Yesterday was the start of the online holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday. Experts believe that it probably set what will be a short-lived record for one-day online sales, an estimated $700 Million. Over the last 2 years “Cyber Monday” has kicked off the holidays with a surge of sales that have been surpassed before Santa finishes his trek Christmas morning. This year is expected to follow suit. The good news for us at 3LUXE? Yesterday was a record setting day, with the most visitors and highest page views since our launch in June.

It’s gratifying to have visitors using 3LUXE to assist with their Christmas gift research and it’s interesting to see what they’re looking at. The 2007 holiday season is forecasting big sales for mp3 players, gaming systems and HD televisions, and in reviewing our traffic it looks like it will. One of the surprising Christmas gifts this year? Turntables.

As music lovers look to convert their rare and extensive vinyl collections into mp3s, turntables like the Ion TTUSB10 can make that happen. Audiophiles will tell you that nothing can replace the enjoyment of listening to classic records on a good turntable, but you can’t carry a record player in your pocket. As MP3 players’ enormous storage capacity further explodes, it’s possible to carry tens of thousands of old favorites and new classics anywhere, for enjoyment anytime.

This holiday season we look forward to breaking new records with you while preserving your favorites.

All the best,
Bill

This past weekend I found BusinessWeek’s Luxury Gift Guide posted to the web. Since BusinessWeek has more than seventy-five years of experience in publishing, I was surprised and happy to see the similarities in our gift guides – I guess it reinforces we’re getting it right. The first, and fastest, item to catch my eye was a Porsche, Business week featured the 911 Carrera (a fantastic car featured in Sports Cars). We also included a Porsche at 3LUXE, but with Christmas falling in the middle of winter, we went with a Porsche that’s comfortable in any condition, Porsche Cayenne.

BusinessWeek covered the entertainment category with a gift that’s sure to be on the wish list of anyone looking to upgrade their home theater, the Pioneer PRO-150FD Plasma TV, which is very similar to 3LUXE’s “Best OF” Pioneer PRO-1540HD. For those that don’t think a 60in screen will suffice, 3LUXE featured a profesional quality projection TV, Runco’s Signature Cinema SC-1. Continuing in this year’s hot electronic gift category, both gift guides feature the iPhone and the Wii, two presents which will be enjoyed by “kids” of all ages this Christmas.

The one gift that BusinessWeek featured that is on my personal list, but didn’t make the 3LUXE guide…. Scotch, more specifically, The Macallan 25-Year-Old Fine Oak single malt whiskey. Scotch isn’t for everyone – but when you’re savoring a memorable moment in life (ex. finishing your Christmas shopping) there is no better drink than scotch, and no better Scotch than Macallan.

Finally, like us, Business Week included a luxury spa on their list, the Golden Door, we went with another “Best Of”, the Canyon Ranch. We agree with BusinessWeek that a Spa Resort is just the right gift for that special women on your Christmas list. I personally can’t think of a better way to unwind after the holiday’s than a getaway to a luxurious spa.

All the best,
Bill

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year. We’re in constant motion with a flurry of activities; Attending holiday parties, school concerts, Christmas pageants, baking cookies, decorating the Christmas tree and trying to find just the right gift for family and friends. Unfortunately, busy often equates to stress and there just isn’t enough time to get everything done.

In our continued effort to simplify online research and save you time we’ve developed a Holiday Gift Guide. The guide is segmented into different budgets for men and women. For boys and girls we divided the gift guide into age groups. Last but not least there are the gifts for infants, featuring today’s “Best Of The Day” the Kallisto Organic Stuffed Lamb, a perfect gift for any baby on your list.

Like all of the categories on 3LUXE, each segment of the gift guide features the three best options in that group. You’ll find some products (like the iPhone) which you’re sure to see on other lists this year, but we’re confident that other gifts (like the Drop Necklace) will only be on ours. Our team has worked hard to identify products that are safe for children and are sure to bring a smile to everyone on your list.

Enjoy our gift guide and know that by visiting 3LUXE you’ll have more of the one thing you can’t buy this holiday season, time.

Best regards,
Bill