We turned to our Rolodex of fashion insiders to give you tips on their cities’ high points. Stay tuned for a new destination each week.

The expert: Mimi Bowen, owner and buyer of Mimi.

What is your favorite part about living in NOLA? The amazing cultural opportunities and diversity, and believe it or not, the weather! Hot and humid is great for the skin (stay out of sun, of course!) or carry the quintessential parasol!

In your opinion, who are your city’s most stylish inhabitants? The Mardi Gras Indians, Olivia Manning, Julia Reed and my daughter, CeCe… Not necessarily in that order!

What are the essential places to go if you only have a weekend to visit? Tipitina’s for music, the whole French Quarter for the heartbeat of New Orleans, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the National World War II Museum for culture, Mother’s Restaurant for the best PoBoy sandwiches and Felix’s for the best raw oysters… Don’t leave N.O. without trying them!

Besides your own store, what are your favorite shopping spots? mac Maison for the most fab antiques, Hazelnut for amazing gifts and just about any little shop on Magazine Street — the most interesting shopping street in America!

What’s your favorite place to go for a quiet meal? A boisterous one? Quiet: Gautreau’s on Soniat Street, an uptown hideaway in a stylish, but unpretentious setting. One of New Orleans’ best kept secrets! Boisterous: Galatoire’s, a New Orleans institution. And if they know it’s your birthday, beware — the WHOLE restaurant will sing “Happy Birthday” to you, led by one of their great waitstaff!

What’s one thing you can only get in New Orleans? Mardi Gras

What is your favorite historical site? Lakefront Airport — an Art Deco gem that has just been redone after Katrina!

Where can you find the best…

Burger: La Petite Grocery. And don’t miss the truffle fries — to die for!

Cocktail: Cure. Imagine your own cocktail or let them entice you into something you never dreamed of!

Vintage clothes/Flea market: The French Market in the Quarter. You’ll never see the same thing twice!

Haircut/color/blowout: Jesse de Leon at the salon at Mimi. He’s a master of cut and color, an addiction that is impossible to break!

All-night dance party: F & M Patio Bar. Nothing like it on earth and the clientele runs the gamut from debs to truck drivers. Another example of the cultural diversity of N.O…

Outdoor activity Any activity at the Audubon Zoo and Park.

Spa treatment: The new Guerlain Spa at the newly refurbished Roosevelt Hotel… Not to miss!

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/bazaar-blog/weekend-getaways-new-orleans-062811?src=soc_fcbk