Vintage and Modern, an online marketplace for antiques, modern furnishings, art and jewelry is to launch VandM 2.0. In addition to social networking elements that will encourage dialogue between dealers, buyers and collectors, the newly redesigned site offers the company’s services in over 40 different languages. It will now be possible for an interior designer in New Mexico to easily source ornate wooden statues in Lithuania. With the new technological improvements in place, the design community around the globe will have a greatly expanded resource at their fingertips.
Connecting buyers while empowering dealers is what VandM is all about. As VandM Director of Sales, Chris Sansbury, states, “With this new international and social focus, we are building on the site’s already open and positive approach. VandM is regularly visited by a growing community of designers, collectors, dealers and savvy consumers and these enhancements will allow them to get even more from the market experience. With 2.0 we are creating an interactive environment of like-minded design-lovers that stretches across the globe.”
The redesign of the site includes an international component that offers VandM services in over 40 different languages—from Arabic and Bulgarian to Spanish and Vietnamese. Using a mixture of computer-generated technology supplied through google and human interpretation, data is entered in a country’s native tongue and then translated into a user’s language based on the settings they choose. A built-in conversion rate mechanism also offers pricing according to a visitor’s native currency.
This effort to reach out to the international community is the first step in a multi-year initiative to add dealers from across the globe and offer collectors an expanded resource. “Current technology is allowing us to create a global marketplace where design-savvy people can meet and talk with one another, regardless of location or language. It is really like no other market on the internet,” notes Vintage and Modern, Inc. co-founder Bill Indursky.
Similar in look and feel to popular social networking sites, users can upload their photo and enter basic information such as location, schooling and work to create a more social atmosphere. Customers can then request “connections” from other customers or dealers, helping them associate with like-minded people. A messaging function allows users to receive alerts from their favorite designers while shops can interact directly with their customer base.
